Records about Confederate soldiers are certainly less prevalent than those for their Union counterparts. But many more Confederate records exist than are widely known – and many of those records are online. In some cases where access to these records requires a subscription, they are available elsewhere for free.
Here we offer a chart showing the most significant Confederate records that are available online with direct links to the search engines for those databases.
Note: for pension records, look in the state(s) where the veteran and/or his widow lived after the war, not the state for which he served. For an overview of Confederate pensions, see this article.
Online Confederate Records1
Anc.=Ancestry.com F3=Fold3.com FS=FamilySearh.org MH=MyHeritage.com SG=State Government Resource
NARA=National Archives and Records Administration LOC=Library of Congress
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Index to Service Records of Union and Confederate Soldiers on MH ($)
Index to Service Records of Confederate Soldiers on MH ($)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Confederate Prisoners of War on FS (free)
General Orders and Circulars of the War Department on F3 ($)
Soldiers, Sailors, and Civilians Who Died in the North on FS (free)
Muster List of Cherokee Confederate Indians on FS (free)
Muster List of Creek and Other Confederate Indians on FS (free)
Jewish-American Veterans, 1861-1865 on Anc. (free)
Officers in the Confederate Navy on FS (free)
Papers of Citizens or Businesses 1861-1865 on FS (free)
Papers of Citizens or Businesses 1861-1865 on F4 ($)
Southern Claims for Compensations on F3 ($)
Confederate Prisoners of War on Anc. ($)
Casualty Reports on F3 ($)
Letters Received by the Adjutant and Inspector General 1861-1865 on F3 ($)
Army Casualty Lists and Reports on Anc. ($)
Roster of Confederate Soldiers on Anc. ($)
Applications for Presidential Pardons 1865-1867 on FS (free)
Applications for Presidential Pardons 1865-1867 on Anc. ($)
Applications for Presidential Pardons 1865-1867 on F3 ($)
Index of Officers on FS (free)
Roster of Confederate Staff Officers on Anc. ($)
Index to Confederate Veteran Magazine on SG2
Index to Records of Navy and Marines on FS (free)
Index to Service Records of Officers and Non-Regimental Soldiers on FS (free)
Service Records of Officers and Non-Regimental Soldiers on F3 ($)
Index to Service Records – Unfiled Papers on FS (free)
Service Records – Unfiled Papers on F3 ($)
Southern Claims Commission – Master Index 1871-1880 on Anc. ($)
Southern Claims Commission – Disallowed and Barred Claims 1871-1880 on Anc. ($ or free index)
Other Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1867: loss of limb
1886: widows
1891: indigent vets.
1891: indigent widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on SG (free)
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Index to Service Records 1862-1947 on Anc. ($)
Index to Service Records on F3 ($)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Muster List on FS (free)
Veteran & Widow Questionnaires 1927 on Anc. ($)
Soldiers’ Census 1907 & 1921 on Anc. ($)
Soldiers’ Census 1907, 1921, 1927 on FS (free)
Pensions Applications ca. 1880-1930s on FS (free)
Index to Pensions 1862-1947 on Anc. ($)
Pension Records 1884-1958 on Anc. ($)
Other Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
Never
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered3
Never
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Pensions First Offered
1891: disabled vets.
1915: indigent widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Muster List on FS (free)
Soldiers’ Home Applications on FS free)
Index to Pensions 1891-1935 on Anc. ($)
Pension Records 1901-1929 on Anc. ($)
Pension Records 1901-1929 on FS (free)
Pension Records 1891-1939 on FS (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1885: veterans
1889: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Pension Applications 1885-1955 on SG (free)
Pension Applications 1885-1955 on Anc. ($)
Pension Applications 1885-1955 on FS (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1885: veterans
1889: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Roster of Soldiers on FS (free)
1864 Census to Reorganize the Militia on Anc. ($ or free index)
Governor’s Civil War Correspondence on Anc. ($ or free index)
Records of the Soldiers’ Home 1901-1930 on FS (free)
Index to Pensions 1879-1960 (Book $). Also on WorldCat
Pension Applications 1879-1960 on SG (free)
Pension Applications 1879-1960 on Anc. ($)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1912: veterans
1912: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Roster of Volunteers on FS (free)
List of Volunteers on Anc. ($)
Index to Pension Records 1912-1930 on Anc. ($)
Index to Veteran and Widow Pension Applications on FS (free)
Index to Vet. and Wid. Pension Applications 1912-1946 on FS (free)
Pension Applications 1912-1950 on Anc. ($)
Pension Applications 1912-1950 on FS (free)
Pension Applications on SG (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1898: veterans
1898: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Index of Soldiers and Commands on FS (free)
Index of Soldiers on Anc. ($)
Index to Pension Appls. 1898-1950s on SG (free)
Pension Records 1898-1950 on Anc. ($)
Pension Records 1898-1950 on FS (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
Never
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Service Roster and Index on FS (free)
Roster Assoc. of the Maryland Line (p59) on FS (free)
Roster Society of the Army and Navy (p129) on FS (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1888: disabled vets.
1888: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Pension Rolls 1889-1935 on SG (free)
Pension Reports on SG (free)
Pension Applications 1889-1932 on SG (free)
Widows Pension Applications on SG (free)
Pension and Other Recs. 1889-1942 on Anc. ($)
Pension and Other Recs. 1889-1942 on FS (free)
Veteran and Widow Pension Appls. 1900-1974 on Anc. ($)
Veteran and Widow Pension Appls. 1900-1974 on FS (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1911: disabled vets.
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
List of Volunteers on Anc. ($)
Soldier Deaths 1861-1895 on Anc. ($)
Soldiers’ Records Database on SG (free)
Provost Marshal Records 1861-1866 on SG (free)
List of Pensions & Deaths at Soldiers’ Home 1913-1917 on FS (free)
Register of Inmates in the Soldiers’ Home 1901-1920 on FS (free)
Index to Pensions (published 1920) on FS (free)
Pension & Soldiers’ Home Appls. 1911-1938 on Anc. ($)
Pension & Soldiers’ Home Appls. 1911-1938 on FS (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1867: loss of eye/limb
1867: widows
1885: any disability
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Confederate War Dead on FS (free)
Veteran and Widow Pension Applications 1885-1953 on Anc. ($)
Veteran and Widow Pension Applications 1885-1953 on FS (free)
Veteran and Widow Pension Applications 1885-? on SG (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1915: disabled vets.
1915: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
List of Inmates in the Soldiers’ Home 1911-1914 on FS (free)
Index to Pensions 1915-1955 on Anc. ($)
Index to Pension Applications on FS (free)
Index to Pension Appls. 1879-1920 on FS (free)
Index to Pensions on SG (free)
Pension Records on SG (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1887: disabled vets.
1887: widows
1919: all vets
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Roster of Soldiers on FS (free)
Soldiers’ Home Appls. 1909-1958 on Anc. ($)
Soldiers’ Home Appls. 1909-1958 on FS (free)
Pension & Soldiers’ Home Applications on SG (free)
Pension Applications 1919-1929 on SG (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1891: disabled vets.
1905: indigent widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Index to Pension Applications on SG (free)
Index to Pension Applications on MH ($)
Index to Pension Applications on Anc. ($)
Index to Colored Pensions Appls. 1921- on SG (free)
Pension Applications 1891-1965 on FS (free)
Order Copies of Pension Applications on SG ($)
Index to Soldiers’ Home Applications on SG (free)
Order Copies of Soldiers’ Home Appls. on SG ($)
Index to Veteran Questionnaires 1914-1922 on SG (free)
Order Copies of Veteran Questionnaires 1914-1922 on SG ($)
Index to Physicians on SG (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1889: disabled or indigent vets.
1889: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Index to Pension Appls. 1899-1975 on SG (free)
Index to Families of Indigent Vets. 1863-1865 on SG (free)
Pension Records 1884-1958 on Anc. ($)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Pensions First Offered
1888: all veterans
1888: widows
Online Records
Index to Service Records on FS (free)
Index to Service Records on F3 ($)
Service Records on NARA (free)
Service Records on F3 ($)
Index to Roster of Soldiers2 on SG (free)
Index to Virginians in the Confederate Navy on SG (free)
Index to Widow/Daughter Pension Appls. 1915-1967 on FS (free)
Disability Applications2 on SG (free)
R.E. Lee Camp Soldiers’ Home Appls2 on SG (free)
Index to Pension Roll Cards on SG (free)
Roster of Pensioners 1919-1921 on FS (free)
Pension Rolls on SG (free)
Pension Records 1884-1958 on Anc. ($)
Index to Death Records 1853-18962 on SG (free)
Other Relevant Links and Offline Collections:
Notes:
1 Every state archives holds Confederate records that are not online and therefore are not represented in this chart. Contact the archive to inquire about its offline collection. We have not attempted to itemize county-specific Confederate records, veteran lists, specific Confederate cemeteries, or specific prisoner of war camps. FamilySearch.org, in particular, offers free access to hundreds of such records online and through their Family History Centers.
2 Replace the 3- or 4-letter code in the search field with the name of your soldier.
3 Regiments that were formed directly by the Confederate government and not by any individual state.
See also:
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