Massachusetts in the Civil War

Massachusetts

Massachusetts, Military Records

Massachusetts in the Civil War

Clara Barton, The Angel of the Battlefield, nurse during the American Civil War

Introduction

Massachusetts had a major influence on the antislavery movement. A total of 159,165 Massachusetts men served in the Union forces, 133,002 in the Union army and 26,163 in the Union navy. The army units consisted of 62 regiments of infantry, 6 regiments of cavalry, 16 batteries of light artillery, 4 regiments of heavy artillery, 2 companies of sharpshooters, a few unattached battalions and 26 unattached companies. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was the first regiment of African American soldiers.

Massachusetts Military Units

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

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

Massachusetts Units by Number or by Name

Union Units

1st-8th

9th-22nd

23rd-62nd

A to Z

Massachusetts Units by Type of Unit

Union Units

Infantry

Cavalry

Artillery

Sharp-shooters

Colored Troops

Unassign-ed Units

Related Sources

• John T. Fallon, comp. List of synonyms of organizations in the volunteer service of the United States during the years 1861, '62, '63, '64, and '65 Washington: Government Printing Office, 1885 FamilySearch Digital Library

• Bibliography of State Participation in the Civil War 1861-1866 Washington: Government Printing Office, 1918. For Massachusetts see pages 256-338 . This section will include a bibliography of war related state publications, published unit histories, and local histories with Civil War content. FamilySearch Digital Library

• Frederick Dyer. A compendium of the War of the Rebellion 3 volumes. reprint. New York, New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1959. v. 1. Number and organization of the armies of the United States -- v. 2. Chronological record of the campaigns, battles, engagements, actions, combats, sieges, skirmishes, etc., in the United States, 1861 to 1865 -- v. 3. Regimental histories. v.1 FamilySearch Digital Library; v.2 FamilySearch Digital Library; v.3 FamilySearch Digital Library

• United States Adjutant General's Office. Official army register of the volunteer force of the United States Army for the years 1861, '62, '63, '64, '65 volume 1 reprint Gaithersburg, Maryland: Olde Soldier Books, 1987 incudes officers from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut Regiments FamilySearch Digital Library

State Records

During the Civil War over 146,000 men from Massachusetts served in the Union Army.

The Massachusetts Civil War Research Center has a name searchable database of over 150,000 soldiers, sailors and marines and brief histories of many Massachusetts regiments (with more to be added).

The FamilySearch Library has many records for individual regiments. See the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog for detailed listings under MASSACHUSETTS - MILITARY RECORDS - CIVIL WAR, 1861–1865.

Some excellent volumes on Civil War soldiers are:

• Adjutant General of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the Civil War. Eight Volumes. Norwood, Massachusetts: Norwood Press, 1931–1935. Includes brief unit histories and unit rosters with each serviceman's name, rank, residence, age, occupation, enlistment date, and release date and place. (FamilySearch Library FS Catalog book 974.4 M2ma and films 238362-238369, indexed in 238370.)
  

• Higginson, Thomas W. Massachusetts in the Army and Navy during the War of 1861-1865. Two Volumes. Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter, 1895-96. Includes unit histories; lists of men killed in action; officers; and rosters giving name, rank, unit, birthplace, and service dates. Volume 1 on Internet Archives. Volume 2 on Internet Archives. (FS Library book 974.4 M25ht; film 238371-72; fiche 6051395–96.)

• P. C. Headley. Massachusetts in the rebellion : a record of the historical position of the commonwealth, and the services of the leading statesmen, the military, the colleges, and the people, in the Civil War of 1861-65.Boston : Walker, Fuller, and Company, 1866. FamilySearch Digital Library
• William Schouler. A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War 2 vols. Boston, Massachusetts : E.P. Dutton, 1868-1871. vol. 1 FamilySearch Digital Library; vol. 2 FamilySearch Digital Library
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Massachusetts in the army and navy during the war of 1861-65 2 volumes. Boston, Massachusetts : Wright & Potter, 1895-1896. FS Library 974.4 M2ht
• Massachusetts Adjutant General. Record of the Massachusetts volunteers, 1861-1865 2 v. in 4. Boston, Massachusetts : Adjutant General of Massachusetts, 1868-1870
• George W. Nason. History and complete roster of the Massachusetts regiments : minute men of '61 who responded to the first call of President Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1861, to defend the flag and Constitution of the United States together with photographs and biographical sketches of minute men of Massachusetts. Boston, Massachusetts : Smith & McCance, 1910, c1904. FamilySearch Digital Library
• Civil War correspondence, diaries, and journals at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1842-1885, bulk 1861-1865
• Civil War correspondence, diaries, and journals at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1842-1885, bulk 1861-1865 : guide to the microfilm edition, 29 reels FS Library 974.4 A1 no. 207

Local Records

• Complete record of the names ... soldiers and officers ... seamen and officers ... of ... Massachusetts ... : during the Rebellion begun in 1861 ... volume 1
• Record of the names of soldiers and sailors from Alford Massachusetts in the Civil War
• Attleborough, Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers in the military service...from the town of Attleborough
• Dighton. Record of Soldiers and Officers in the Military Service item 3
• Enfield Town Clerk, Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers in the military service : and of all the seamen and officers in the naval service of the United States, from Enfield, during the rebellion begun in 1861: together with the authentic facts relating to the military or naval career of each soldier, seaman and officer
• Rebellion record 1861-1865, Hanson, Massachusetts
• Rebellion record 1861-1865, Hanover, Massachusetts
• Rebellion records 1861-1865, Hingham, Massachusetts
• Hubbardston, Massachusetts, Civil War records, 1861-1865
• Longmeadow, Complete record of the names of the soldiers and officers in the military service : and of all the seamen and officers in the naval service of the United States from the town of Longmeadow, Hampden Co., Mass., during the Rebellion begun in 1861: together with authentic facts relating to the military or naval career of each soldier, seaman, and officer
• Mattapoisett, Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers ... from the town of Mattapoisett during the rebellion begun in 1861
• Oakham, Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers in the military service and of all the seamen and officers in the naval service of the United States from Oakham, during the rebellion begun in 1861.
• Rebellion record 1861-1865, Pembroke, Massachusetts
• Stow, Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers in the military service : and of all the seamen and officers in the naval service of the United States from the town of Stow in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, during the rebellion begun in 1861...
• Rehoboth, Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers in the military service and of all the seamen and officers in the naval service of the United States, from the town of Rehoboth, county of Bristol, during the Rebellion begun in 1861 : together with authentic facts relating to the military or naval career of each soldier, seaman, and officer
• Rebellion records 1861-1865, Scituate, Massachusetts
• Civil War military personnel from Westborough, Massachusetts

• Additional Collections
• Massachusetts. AGO. Descriptive lists of recruits for Massachusetts volunteers, 1863-1864
• Massachusetts. AGO. Descriptive rolls of Massachusetts volunteers, 1861-1865
• Massachusetts. AGO. Descriptive rolls of Massachusetts volunteers, 1863-1865
• Massachusetts. AGO. Elective rolls of Massachusetts volunteers, 1863-1865
• Massachusetts. AGO. Returns of municipal bounties, 1863-1864
• Massachusetts. AGO. Muster rolls of Massachusetts volunteers, 1861-1865

Many published histories of regiments and other units are also available. Most military records for the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War (1898), and more recent wars are at: War Records Office of the Adjutant General 50 Maple St Milford, MA 01757Telephone: (781) 944-0500.

1890 Census Veterans Schedules

1890 Census Veterans Schedules - The "Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War" (NARA M123) are available online for the state of Massachusetts. The schedules list Union veterans and their widows living in Massachusetts in 1890. For more information on the 1890 Veterans Schedules see Union Census Records. See also A List of the soldiers, sailors and marines of the Civil War : surviving and residents in Massachusetts on April 1, 1915 Boston, Massachusetts : Wright and Potter printing Co. State printers, 1916. FamilySearch Digital Library

Service Records

The compiled service records for Massachusetts soldiers are currently only available from the National Archives. For more information see Union Service Records See also United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Massachusetts

Pensions

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.

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 191 posts and 20,687 members in the state of Massachusetts

GAR Posts in the State of Massachusetts

The FamilySearch Library catalog:

• A. Dean Sargent, Grand Army of the Republic : Civil War veterans, Department of Massachusetts 1866 to 1947 Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 2002 FS Library 974.4 M2sa

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.

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