Help with some history.....

[Rube Burrows]

I was looking through some things today and found out that I had two of my relatives who were inlisted in the Civil War.

I cant find much on either of their companies so I thought I would ask you guys. I tried google first but didnt turn up much.

The first was


Ashley, James Gamali who was under Captin M.M. May. 4th Alabama Vol. Troops. Company I 4th Regiment.
Also listed on that section was PVT Co. I Byrds Regiment, Alabama

The second was listed as

Oliver P. Holmes (Civil War Records Reel 116 , card 44500538)
Company G, 3rd Alabama Reserves Confederates.
under Captian Hassell's Company of Alabama Reserves.

It also says Company Muster- inroll, Camp Withers, near Selma Alabama, August 1, 1864


I am not all that familar with were to go for info on the troops back then but I would be very grateful for ANY info on the subject.

Thanks,

Joey

[St. George]

St. George's Notes III - Your Civil War Ancestors...
« on: June 12, 2004, 11:56:21 PM »     

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Looking at the time frame we represent, it seems that a large number of us would've served on either side during the Civil War.

This is most helpful when developing your impression, since it can give you the background for your own character - plus, you can add the odd military item to your possibles bag to further add a touch of realism.

A good way to do this is to look into your own ancestry and see who fought where, and with whom did they fight?
You can then draw from real experiences.

You're going to need a couple of things in order to get started - an old, old living relative, and maybe the big, old Family Bible.

You need the ancient relative because they may know some of the family's oral history, and the associated names and their ties within the family.

You need the Family Bible because that's what many families used when they chronicled the various births, deaths and other pertinent data that made them "families".

There's also a good book that you can borrow from any well-stocked Town Library, and you'll usually find it in the Geneaology section.
It's titled:
"Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor" - by Groene.

It was printed some time back, and my copy doesn't have web links, but newer ones may, so stop by, check it out and see.

The actual addresses for the agencies involved are good though, and you can go to the 'net and dig from that point on.

There are a few of the things you'll need to do and to know:

1.  Know the actual name of your ancestor.
2.  Know his Date of Birth.
3.  Look for his Discharge or Mustering-Out Certificate.
4.  Know what State/County he lived in.
5.  Know what Unit he may have served in.
6.  Ask first at your County Historical Society.
7.  Look at the record of the war that his State published.
8.  Inquire at the National Archives - (the book explains how) http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/index.html
9.  You want to see his Military Record of Service.
10. You really want to see his Pension Records.

This list will keep you involved, but the hunt can be surprisingly worthwhile.
The Pension Records are important, because each time they changed the laws - those pensions needed to be re-requested, and in order to do that, affidavits needed to be filled out by men who served with him - attesting to actual service and times.

This means that the Pension Records will have more in them about specific duties and actions, while the Military Record will have the bare-bones details pertinent to that soldier up until discharge.

This really isn't as hard as you may think and the folks who deal in these Records are quite helpful with providing details and digging up additional information - so be certain to thank them profusely.

There are organizations that you may join currently, upon being able to prove your Civil War Veteran's connection.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: www.suvcw.org

The Sons of Confederate Veterans of the Civil War: www.scv.org

These are the two premier outfits that you'll find both interesting as well as useful in your quest.

I'll talk more on these Military Societies, their badges, and the politics of the era at a later date.

Scouts Out!

['Monterrey' Jack Brass]

Joey G –

A way to find out some info of where the units you're interested in served is by going to a library that has a set of The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (aka commonly referred to as the Official Records of the Civil War). These books, about 50 volumes in the set, were printed in the 1880s through the 1890s and are a very comprehensive database. These were reprinted in the late 1980s though you might be more likely to find an original set at a university or large metropolitan library in their old/rare collections archive.

Or you could try Battles & Leaders of the Civil War, also printed in the 1880s – these several volumes list units that participated in at least the major actions of the war though only by battalion/brigade/division &c and not much more than that. These have been reprinted by various publishers since they were released and are likely easier to find.

Both of these sources are somewhat labor intensive regarding thumbing through many pages of data but should yield results at least on the basics of what you seek regarding your ancestors' military units and where they served.

These are by no means the only places to look, and perhaps not even the best. I'm sure that there are on-line resources out there that are much more efficient. Perhaps some universities have on-line research references you can use or there are other good databases but as I'm techno-challenged I can't say too much about that.

Good luck with your search.

YMH&OS,

Brass

[Trailrider]

Howdy, Pards,
The National Archives and Records Service may have information.  There are two primary sources: military records and pension records.  Quite often, pension records (you may want to check with the STATE records, as well) will tell  you more than the military records, as the applicants often wrote fairly extensive narratives of their service in order to substantiate claims.  You may also find applications and statements from widows or children who applied for benefits after their sponsor passed on...even though it was years after the actual service.  If you know where your relative settled after their service, you may gain information through land deeds, marriage licenses, and probate records registered with the county clerk.  The problem there is that sometimes, especially west of the Mississippi, the counties got split up.  Census records may help, too, although most of the 1880 Census was destroyed by fire. Still, some states had partial or duplicate records.  BE CAREFUL not to believe EVERYTHING in the census records, however...  I had a great aunt who was about 16 when the 1900 Census was taken, and she was at school.  Because her name, Ray, was spelled that way, and not "Rae", the census taker assumed she was a he, and listed her as a "Son"!  My aunt was definitely NOT male!  Also, one of my grandfathers was listed as having a birthday in May and place of birth listed as Russia.  Family tradition is that he was born in Illinois, in July.  Was this a mistake, or did the family try to hide the fact of his birthplace?  If the latter, nobody, including my grandfather knew anything about it, and his death certificate agrees with the family.   

[Rube Burrows]

Thanks for the great info and links guys. That will give me a good starting point.