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 MUSTER RECORDS 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

 Muster IN Rank and Company Where and when they enlisted Where and when they Mustered In Remarks…always check the Remarks!

DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECORDS  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

 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 7 th 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 to APL ” Present ALWAYS read the remarks! “Lost 1 Screwdrive, 1 Wipers, 1 B knife”

JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY  Next Periodic Muster Dated “APL to AUG ” 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 return 21 st D”

JAMES HARVEY HENSLEY  Next Periodic Muster Dated “JAN & FEB 1863” Absent ALWAYS read the remarks! “Absent without leave Memphis Tenn DEC ”

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 ” 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 ” 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 ” Mustered out at Louisville, KY Clothing account, owed $21.54 Bounty Due $ 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?