Are you searching for more information about a Union soldier in your family? A name, regiment, or enlistment date is a useful beginning, but it may leave you wondering what the soldier experienced. Service records, pension files, and medical records can help you follow that question. Read them together, and let each new clue guide your next search.
If you want to learn more about your Union ancestor’s service, medical records offer another place to look. The National Archives keeps separate carded medical records for Union volunteers and Regular Army soldiers. Confederate carded medical records are filed with their compiled military service records. Start with the National Archives guide to carded medical records to identify the right series.
What Are the Civil War Medical Cards?
These cards were compiled later from military medical records. They can record an illness, injury, hospital admission, or return to duty. A card is a clue to a particular event in a soldier’s service, rather than a complete account of his health or wartime experience.
What Types of Information Can Be Found in the Cards?
Depending on the record, you may find:
- The soldier’s name, rank, and military unit
- The illness or injury recorded
- A hospital name and admission date
- A return to duty, discharge, transfer, or death
- Remarks and a reference to the hospital record
Read each entry carefully, and compare it with service and pension records. Keep the spelling, dates, and unit as written in the record in your notes. If two records disagree, save both accounts and look for additional evidence before choosing an explanation.
How to Access the Cards
For guidance about access and copies, contact the National Archives reference staff at archives1reference@nara.gov. Include the soldier’s name, state, regiment, and company when known. Explain that you are asking about carded medical records. A missing card does not, by itself, prove that a soldier was never sick or wounded.
How to Find Your Union Ancestor’s Regiment Number
A name alone can lead you to the wrong soldier. A regiment and company help distinguish men with similar names. Compare the unit with other records of your ancestor before requesting copies.
Begin with the National Archives guide to Civil War research. Then compare its suggested service and pension sources with what you already know about your ancestor. You can also search the collections available through Ancestry and Fold3. Coverage varies, so check the collection description before assuming that a search includes your ancestor’s unit.
You may sometimes be able to find Union service records on state websites within USGenWeb, but this is hit or miss. Because it’s a free site, it’s worth taking a look, just in case your Union ancestor’s record is there.
A medical card can add a personal detail to the outline of an ancestor’s military service. Start with his name, regiment, and company, then follow the National Archives guidance for the appropriate records. Compare anything you find with the rest of your research, and save a full citation so you can return to the record later.
- National Archives guide to carded medical records.
- National Archives guide to Civil War military records.
- Military Records (Free Lookups)
