Confederate Cemetery Records

United States

U.S. Military

U.S. Civil War

Confederate Cemetery Records

About 250,000 Confederate soldiers died in the war. Most died of disease, but others were killed during battle or died in prison camps or hospitals. Raymond W. Watkins copied Confederate burial records throughout the South, in prison camps, and in some Northern cemeteries. The following books may be helpful in locating death and burial information:

• Deaths of Confederate Soldiers in Confederate Hospitals 14 Volumes. Watkins, Raymond W., compiler. (Worldcat) (FHL book 975 V2w.)
• Confederate Burials 28 Volumes. Watkins, Raymond W., compiler. (Worldcat) (FHL book 975 V3w.)

Many of his unpublished manuscripts are on microfilm at the Family History Library and are listed under his name in the Author/Title section of the library catalog.

National Graves Registration Database

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, National Graves Registration Database can be searched by name, and the search can be narrowed by unit, state of service, cemetery name, town, county or state of burial. Information that may be given for a person includes birth and death dates, age, unit, rank, enlistment and discharge dates, and name and address of cemetery, The database primarily lists burials for Union soldiers, however, some Confederate soldiers are also listed.

Nationwide Gravesite Locator

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Nationwide Gravesite Locator has burial records of veterans and their family members from VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, and other veterans cemeteries around the country. The records include Civil War veterans as well as veterans from other wars. This database contains records for both Union and Confederate Soldiers.

Applications for Headstones (1925-1941)

The record collection "Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941" (NARA M1916) contains over 290,000 applications for headstones for U.S. military veterans. Most of the applications are for U.S. military veterans who died during 1925–41, but there are also applications for veterans who died before 1925. Most of the veterans served in the Civil War or later, however, some served in earlier conflicts. In 1906 and 1929 the U.S. government passed laws allowing for headstones for deceased Confederate soldiers as well as Union soldiers. Those applications are included in this collection. Records generally contain the name of the veteran, enlistment and discharge dates, rank, company, regiment, name and location of cemetery, and date of death.

Note: This collection contains both Confederate and Union records.

Online

• United States, Applications for Headstones for Military Veterans, 1925-1941 (FamilySearch)

Libraries

• Family History Library FHL 1878150-283.

Other Sources

• Office of the Commissioner for Marking the Graves of Confederate Dead. Register of Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Citizens Who Died in Federal Prisons and Military Hospitals in the North, 1861–1865. National Archives Microfilm Publication M918. FHL film 1024456. (CD #9, part 119.) These are lists arranged alphabetically by the location of death, then by the name of the soldier.
• Register of the Confederate Dead, Interred in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia Richmond, Virginia. Jones, Printers, 1869. (FHL book 975.5451 V3r; film 0033625.) Richmond was a major burial site during the war. About 18,000 soldiers are interred there in the Hollywood Cemetery. The register lists the soldier’s name, company, regiment, state, death date, section, and grave number.

The Family History Library

• A Descriptive List of the Burial Places of the Remains of Confederate Soldiers: Who Fell in the Battles of Antietam, South Mountain, Monocacy, and Other Points in Washington and Frederick Counties in the State of Maryland. Hagerstown, Maryland: Free Press, 1868. (FHL film 1486525.) Entries give name of soldier, unit, and burial place.
• Albertson, Charles L. The Elmira Prison Camp. New York, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1912 (FHL book 974.778 M25h; fiche 6048668.) Contains a history of the prison along with a roster of Confederate prisoners buried in the Woodlawn cemetery.
• Elliot, William. List Showing Inscriptions on Headstones for the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Who, While Prisoners of War, Died at Columbus and Camp Dennison, Ohio, and Were Buried in Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery, Those Dying at Camp Dennison Having Been Thence Removed. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1907. (FHL film 1688404.) Lists grave number, name, and soldier’s company regiment.
• Krick, Robert K. The Gettysburg Death Roster: The Confederate Dead at Gettysburg. Second Edition. Dayton, Ohio: Morningside Bookshop, 1985. (FHL book 974.842/GI V2K 1985.) Alphabetical by name. Some entries list rank. Also lists company and regiment.
• Register of Confederate Soldiers Who Died in Camp Douglas 1862–1865 and Lie Buried in Oakwoods Cemetery. Chicago, Illinois. 1892. (FHL film 1710607 item 4.) Includes the name, company, regiment, and state for over 4,300 soldiers buried at Camp Douglas. This item was microfilmed as a part of the following:
• Deaths and Burials of Confederate Soldiers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990. (FHL film 1704156 item 2.)

References

* John P. Deeben. Documenting the Forgotten Dead: Confederate Death and Burial Records. NGS Magazine 36 # 3 (July-September 2010): 42-48. FHL 973 D25ngs

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at: United States, Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans - FamilySearch Historical Records

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.