Union Regular Army in the Civil War

United States U.S. Military U.S. Civil War Union Regular Army in the Civil War

General Henry Wager Halleck (1815-1872), USA

Introduction

The Union Regular Army was the permanent core of the army.  During the Civil War, only about 3% of the army was made up of Regular Army troops. The other 97% was composed of militia and volunteer units organized by states.  However, the state units were commanded by federal generals.  The state units were called United States Volunteers (USV) to designate them from the Regular Army (USA). Names of regiments with U.S. are Regular Army. Names with states names were USV..

Union Regular Army 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 Union Regular Army Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. That web site also can be searched by the name of a soldier.

Union Regular Army Units by Number or by Name

Union Units

1st-19th

20th-44th

A to Z

Union Regular Army Units by Type of Unit

Union Units

Infantry

Cavalry

Artillery

Other

Records

• United States Army. Registers of Enlistments in the United States Army, 1798-1914. (Washington [District of Columbia] : National Archives. Central Plains Region, 1956). 81 microfilms. The FHL films all the registers. The films specifically for 1861-1865 are:
  

v. 54-55 A-K 1859-1863, FHL US/CAN Film 350333
v. 56-57 L-Z 1859-1863, FHL US/CAN Film 350334
v. 58-59 A-K 1864-1865, FHL US/CAN Film 350335
v. 60-61 L-Z 1864-1865, FHL US/CAN Film 350336

Online

• United States, Registers of Enlistments in the U. S. Army, 1798 - 1914 (FamilySearch)

• Francis B. Heitman's Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903, available in two volumes. (FHL book 973 M2hh) (FHL film 2229899) (Worldcat). Volume one (Google Books), a register of army officers, provides a brief history of each man's service. Volume two (Google Books) contains a "chronological list of battles, actions, etc., in which troops of the Regular Army have participated.
  

• Ness, George T. The Regular Army on the Eve of the Civil War. Baltimore, Maryland: Toomey Press, 1990. FHL 973 M2ne. Other libraries (WorldCat).
  

• Newell, Clayton R. and Charles R. Shrader. Of Duty Well and Faithfully Done. A History of the Regular Army in the Civil War. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2011. Libraries with book (WorldCat)
  

Other Sources

• Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Florida in the Civil War' and 'United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865' (see below).
  

• National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.
  

• United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.

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