38th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry

Brief History
Organized in Virginia as 1st Virginia Colored Infantry, January 23, 1864-March 30, 1865. Attached to U.S. Forces, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina, to June, 1864. Mustered out January 25, 1867.

Wikipedia page: 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Company A Company B Company C Company D Company E Company F Company G Company H Company I Company K

National Archives

 * Approved Pension File for Sergeant Major Edward Ratcliff, Companies C and I, 38th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (SC-964652) NAID 74188543
 * Congressional Medal of Honor File of 1st Sergeant Edward Ratcliff, Company C, 38th US Colored Troops Infantry Regiment. NAID 26416041

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 'Union Volunteers 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.


 * Union Volunteers in the Civil War describes many Union sources, specifically for the Union Volunteers, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United 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.


 * Wikipedia article; 38th United States Colored Infantry regiment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/38th_United_States_Colored_Infantry_Regiment


 * FamilySearch Wiki: Virginia in the Civil War