Civil War Muster Records
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Transcript of Civil War Muster Records
CIVIL WAR MUSTER RECORDS
Just what am I lookin at!?
CIVIL WAR MUSTER RECORDS
Agenda• How Muster Records were created as we know them• Different types of records• Just what does it all mean?• A walk through of a favorite Soldier
HOW MUSTER RECORDS CAME TO BE
No portable type setting equipment – everything was handwritten
Literacy rates in rural American around 40% at best
• A phonetic culture• Transcriber’s choice of spelling• If you could write at all you were in…quality varied
wildly
HOW MUSTER RECORDS CAME TO BE
Mustering Form• Men would line up and answer the questions on the
form• Usually after a big community event with speeches
and chest thumping and food• Peer pressure likely…very likely.
HOW MU STE R R ECO RDS CAME TO BE
Descriptive Roll• From Surgeon’s Examination• Used to find soldier
HOW MUSTER RECORDS CAME TO BE
Company and Regimental Order Books• As Officers and Sergeants assigned work to the
soldiers, those orders were written in Company Order Books.
• As Sr. Officers assigned work to Companies, those orders were written in Regimental Order Books.
• If the “work” was of a duration longer than a couple weeks, these orders may well find their way to the soldier’s muster record.
HOW MUSTER RECORDS CAME TO BE
An Example…• ”on detached service 22 AUG 1862”
Another example…• ”H | 7 | KY” compared with “Pvt, Co. B, 3 Reg’t…”
we’ll see more of Pvt. Hensley in a a few minutes
HOW MUSTER RECORDS CAME TO BE
After the war…• War Department and State Compiling of Records
• Copying• Auditing• Second Auditing
• LOTS of handwritten records• Perpetuation of original errors• Introduction of new errors and omissions
HOW MUSTER RECORDS CAME TO BE
After the war…• State Adjutant General Reports
• “Official” Muster Records
Muster Records & AGRs independently are NOT authoritative
They ARE independent pieces of evidence
SOMETIMES PRIMARY SOURCES CAN BE WRONG!
CIVIL WAR MUSTER RECORDS
Agenda• How Muster Records were created as we know them• Different types of records• Just what does it all mean?• A walk through of a favorite Soldier
Muster IN
Descriptive roll
Periodic Muster
Muster OUT
"appears on returns as"
Hospital Muster
casualty sheets
Enclosures
Enlistment Form
Letters, transportation reimbursement, etc.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Muster IN• Rank and Company• Where and when they enlisted• Where and when they Mustered In • Remarks…always check the Remarks!
DIF FE RE NT TYPE S O FRE CO RDS
Descriptive Roll• From Surgeon’s Examination• Used to find soldier
Periodic Muster• Inspected and Paid about every 2 months• Disposition of soldier• Pay held for lost or neglected equipment• Remarks…always check the REMARKS!
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Muster OUT• Careful here! Muster-Out information MAY
be incorrect for your soldier!• Money owed to the Gov’t• REMARKS! Always check the REMARKS!
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
“Appears on Returns as”• Information derived from Order Books• Could have multiple of these cards
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Hospital Muster• Might include Ward, Bed, Medications, etc.• Likely out of place in the chronology• REMARKS! Always check REMARKS!
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Casualty Sheet• Used for WIA, KIA, Deaths due
to illness, resignations.
• Comparing dates to Official Records you can determine EXACTLY what action the casualty occurred.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Enclosures• Extras in the record
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Enlistment Form• Usually re-enlistments• WEALTH of info here
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Enlistment Form
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Enlistment Form
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
Letters, Reimbursements, Endorsements, etc
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS
CIVIL WAR MUSTER RECORDS
Agenda• How Muster Records were created as we know them• Different types of records• Just what does it all mean?• A walk through of a favorite Soldier
Regimental Ranks• Colonel• Adjutant• Lieutenant Colonel• Major• Sergeant Major• Quartermaster Sergeant• Ordinance Sergeant
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
Company Ranks• Captain• First Lieutenant• Second Lieutenant• First Sergeant• Sergeant• Corporal• Private
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
Union Enlisted Rank Insignia
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
Confederate Enlisted Rank Insignia
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
Union Officer Rank Insignia
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
Confederate Officer Rank Insignia
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
Confederate Officer Rank Sleeve Insignia aka “Chicken Guts”
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
Each rank has a particular position within the regiment
Each rank has a particular job to do within the regiment
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
The Civil War Company
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
The Civil War Company
RANK AND WHAT IT MEANS
SUMMARY THUS FAR
How muster records came to be
What some of the cards mean
Ranks and what they do
Let’s put it all into practice…meet James Harvey Hensley.
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Index card• Company B• 7th Kentucky Infantry• Mustered IN as a Private• Mustered OUT as a Corporal
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Muster IN Card• He was 24 yrs old • Enrolled at Manchester, KY on 19 AUG 186?
• Safe to assume that should be 1861?• This error survived the initial copy and both
audits or was it introduced later?• Mustered IN at Camp Dick Robinson
22 SEPT 1861
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
First Periodic Muster• Dated “Enrollment to 31 OCT 1861• Listed as “Not Stated”• Why?
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “Enrollment to 31 DEC 1861”• “Present or Absent” is empty• ALWAYS read the remarks!
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “DEC 31 1861 to APL 30 1862 ”• Present• ALWAYS read the remarks!
• “Lost 1 Screwdrive, 1 Wipers, 1 B knife”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “APL 30 1862 to AUG 30 1862 ”• Absent• ALWAYS read the remarks!
• “Absent on detach’d service 22 AUG 1862”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “SEPT to OCT 1862 ”• Absent• ALWAYS read the remarks!
• “Absent on detach’d service 22 AUG 1862”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “NOV & DEC 1862 ”• Absent• ALWAYS read the remarks!
• “Sent by Lieut Col J W Ridgell to hunt boarding for wife in Memphis did not return21st D”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “JAN & FEB 1863”• Absent• ALWAYS read the remarks!
• “Absent without leave Memphis TennDEC 20 1862”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “MCH & APL 1863”• Present• ALWAYS read the remarks!
• Except when there aren’t any.
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Special Muster• Dated “APL 10 1863”• Not Stated
Army was re-organized for the Vicksburg Campaign
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “May & June 1863”• Present
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “July & AUG 1863”• Absent• “Sent the Hosp at New Orleans
AUG 23 / 63”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “SEP & OCT 1863”• Absent• “Left at Carrollton La sick SEP 5/63”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “NOV & DEC 1863”• Absent• “Left at Carrollton La sick SEP 5/63”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “Jan & Feb 1864”• Present
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “from Dec 31/63 to APL 30 1864”• Present
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “May & June 1864”• Present
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Next Periodic Muster• Dated “July & Aug 1864”• Rank listed as “6 Corpl”• Present• “Was promoted to Corpl July 1/64. Due
the U.S. for transportation $9.65.”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Muster Out• Age listed as 24 years old• Dated “Oct 5 1864”• Mustered out at Louisville, KY• Clothing account, owed $21.54• Bounty Due $100.00• Remarks: “Was Priv 1 JULY 64”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
“Appears on Returns as follows:”• “May 1862 Absent sick at Ford
May 22/62”• “Oct 1862(3 Ky Inf) Absent on Detach
Service in Ky since last report”• “Dec 1862 to Feb 1863 Absent without
leave at Memphis Tenn since Dec 20/62”
• “Oct 1863 (7 Ky Inf) gain Oct 1/63 Brashear City from desertion. Absent New Orleans.”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Hospital Muster Roll• Dated July & Aug 1863• Present
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Hospital Muster Roll• Dated Sep & Oct 1863• Present• “Furloughed Sep 30/63”
JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY
Kinda interesting so far, right?
CIVIL WAR MUSTER RECORDS
Questions?