[Research Guidance: U.S. Military Records - Research Outline] Research Guidance Version Of Data : 6/9/2001

U.S. Military Records
Research Outline

INDIAN WARS

The United States military protected the expanding western frontier from the 1780s to the 1890s. Military personnel surveyed land; enforced government policy; protected settlers; and guarded stage, mail, and telegraph routes. Expanding settlement led to conflicts with the many Indian nations. Military conflicts with Indians are listed in the following:

Peters, Joseph P., comp. Indian Battles and Skirmishes on the American Frontier, 1790–1898, Comprising Record of Engagements with Hostile Indians within the Military Division of the Missouri from 1868 to 1882; Chronological List of Actions, etc. with Indians from January 1, 1866 to January 1891; and a Compilation of Indian Engagements from January 1837 to January 1866. New York: Argonaut Press, 1966. (FHL film 1686002; computer number 523418.) A chronological list which includes dates, places, and units involved; number of killed and wounded; and remarks that may include names of officers.

Webb, George W. Chronological List of Engagements between the Regular Army of the United States and Various Tribes of Hostiles Which Occurred during the Years 1790 to 1898, Inclusive. 1939. Reprint, New York: AMS Press, 1976. (FHL book 973 M2ww; computer number 540206.) Identifies place; military unit involved; and number of soldiers and American Indians killed, wounded, and captured.

Service Records

Service records for the Indian conflicts are available at the National Archives. They consist of abstracts from original muster rolls, pay rolls, and medical records. Microfilm indexes are available at the Family History Library:

Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during Indian Wars and Disturbances, 1815–58. National Archives Microfilm Publication M629. (FHL films 882753–94; computer number 325963.) This index includes the soldier’s name, rank, and unit along with the name of the war or disturbance. To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS - INDEXES

Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served from 1784 to 1811. National Archives Microfilm Publication M905. (FHL films 1205385–401; computer number 325325.)

These records are indexed in:

Index to Compiled Service Records. . . . National Archives Microfilm Publication M694 (FHL CD #9 part 146 films 1205437–45 computer number 555931)

To find specific microfilm numbers for both sets look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS

This microfilm index has been transcribed and the information partially abstracted in the following two books

White, Virgil D. Index to Volunteer Soldiers 1784–1811. Waynesboro, Tenn.: National Historical Publishing, 1987. (FHL book 973 M22woa; computer number 489121.)

Clark, Murtie June. American Militia in the Frontier Wars, 1790–1796. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1990. (FHL book 973 M2clm; computer number 575928.)

Listed below are the only service records for Indian wars after 1811 that have been filmed:

Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Florida during the Florida Indian Wars, 1835–1858. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1086. (FHL 63 films; computer number 110859.) To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

FLORIDA - MILITARY RECORDS

Compiled Service Records of Michigan and Illinois Volunteers Who Served during the Winnebago Indian Disturbances, 1827. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1505. (FHL films 1638617–19; computer number 511959.) To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

MICHIGAN - MILITARY RECORDS

In addition to volunteer soldiers, many soldiers involved in the Indian wars enlisted in the regular Army. For information on regular Army soldiers, see:

The Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798–1914. National Archives Microfilm Publication M233. (FHL 47 films; computer number 210761.)

For information about forts where soldiers were garrisoned, see the following:

Historical Information Relating to Military Posts and Other Installations, ca. 1700–1900. National Archives Microfilm Publication M661. (FHL films 1466009–16; computer number 437595.)

Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800–1916. National Archives Microfilm Publication M617. (FHL films 1663081–4630; computer number 467703.) This source contains extensive rolls and reports listing soldiers stationed at forts and posts.

To find specific microfilm numbers for the above sources, look in the Locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under:

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS

Cherokee Disturbances and Removal, 1836 to 1839. Individual state indexes are available for:

Alabama. National Archives Microfilm Publication M243 (FHL film 368685; computer number 388837.)
Georgia. National Archives Microfilm Publication M907 (FHL film 1205402; computer number 325343.)
North Carolina. National Archives Microfilm Publication M256 (FHL film 368686; computer number 374269.)
Tennessee, including field and staff of the Army of the Cherokee Nation. National Archives Microfilm Publication M908 (FHL film 1205384; computer number 78347.)

The records to which these indexes refer have not been microfilmed.

Creek War, 1836 to 1837. For this war, the National Archives and Family History Library have the following:

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the Creek War in Organizations from the State of Alabama. National Archives Microfilm Publication M244. (FHL films 880845–46; computer number 278523.) The records to which the index refers have not been microfilmed.

Second Seminole War, 1836 to 1843. Indexes for soldiers who served from Alabama, National Archives Microfilm Publication M245 (FHL film 880847, computer number 432754 ) and Louisiana, National Archives Microfilm Publication M239 (FHL film 880843, computer number 278501) are available on microfilm.

Only the service records for soldiers from the state of Florida have been microfilmed:

Compiled Service Records, Volunteer Soldiers, Florida Indian Wars, 1835–1858. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1086. (FHL 63 films; computer number 110859.) To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

FLORIDA - MILITARY RECORDS

The records are indexed by National Archives Microfilm Publication M629.

War of 1837 to 1838 (Second Florida Campaign). Below is an index to records from this campaign:

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the War of 1837–1838 in Organizations from the State of Louisiana. National Archives Microfilm Publication M241. (FHL film 880844; computer number 278508.) The records to which the index refers have not been microfilmed.

Pension Records

The pension files in the National Archives relate to service performed between 1817 and 1898. Soldiers killed or disabled during the Indian wars were initially covered by existing pension laws. The first pensions based on Indian war service were granted in 1892, but they were limited to specifically named wars. By 1902 pensions were extended to cover all service between 1817 and 1858. Later acts continued extending coverage for service to 1898. The files are alphabetically arranged by the veteran’s name.

The index to these records is the following:

Index to Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892–1926. National Archives Microfilm Publication T318. (FHL films 821610–21; computer number 326152.) The index gives name, names of dependents, rank, dates of enlistment and discharge, military unit, application and certificate numbers, date and state of filing, and the pension act it was filed under. To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS - PENSIONS - INDEXES

A published version of this same index is listed below:

White, Virgil D. Index to Pension Applications for Indian Wars Service between 1817 and 1898. Waynesboro, Tenn.: National Historical Publishing, 1997. (FHL book 973 M22whv; computer number 818034.) Includes name of veteran or widow or both, applicant pension number, date of filing, name of conflict, date of service, and military unit. Some entries have death date and place. This is a revision of the 1987 edition.

Pensioners of the Indian Wars are also included in Old Wars Index to Pension Files, 1815–1926. For more information, see National Archive Microfilm Publication T316.

Sources For Further Reading

The following sources may also be helpful:

Carroll, John M., and Bryan Price, comps. Roll Call on the Little Big Horn, 28 June 1876. Fort Collins, Colo.: The Old Army Press, 1974. (FHL book 973 M25hc; computer number 271980.) Contains service histories of officers. Entries show name, birth date and place by state, and date and place of death.

Frazer, Robert W. Forts of the West. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965, 1972. (FHL book 973 M2fr; computer number 0005400.) Contains brief histories with the date the forts were established, location, and date of abandonment.

Hammer, Kenneth. Men with Custer: Biographies of the Seventh Cavalry, 25 June 1876. Fort Collins, Colo.: The Old Army Press, 1972. (FHL book 973 M25hk; computer number 271982.) The sketches list the name and rank, birthplace, enlistment date and age, previous occupation, and physical description. The book also identifies those killed and wounded.

Hardorff, Richard G. Custer Battle Casualties: Burials, Exhumations and Re-internments. EI Sugundo, Calif: Upton and Sons, 1991. (FHL book 978.638 M2h; computer number 641578.) Contains a history of the burials and exhumations from 1876 to 1881. It also lists the dead from Custer’s and Reno’s commands.

Keenan, Jerry. Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars, 1492–1890. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC Clio, 1997. (FHL book 970.1 K25a.) This book contains over 450 entries on war, battles, and individuals.

McDermott, John D. A Guide to the Indian Wars of the West. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. (FHL book 970.1 M143g.)

Morrow, Mary Francis. “Indian Bounty Land Applications.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 25. (Fall 1993): 292–96. (FHL book 973 B2p; computer number 73342.)

Prucha, Francis Paul. A Guide to the Military Posts of the United States, 1789 to 1895. Madison, Wisc.: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1964. (FHL book 973 M2pf; fiche 6088252; computer number 28997.) The alphabetically arranged entries list the state where the post was located, its years of operation, and a brief history of its operation.

Reber, Bruce. The United States Army and the Indian Wars in the Trans-Mississippi West 1860–1898. Special Bibliography 17. Carlisle Barracks, Pa.: US Army Military History Institute, 1978. (FHL book 970.1 R241u; computer number 376862.) Contains a bibliography of the library and manuscript and photographic collections of the U.S. Army Military History Institute.

Rickey, Don, Jr. Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay: The Enlisted Soldier fighting the Indian Wars. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963 (FHL book 973 M2ri; computer number 424808.) Contains portraits of the frontier military experience of the common soldier from 1865 to 1890.

Utley, Robert M. Frontiersmen in Blue: The United States Army and the Indian, 1848–1865. 1967. Reprint, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1981. (FHL book 973 M2url; computer number 522355.)

Utley, Robert M. Frontier Regulars: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866–1891. 1973. Reprint, Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 1984. (FHL book 973 M2urm; computer number 522353.)

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