Alabama Military Records
United States 
U.S. Military Alabama Military Records
Background Information
Military records identify those who served in the military or who were eligible for service. Evidence that your ancestor served may be found in family traditions, census records, naturalization records, biographies, cemetery records, and records of veterans’ organizations.
Alabama has participated in wars from the Revolutionary War to the present. Military enlistment and service records may give names, residences throughout the life of the family, rank, unit, dates of service, death date, and cause of death. Pension records often provide the soldier’s birth date and place, widow’s name, the date and place of marriage, and names and ages of children.
The Alabama Department of Archives and History has the most complete collection of Alabama military records. Their collection includes military records and soldiers’ correspondence from all wars in which Alabama has participated. Many federal military records of Alabama are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and the National Archives Southeast Region (Atlanta) (Morrow, Georgia).
Alabama Forts
Forts were built to house and maintain the military, who were to assist in maintaning peace by enforcing treaties and providing protection to settlers.
Fort Barrancas 1820-,
Fort Charlotte 1813-20,
Fort Claiborne 1813,
Fort Crawford 1817-19,
Fort Clinch 1823-34,
Fort Clairborne
Fort Deposit 1813, Fort Gaines, Fort Jackson 1814, Fort Hampton 1810-17,
Fort Louis de la Mobil 1702 established by the French
Fort Mitchell 1813-37, Fort Morgan 1834-68, Fort Montgomery 1814-18, Fort Pickins 1834-67
Fort Toulouse built by the French
Mount Vernon Barracks (including Camp Terry) -- Textual records of this post, 1866-1895, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
Fort Stoddert 1799-1814, Fort St. Stephens 1799-1808, Fort Tombecbe
Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
If a person supported the Revolution, he may be mentioned in records as a rebel, patriot, or Whig. Those who opposed the Revolution were Loyalists or Tories.
Patriots-- Service and pension records and indexes for patriots are available on film at the National Archives and the Family History Library. For lists of Revolutionary War soldiers from Alabama, see:
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Revolutionary War Service, 1776–1783. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986. (Family History Library film 1462786 item 2.) These alphabetical three-by-five cards mention the soldier’s (or widow’s) name, rank, unit, and enlistment information. They also often list the names of the soldier’s parents, spouse, and children and give his birth date and place. The source of information may be given.
- Gandrud, Pauline Jones. Alabama Soldiers: Revolution, War of 1812, and Indian Wars. 20 volumes. Hot Springs, Arkansas: B.J. McLane, 1975–. (Family History Library book 976.1 M2g.) Volume one starts with surnames beginning with A. Volume 20 ends with the surnames M. The series will continue through surnames with Z. The books often list service, pension, census, land ownership, and probate information, with names of children and sometimes grandchildren.
- Julich, Louise Milam. Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers and Patriots in Alabama. Montgomery, Alabama: Parchment Press, 1979. (Family History Library book 976.1 M2j.) This source often provides information about military service, burial, pension, residence, spouse, children, parents, and source references.
- Owen, Thomas M. Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama. 1911. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. (Family History Library book 976.1 M23a 1975; film 928157 item 4. The 1911 edition is also on Family History Library film 962704 item 3.) This book lists Revolutionary War veterans who lived in Alabama. The information was compiled from the pension roll of 1833–1834, the 1840 census of pensioners, local histories, tombstones, and obituaries.
Lineages for Revolutionary War soldiers listing descendants and spouses, are found in:
- Black, Clifford D. An Index to Alabama Society Sons of the American Revolution, Members and Their Ancestors, 1903–1996. Rainsville, Alabama: C.D. Black, 1996. (Family History Library book 976.1 C42b; film 2055307 item 9.) This book contains about 15,000 names and is fully indexed. It includes the National Sons of the American Revolution number. This book also gives birth dates for descendants,birth and death dates for each soldier, and the state of birth and death for each soldier.
The 1835 Pension Roll of Alabama is available online at Ancestry.com ($)
The Loyalist Era, 1775–1789--Loyalists are those residents of the British North American Colonies who did not join the American Revolution between 1775 and 1783 but remained loyal to the king of England. In the strictest sense, Loyalists are only those who served in a Loyalist corps in the Thirteen Colonies. The American Loyalists who actually served the Crown must be distinguished from the more numerous "late Loyalists" who came from the United States beginning in about 1790 for land or other economic opportunities.
During the war and especially at its close, some Loyalists went to Britain or other colonies, but many fled to Canada. There is no master list of all the names of American Loyalists who came to Canada. Historians do not agree on the total number. Some sources say fewer than 20,000, others say more than 40,000. A head count in peninsular Nova Scotia in 1784 showed about 17,000 members of Loyalist families in that area alone, but some Loyalists had already left there for other places in British North America, and a few hundred more were to arrive in Nova Scotia in 1785.
War of 1812 (1812–1815)
For records of War of 1812 soldiers, see Alabama Soldiers: Revolution, War of 1812, and Indian Wars by Pauline Jones Gandrud mentioned above.
- War of 1812 Pensioners Living in Alabama During the 1880s. Cullman, Alabama: Gregath, 1982. (Family History Library book 976.1 M2w.) This book gives the name of the soldier or his widow, the certificate number, and residence.
Indian Wars (1812–1814)
A card index of Indian War soldiers is:
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Indian War Service, 1812–1814. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (Family History Library film 1462786 item 3.) This includes alphabetically arranged, typed cards for the Indian wars of 1813–1814 and the War of 1812. The films include each soldier’s name, age, residence, rank, and date enrolled and the date and amount of his pension payments (usually for the years of 1833–1834).
- Creek Wars 1813,1814
- Battle of Burnt Corn July27, 1813
War of Texas Independence (1835–1836)
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Texas War with Mexico, 1835–1836. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (Family History Library film 1462788 item 2.) These cards list, in alphabetical order, the names of Alabama soldiers who served in the War of Texas Independence. The cards contain information about rank, company, regiment, and sometimes enlistment place, dates served, wounds, age, death date, and land grant entitlement. They include the source of information.
Indian Wars (1836–1838)
Indexes to the compiled military service records are available for:
Creek War (1836–1837)
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Indian War, 1836. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986. (Family History Library films 1462787 item 2 (A–L) and 1462788 (M–Z).) These cards list the soldier’s name, rank, and company; information from muster rolls and petitions; letters from authorities, death reports, requisitions, minutes of meetings, accounts of battles, and enrollments. The county of residence also may be mentioned.
- United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Creek War in Organizations from the State of Alabama. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0244. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1957. (Family History Library films 880845–46.)
Florida War (1836–1838)
- United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Florida War in Organizations from the State of Alabama. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0245. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1957. (Family History Library film 880847.)
A transcription of this index is:
- Achee, Benjamin. Index for Compiled Service Records, Alabama Units—Florida War. N.p., 1971. (Family History Library book 976.1 A1 no. 6; film 908132 item2.) This book generally lists the soldier’s name, company, battalion, rank, and Alabama county.
Soldiers Serving in the Cherokee Removal (1838)
- United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Cherokee Removal in Organizations from the State of Alabama. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0243. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1957. (Family History Library film 368685.) The Cherokees were removed to the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. The compiled military service records have not been microfilmed, but are available at the National Archives.
Mexican War (1846–1848)
To find information about soldiers serving from Alabama see:
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Mexican War Service, 1846–1847. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (Family History Library films 1462788 item 3 (A–L), and 1462789 (M–Z).) The cards may include name, rank, muster date and place, regiment, company, and sometimes muster out or medical discharge information.
- Alabama Volunteers in the Mexican War, 1846–1848. Richardson, Texas: Descendants of Mexican War Veterans, 1996. (Family History Library book 976.1 M2bs.) This contains the names of the soldiers, plus historical information about the war and the Alabama companies.
Civil War (1861–1865)
See Alabama in the Civil War for information about Alabama Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Alabama regiments involved in the Civil War. The regimental articles 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 the families of the soldiers.
For information about African American troops, see United States Colored Troops in the Civil War to learn about the regiments and units that served from South Carolina.
The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System allows name searching for soldiers. The result set gives the regiment for each soldiers. Then you can check the regiment page to determine counties. Often knowing the counties that had men in a regiment will help you determine if a soldier was your ancestor.
Spanish-American War (1898–1899)
- Alabama. Adjutant General’s Office. Muster Rolls of Alabama Volunteers in the Spanish-American War of 1898. 1899. Reprint, Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1989. (Family History Library film 1404249.) This lists soldiers in the three Alabama Regiments. The lists are alphabetical by company and give mustered-in date (city and state), mustered-out date, rank, and names of those who died.
World War I (1917–1918)
World War I draft registration cards for men ages 18 to 45 may list the person’s address, birth date, birthplace (city and state), race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. All men ages 18 to 45 were required to register. However, not all registrants served in the war. These records are indexed at Ancestry. For Alabama records, also see:
- United States. Selective Service System. Alabama, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987–1988. (On 87 Family History Library films beginning with 1509347.)
Knowing an individual’s name and residence at the time of registration will help you find his draft card. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically within each draft board.
Most counties had only one board. The city of Birmingham had six. Find the ancestor’s street address in a Birmingham 1917 or 1918 city directory, then see the map of Birmingham, which shows the draft board registration district boundaries:
- United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989. (Family History Library film 1498803.) Birmingham is the third map on the film.
Service records. There are also Alabama World War I service records, prepared after the war:
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. World War I Service Records, 1918–1919. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990. (On 33 Family History Library films beginning with 1644084.) These records are arranged alphabetically and usually contain the person’s name, race, residence, place of birth (city and state), age or date of birth, enlistment or induction date, service and rank information, wounds, date of service overseas, discharge date, disability, and remarks.
Rosters. For a published roster of soldiers who died in the war see:
- Haulsee, W. M. Soldiers of the Great War. Three Volumes. Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Pub. Association, 1920. (Family History Library book 973 M23s; fiche 6051244.) Alabama soldiers are listed in volume one, pages 71–95. This section gives the soldier’s name, residence, rank, and cause of death, and includes pictures.
Casualties. The Alabama Gold Star Files is a free database that lists service people who died during the war, or who had been awarded distinguished service recognition. The name "Gold Star" was derived from the gold stars awarded to mothers of service people who lost their lives. Information for this database was supplied by relatives of the deceased individual. Photos and newspaper articles may be included. The amount of information may vary, including:
- Name
- Branch of service
- Race
- Town
- County
- Bulletin information (taken from “Official U.S. Bulletin”)
- Other information
World War II (1941–1945)
- Combat Connected Naval Causalities, World War II, by States. Two Volumes. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946. (Family History Library book 973 M3dc.) This source is alphabetically arranged by state, then within the state by dead, missing, wounded, Prisoner of War (POW), died or killed while a POW, and POWs released.
- Tuskegee Airmen tuskegeeairmen.org An extimated 16,000 to 19,000 airment including mechanics, parachute riggers and support staff were involved.
- For photos of Tuskegee Airmen americanprofile.com/tuskegee
Militia Records
Besides regular service, Alabama men served in the militia:
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Territorial Militia and Civil Service, 1818. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986. (Family History Library film 1462787.) This source includes commissions and military appointments for the Alabama Territory.
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Alabama State Militia, 1820–1865. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986. (Family History Library films 1462797–807.) These records give the soldier’s name, company, battalion, and regiment, and include names of witnesses.
- Alabama. Department of Archives and History. Alabama State Troops (Militia), 1873–1898. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1986. (Family History Library films 1462792–96.) The cards are in alphabetical order and may include the person’s date of enlistment, rank, company, regiment, age, and length of service.
Military records are listed in the Place Search of Family History Library Catalog under:
ALABAMA- MILITARY HISTORY
ALABAMA- MILITARY RECORDS
ALABAMA- MILITARY RECORDS- [WAR]
ALABAMA, [COUNTY]- MILITARY RECORDS
ALABAMA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- MILITARY RECORDS
References
Alabama Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1988, 2001.