Montana Military Records

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Military Records

Online resources

• See United States Military Online Genealogy Records for more resources.
• 1866-2010 Montana, Sanders County Records, 1866-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1876 Custer's Last Stand, 1876, Dead and Wounded
• 1890-1918 Montana Military Enlistments, 1890-1918, index & images
• 1904-1918 Montana, Military Records, 1904-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection index; Also at: Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1917-1953 Montana, Military Discharge Records, 1917-1953 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Soldiers of the Great War From the State of Montana
• Military Enlistments (Montana) World War I, index & images
• Korean Conflict State-Level Casualty Lists - Montana
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Montana
• Vietnam Conflict Casualty Lists - Montana

Forts and Camps

• Fort Assiniboine--1879-1911 Established to prevent Sitting Bull and the Souix warriors from returning from Canada.
• Fort Abraham Lincoln-- in North Dakota.
• Fort Belknap
• Fort Benton -- Textual records of this fort, 1869-1881, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Connor(also known as Old Fort Reno)
• Fort Custer-- Textual records of this fort, 1877-1898, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Ellis- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1886, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Fetterman-- in Wyoming
• Fort William Henry Harrison-- 1895-1913.
• Fort Keogh-- Textual records of this fort, 1876-1908, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Logan-- Textual records of this fort, 1870-1880, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Maginnis-- Textual records of this fort, 1880-1890, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Missoula -- Textual records of this fort, 1877-1939, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Peck
• Camp Poplar River -- Textual records of this fort, 1880-1893, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Raymond-- Built by Manuel Lisa and called Manuel's Fort.
• Fort Shaw -- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1891, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort C. F. Smith--1866-1868; originally named Fort Ransom.
• Fort Union
• Fort Smith
• Fort Stevenson-- Textual records of this fort, 1867-1883, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under "Records of Posts, 1820-1940" (Record Group 393.7).

For Further Reading

Encyclopedia of Indian Wars Western Battles and Skirmishes 1850-1890. By Gregory F. Michno. Mountain Press Publishing Co., Missoula, Montana C. 2003. ISBN 0-87842-468-7

Mexican War (1846-1848)

The Mexican War was caused by the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. Most volunteer regiments were from southern states. Records of Mexican War veterans might exist in a state where the veteran later resided.

• Mexican War Index to Pension Files, 1887–1926. (NARA T317). FS Library films 0537000–13 Alphabetically arranged and includes the veteran’s name, rank, and unit; names of dependents; date of filing and application; certificate numbers; act filed under; and state from which application was made. Also available at:
  

*1887-1926 United States, Mexican War Pension Index, 1887-1926 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

• Robarts, William Hugh. Mexican War Veterans : A Complete Roster of the Regular and Volunteer Troops in the War Between the United States and Mexico, from 1846-1848… Washington, D.C.: Brentano’s, 1887. FS Catalog book 973 M2rwh Digital version available at Internet Archive.
  

Click on these links to learn more about the Mexican War and about Mexican War pension records.

Civil War (1861 to 1865)

See Montana in the Civil War for information about Montana Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Montana regiments involved in the Civil War.

The regimental pages often include lists of the companies with links to the counties where the companies started. Men in the companies often lived in the counties where the companies were raised. Knowing a county can help when researching more about the soldiers and their families.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System allows name searching for soldiers. The result set gives the regiments for the soldiers. Then you can check the Wiki regiment pages to determine counties. Often knowing the counties that had men in a regiment will help you determine if a soldier was your ancestor.

Indian Wars (1780s-1890s)

Historical sketches of army posts are available at the FamilySearch Library (FS Library film 1025168) and the National Archives and its regional centers. You can also find historical sketches in local histories. The FamilySearch Library also has microfilm copies of the service and pension indexes for the many Indian conflicts. The actual records are available only at the National Archives.

The following wiki article will contain sources on the Sioux War of 1876-1877 and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

• Sioux Wars - Battle of the Little Bighorn

Spanish-American War (1898)

The Spanish-American War was largely fought in Cuba and the Philippines. Spanish-American War records might exist in the state from which the soldier served or in a state where the veteran later resided.

Indexes

• 1861-1934 United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. The index covers veterans of the Civil War, Spanish‑American War, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion (1900 to 1901), and the regular Army, Navy, and Marine forces.

• 1898 United States, Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Click on the link to learn more about the Spanish American War.

World War I (1917-1918)

World War I was a global war fought on multiple continents with several nations involved. Over four million men and women served from the United States.

• United States. Selective Service System. Montana. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. FS Library film 1684099 (first of 37). Also available at:

• 1917-1918 United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index & images

• 1917-1919 United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

• 1917-1919 United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

• Montana, Military Records, 1904-1918. - index & images

See WWI Draft Records for more information.

The Montana Historical SocietyArchives has some records created by the Montana Department of Military Affairs, including original service records for the world wars. They also have enlistment records for the Montana National Guard from 1905 through about 1920.

• Ken Robison. Montanans in the great war : open warfare over there.Charleston, South Carolina : The History Press, ©2019. FS Library 978.6 M2ro

World War II (1941-1945)

Draft Registrations: On 16 September 1940, President Roosevelt signed into law the first peacetime Selective Service Act. During WWII, the Selective Service System conducted six draft registrations; these records are held collectively in two groupings at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO. The registrations are part of Record Group 147 Records of the Selective Service System. From December, 1942 to August, 1945 no enlistments were allowed. The Selective Service became the only way men entered the service for the remainder of the war.

• 1940-1945 Montana, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945

On April 27, 1942, the Selective Service conducted the fourth of six draft registrations related to WWII. The "World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942" is often referred to as the “Old Man’s Registration” or the “Old Man’s Draft" because it included men with a date of birth from April 28, 1877 to February 16, 1897. Since there is overlap in the WWI and WWII Selective Service registration, men born in the years 1877 to 1900 may have registered twice and have both WWII and WWI draft records.

• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection images and partial index

Also available at:

• Ancestry ($)
• Fold3 ($).

• World War II United States Military Records provides additional information.

• Montana Historical Society. military service cards, 1939-1945 FamilySearch Catalog

Korean War (1950–1953)

The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea (and its communist allies) and South Korea (with support of the United Nations, primarily the United States). See the Korean War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam (and its communist allies) and South Vietnam (with support of its anti-communist allies, including the United States). See the Vietnam War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

National Guard

• Montana AGO. Directory of the organizations and units, Montana national guard.Helena, Montana : Montana. Adjutant General's Office, 1943
• Chester K. Shore. Montana in the wars.American Legion. Department of Montana, 1977. 978.6 M2s

Websites

• Rootsweb
• American Wars
• New Horizons Genealogy

See the Supplemental Information section of the United States Military Records for additional information.