Georgia in the Civil War

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Battle of Chickamauga GA 1863

 

Introduction

Georgia seceded from the Union on January 18, 1861.  During the Civil War, almost 100,000 Georgians served in the Confederate armed forces, mostly serving in the armies in Virginia. In Georgia, most of battles were fought in 1864 and 1865, as General Sherman's army marched to the sea.

For additional information, see the Wikipedia article, Georgia in the American Civil War.

Battles

27 Civil War battles were fought in Georgia. The following have information about these battles:

• American Civil War site has brief summaries of the battles, with maps and photos. Also has a page about Sherman's March to the Sea.
  
• Georgia in the American Civil War in Wikipedia has a list of battles with links to other pages about each battle.
  
• National Park Service site has brief summaries of the battles.
• Civil War Album site has modern photos of places or things relating to the battles. It can be searched.

Georgia Military Units

Most units were numbered, however, some were named. See the table below for lists of the regiments, battalions, batteries, and other units.

The information in the lists of Georgia Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. That web site also can be searched by the name of a soldier.

Georgia Units by Number or by Name

Confed. Units

1st-3rd

4th-10th

11th- 23rd

24th- 214th

A-H

J-Z

Georgia Units by Type of Unit

Confed. Units

Infantry

Cavalry

Artillery

Reserve

Local Units

Other

Georgia Union Units

Union Units

Units

Sources and Resources

Soldiers from Georgia served in both the Union and the Confederate Armies. Indexes and the compiled military service records are available at the Family History Library and the National Archives.

• Ledford, Karen Ann Thompson. These Men Wore Grey Genealogical, Military, and Interment Records of Confederate Soldiers. (Toccoa, Georgia : K.T. Ledford, c1998-c2001), 7 Volumes. Each volume contains bibliographical references and full-name index. Contents: v. 1. Franklin County -- v. 2. Habersham County --v. 3. Stephens County -- v. 4. Rabun County --v. 5. White County -- v. 6. Banks County -- v. 7. Jackson County. Book found at FHL 975.8 V3L and Other Libraries.

Confederate Records

Service Records

• Georgia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records) describes the records with a link to the free database.

• Compiled Service Records ($) (Fold3.com) for Union and Confederate soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Georgia are available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, place of birth, and date of death. The service records are also available at no charge at National Archives research rooms. For more information see Confederate Service Records.

Pension Records

Confederate soldiers received pensions for military service beginning in 1879. The law establishing pension payment was changed in 1891 to include widows of soldiers.

The indexed original pension documents are available online at the Georgia Department of Archives and History (Virtual Vault) as Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960 and Confederate Pension Application Supplements, 1879-1960.

The Family History Library

• Georgia Confederate pension records are indexed by the soldier's last name. (Family History Library microfilms 1493047--- )
• Pension records for Confederate veterans are arranged by counties and are at the Family History Library on 634 films. (Family History Library microfilms 315678—)

Enlistment Oaths and Discharges

• Enlistment oaths and discharges for Confederate soldiers are indexed and viewable as original documents at the Georgia Department of Archives and History (Georgia's Virtual Vault).

Militia Enrollment Lists

• 1864 Militia Enrollment Lists on Georgia Department of Archives and History (Georgia's Virtual Vault) can be browsed by county, Militia District or Senatorial District. There is not a name index. These lists are of all free white males between sixteen and sixty not serving in Confederate or State service.
  

Rosters

• Lillian Hendersen, comp., Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, 1861-65, six volumes, is a published roster of Georgia Confederate soldiers who served in the infantry. (Hapeville, Georgia: Longino and Porter, 1960-64; FHL book 975.8 M22h; on 3 films 1033660 items 3-4, 1033661, and 1033662; microfiche 6082336).

Presidential Pardons of Former Confederates, 1863–1868

From 1863 to 1868, former Confederates could apply for pardon from the federal government. The voting rights and citizenship of former Confederates were restored when they applied for pardon and signed an Amnesty Oath.

A published list of pardons is available online:

• Pardons by the President: Final Report of the Names of Persons Who Lived in Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, or Georgia, were Engaged in Rebellion and Pardoned by the President, Andrew Johnson. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, Inc., 1986. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library - free.

Confederate Military Organization

• Thomas E. Lyle, Larry O. Blair, and Debra S. Lyle. Organizational Summary of Military Organizations from Georgia in the Confederate States of America. (c1999, Byrons Printing, Louisville, Tennessee).
  

Union Records

Cemetery Records

A national cemetery in Sumter County is the burial place of over 12,000 Union soldiers who died while prisoners at Andersonville, Georgia.

• A published cemetery list is United States Quartermaster's Department, Roll of Honor, Volume 3. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866; Family History Library book 973 B4 v.3; microfilm 908229 item 2).

Service Records

• Georgia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records) describes the records and has a link to the database.

• Compiled Service Records ($) (Fold3.com) of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Georgia are available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The service records are also available at no charge at National Archives research rooms. The compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, place of birth, and date of death. For more information see Union Service Records.

Pension Records

Civil War Pension Index Cards - An Index to Pension Applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. The majority of the records are of Civil War veterans, but the collection also includes records for veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, the Indian Wars, and World War I. For more information see Union Pension Records.

Southern Claims Commission

If a Union sympathizer in Georgia claimed a loss during the Civil War due to Union military confiscation, he could apply to the Southern Claims Commission for reimbursement. Only a few applied per county, but their neighbors were called as witnesses and asked dozens of questions. Hundreds of the residents of all kinds in a county may be mentioned in answers to Commission questions, and their wartime activities described.

To learn how to find records mentioning these neighbors in Georgia counties during the Civil War see the Southern Claims Commission.

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)

Grand Army of the Republic founded in 1866 - 1956, was the largest veteran’s organization in the country after the Civil War. It was a fraternal organization members were veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, Marines and Revenue Cutler Service who served in the American Civil War. The group supported voting rights for black veterans, and lobbied the U.S. Congress to establish veterans' pensions. In 1890 the membership was 490,000.

In 1888 there were ------ posts and ------ members in the state of Georgia

GAR Posts in the State of Georgia

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

With the death of the last member of the Grand Army of the Republic the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War was formed.

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