Skip to main content

U.S. 1st-6th Volunteer Infantry (Ex-Confederates), Civil War Service Records

 Collection
Collection Number: A&M 3057

Overview

The compiled service records of Confederate prisoners of war who were released from prison camps upon signing a loyalty oath and volunteering for service in the Union Army. The ex-Confederates who comprised the First through Sixth U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments were recruited at first from the prison camp at Pt. Lookout, Maryland but later also from Rock Island, Alton, Camp Douglas, and Camp Morton in Illinois, and from Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio. Although initially serving near combat theaters of the Civil War, it was deemed that these popularly nicknamed "Galvanized Yankees" should not have to face fighting their former comrades in arms. Consequently, they were transferred early on to the northwestern frontier where they served as escorts and guards for settlers from the native inhabitants (Plains Indians). The records are arranged by regiment number and thereunder alphabetically by soldier's surname. The records contained therein relate solely to a particular soldier and are of two general types. The first kind consists of card index abstracts of entries on rolls or in books such as muster rolls, hospital rolls, or descriptive books. The second type consists of copies of original personal papers such as medical reports, enlistment papers and orders. Reel 65 consists of personal papers of soldiers with insufficient proof of service to justify a regular compiled record, those rejected for service for various reasons, and those attached to one of the regiments such as physicians or chaplains.

Dates

  • Creation: 1864-1866

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Extent

0 Linear Feet (Summary: 65 reels of microfilm)

Language

English

Physical Location

West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/

Existence and Location of Originals

This collection duplicates a collection at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: M1017, Compiled Service Records of Former Confederate Soldiers who Served in the 1st Through 6th U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments, 1864-1866. As of 2023, this collection of materials is also available via Fold3.com, Ancestry.com, and FamilySearch.org

Title
U.S. 1st-6th Volunteer Infantry (Ex-Confederates), Civil War Service Records, 1864-1866
Author
Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository

Contact:
1549 University Ave.
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown WV 26506-6069 US
304-293-3536