THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS: A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

The British early in the War of 1812 blockaded American ports with 75 naval vessels, greatly reducing American imports and exports, and angering many residents of New England who were dependent on foreign trade for their livelihoods.

After Napoleon's defeat and abdication in 1814, the British were able to begin a land offensive against the Americans. They were able to burn Washington, D.C., in 1814, but were unable to reduce or capture Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor ("The Star-Spangled Banner").

The British also began a campaign against New Orleans in an effort to block commerce on the Mississippi River. In a battle fought two weeks after a peace treaty between Britain and the U.S. had been signed, a force of militiamen and Army regulars under Andrew Jackson decisively defeated a force of British regulars at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815.

Wikipedia article—Battle of New Orleans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_New_Orleans

LIBRARY LOCATIONS

HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room (Central Library)
ELB: Entertainment, Literature, & Biography Room (Central Library)
ST: Stacks (Central Library)

BU: Buder Branch
CP: Carpenter Branch
SC: Schlafly Branch

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Title: The Battle of New Orleans.
Author/Compiler: Remini, Robert Vincent.
Local Call Number: ST; CP—973.5239.
Publication Date: 1999.
Format: Books.

Title: The Battle of New Orleans; an informal history of the war that nobody wanted: 1812.
Author/Compiler: Chidsey, Donald Barr.
Local Call Number: ST—973.5.
Publication Date: 1961.
Format: Books.

Title: The naval war of 1812: or, The history of the United States Navy during the last war with Great Britain, to which is appended an account of the battle of New Orleans.
Author/Compiler: Roosevelt, Theodore.
Local Call Number: ST—973.525 Vol [ 1].
Publication Date: 1910.
Format: Books.

Title: Patriotic fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans.
Author/Compiler: Groom, Winston.
Local Call Number: HG—973.5239.
Publication Date: 2006.
Format: Books.

Title: The generals: Andrew Jackson, Sir Edward Pakenham, and the road to the Battle of New Orleans.
Author/Compiler: Patterson, Benton Rain.
Local Call Number: HG—973.5239.
Publication Date: 2005.
Format: Books.

Title: Struggle for the gulf borderlands : the Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans, 1812-1815 .
Author/Compiler: Owsley, Frank Lawrence.
Local Call Number: ST—973.5238.
Publication Date: 1981.
Format: Books.

Title: Sink or be sunk! : the naval battle in the Mississippi Sound that preceded the Battle of New Orleans / maps by Sarah Foster.
Author/Compiler: La Violette, Paul E. Foster, Sarah. Local Call Number: ST—973.525.
Publication Date: 2002.
Format: Books.

Title: The siege of New Orleans.
Author/Compiler: Brooks, Charles B.
Local Call Number: ST—973.5.
Publication Date: 1961.
Format: Books.

Title: Blaze of glory; the fight for New Orleans, 1814-1815.
Author/Compiler: Carter, Samuel.
Local Call Number: ST--973.523.
Publication Date: 1971.
Format: Books.

Title: Andrew Jackson, the border captain.
Author/Compiler: James, Marquis.
Local Call Number: ST—B JACKSON.
Publication Date: 1933.
Format: Books.

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE

INTRODUCTION

The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive of World War II. It began on 16 December 1944, when German forces broke through Allied defenses in the Ardennes. The German drive was intended to seize Antwerp, split Allied forces in the west, and bring about the surrender of one or more Allied armies. Bad weather (bitter cold and heavy snow) hampered Allied air and supply operations, although it also hindered German movements. Improved weather conditions allowed Allied forces to reinforce weak points in their lines, and to resume air operations against German offensive positions and supply lines.

American forces suffered nearly 90,000 casualties during this German offensive, including 19,000 soldiers killed in action.

Wikipedia article on The Battle of the Bulge

LIBRARY LOCATIONS:

Central Library—History, Geography, & Travel (HG)
Central Library—Stacks (ST)
Buder Branch—(BU)
Carpenter Branch—(CP)
Schlafly Branch—(SC)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ambrose, Stephen E. Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944--May 7, 1945. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1997. ST,BU,CP, SC—940.5421

Astor, Gerald. A Blood-Dimmed Tide: The Battle of the Bulge by the Men Who Fought It. New York: Donald I. Fine, 1992. HG—940.5421431

Goolrick, William K, and Ogden Tanner. The Battle of the Bulge. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1979. ST—940.5421

Hastings, Max. Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-45. New York: A.A. Knopf, 2004.HG, BU—940.5421

Kershaw, Alex. The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of WWII's Most Decorated Platoon. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2004. HG, BU—940.421934

MacDonald, Charles B. A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge. New York: Morrow, 1984. ST—940.5421

McManus, John C. Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley, 2007. HG, BU—940.5421

Neill, George W. Infantry Soldier: Holding the Line at the Battle of the Bulge. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000. HG—940.5421431

Nobécourt, Jacques. Hitler's Last Gamble: The Battle of the Ardennes. London: Chatto & Windus, 1967. ST—940.92

Schrijvers, Peter. The Unknown Dead: Civilians in the Battle of the Bulge. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2005. ST—940.53161

Whiting, Charles. Massacre at Malmedy: The Story of Jochen Peiper's Battle Group, Ardennes, December, 1944. New York: Stein and Day, 1971. ST—940.547

I FIGHT MIT SIGEL

I will be giving my presentation, "I Fight Mit Sigel: Researching Your German-American Civil War Ancestors" to the Madison County Genealogical Society on Thursday, 8 August 2013 at 7:00 p.m. This group meets in the basement Community Room at Edwardsville Public Library, 112 South Kansas, Edwardsville, IL. 62025.

This program is co-sponsored by St. Louis Public Library, and is free and open to the public.

MCGS website

SICILY AND THE WAR IN ITALY

The following books discuss the Allied conquest of Sicily and the Italian Peninsula during World War II. Abbreviations include:

Library branches:

BU: Buder Branch
CO: Carondelet Branch
CP: Carpenter Branch
DA: Julia Davis Branch
SC: Schlafly Branch
WA: Walnut Park Branch

Central Library locations:

HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room
ST: Stacks

Atkinson, Rick. The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944. New York: Henry Holt, 2007. HG—940.54215

Botjer, George F. Sideshow War: The Italian Campaign, 1943-1945. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1996. ST—940.54215

D'Este, Carlo. Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1988.ST—940.5421

Franklin, Robert J. Medic! How I Fought World War II with Morphine, Sulfa, and Iodine Swabs. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. BU—940.5475092

Gibran, Daniel K. The 92nd Infantry Division and the Italian Campaign in World War II. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, 2001. DA—940.541273 Hargrove, Hondon B. Buffalo Soldiers in Italy: Black Americans in World War II. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, 1985. ST, WA—940.5412

Kershaw, Alex. The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau. New York: Crown, 2012. BU, CO, SC—940.541273

Neillands, Robin. Eighth Army: The Triumphant Desert Army That Held the Axis at Bay from North Africa to the Alps, 1939-1945. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 2004. HG—940.541241

Parker, Matthew. Monte Cassino: The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II. New York: Doubleday, 2004.HG, CP—940.5421562

Wallace, Robert. The Italian Campaign. Alexandria, Va: Time-Life Books, 1978.ST—940.5421

THE WORLD WAR AND MISSOURI, 1917-1918

The following books about World War I are all located at Central Library (1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63013).

Abbreviations:

ST--Stacks (ask at any service desk)
STL--St. Louis Room (3rd Floor)
HGT--History, Geography, & Travel Room (3rd Floor)
ELB--Entertainment, Literature, & Biography Room (2nd Floor)
B--Biography

Bornemann, L H, and Jill Borage. Hometown Heroes: War Memories Through Their Eyes. St. Louis, Mo: Sappington-Concord Historical Society, 2003. ST, STL—977.866

Detjen, David W. The Germans in Missouri, 1900-1918: Prohibition, Neutrality, and Assimilation. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1985. ST, STL—977.8

DeWitt, Petra. Searching for the Roots of Harassment and the Meaning of Loyalty: A Study of the German-American Experience in Missouri During World War I. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Dissertation Services, 2005. ST—977.800431

Ferrell, Robert H. Collapse at Meuse-Argonne: The Failure of the Missouri-Kansas Division. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2004. HGT—940.436

Ferrell, Robert H. Unjustly Dishonored: An African American Division in World War I. Columbia, Mo: University of Missouri Press, 2011. HGT—940.403

Gibbs, Christopher C. The Great Silent Majority: Missouri's Resistance to World War I. Columbia, Mo: University of Missouri Press, 1988. ST, STL—940.31

History of the Missouri National Guard. Jefferson City, 1934. ST—353.9

Kenamore, Clair. From Vauquois Hill to Exermont: A History of the Thirty-Fifth Division of the United States Army. St. Louis: Guard Publishing Co, 1919. ST—940.91

Shay, Michael E. Revered Commander, Maligned General: The Life of Clarence Ransom Edwards, 1859-1931. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2011. ELB—B EDWARDS

Triplet, William S, and Robert H. Ferrell. A Youth in the Meuse-Argonne: A Memoir, 1917-1918. Columbia, Mo: University of Missouri Press, 2000. ELB-B TRIPLET

Wright, William M, and Robert H. Ferrell. Meuse-Argonne Diary: A Division Commander in World War I. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2004. ST—940.436

GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF 1812, PT. 8

War of 1812-- Patriotic & Hereditary Organizations

43. Davies, Wallace Evan. Patriotism on Parade: the Story of Veterans’ and Heredity Organizations in America, 1783-1900. Cambridge, MS: Harvard University Press, 1955. [Central-ST 369]

44. General Society of the War of 1812. Register of the General Society of the War of 1812 [1972 ed.]. Baltimore, MD: reprinted for Clearfield Co. by Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999. [Central-Genealogy 973.52]

45. National Society, United States Daughters of 1812. Missouri. Records of the Missouri Society: Service Records of Soldiers in the War of 1812 and Their Descendants in the Missouri Membership. Marshall, MO: The Society, 1957. [Central-Genealogy 973.5]

46. National Society, United States Daughters of 1812. Nebraska. Heroes of 1812 Written by the Members of the Nebraska Society of United States Daughters of 1812. [s.l.:s.n.], 1930. [Central-Genealogy 929.3782]

47. The Roster of the General Society of the War of 1812 [1989 ed.]. Edited by Dennis F. Blizzard. Baltimore, MD: reprinted for Clearfield Co. by Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999. [Central-Genealogy 973.52]

48. Shankland, Wilbur Morse. Organization of Missouri’s First Known Society of Veterans of the War of 1812 and Roll Call of Charter Members. St. Louis: n.p., 1963. [Central-Genealogy, ST 369]

49. Society of the War of 1812. Constitution and Register of Membership of the General Society of the War of 1812, to Dec. 1, 1895. Philadelphia, PA: Dewey & Eakins, 1895. [Central-ST 369]

Miscellaneous

50. Mayo, Robert. Army and Navy Pension Laws, and Bounty Land Laws of the United States Including Sundry Resolutions of Congress from 1776-1852. Washington, D.C.: J. T. Towers, 1852. [Central-ST 355.115]

51. Neagle, James C. U.S. Military Records: a Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994. [Central-Genealogy 929.30973]

52. Raff, George W. The War Claimant’s Guide: a Manual of Laws, Regulations, Instructions, Forms, and Official Decisions, Relating to Pensions, Bounty Pay, Prize Money... Cincinnati: R. Clark, 1866. [Central-ST 336.73]

GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF 1812, PT. 7

War of 1812- Military Censuses

37. Iowa. Adjutant General's Office. List of Ex-Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines Living in Iowa [1886]. Decorah, IA: Decorah Genealogy Association, 1997. [Central-Genealogy 929.373]

38. Nebraska. Office of the Secretary of State. Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the War of the Rebellion Residing in Nebraska, June 1, 1893. Lincoln, NB: Jacob North & CO., Printer, 1893. [Central-ST 973.74]

39. Nebraska. Office of the Secretary of State. Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the War of the Rebellion Residing in Nebraska, December 1, 1897. Lincoln, NB: Jacob North & CO., Printer, 1898. [Central-MI 973.74]

War of 1812-- Casualty Lists and Burial Records

40. Custer, Milo. Soldiers of the Revolution and the War of 1812 Buried in McLean County, Illinois. Bloomington, IL: self-published, 1912. [Central-Genealogy 977.3]

41. McCown, Mary Hardin. Soldiers of the War of 1812 Buried in Tennessee. Johnson City, TN: Tennessee Society, United States Daughters of 1812, 1959. [Central-Genealogy 973.5]

42. Peterson, Clarence S. Known Military Dead During the War of 1812. Baltimore: C. S. Peterson, 1955. [Central-Genealogy 973.5]

GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF 1812, PART VI

War of 1812-- Pension Records & Pensioner Lists

25. Armstrong, Zella. Twenty-four Hundred Tennessee Pensioners; Revolution-War of 1812. Chattanooga, TN: The Lookout Publishing Company, 1937. [CI-GEN 976.8]

26. Clark, Byron N. A List of Pensioners of the War of 1812, with an appendix containing names of volunteers for the defence of Plattsburgh from Vermont towns, a description of the battle from contemporaneous sources, the official statement of losses, and names of United States officers and soldiers at Burlington, Vermont, as shown on army pay and muster rolls recently brought to light. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1969 [reprint of the 1904 ed.]. [CI-GEN 973.5]

27. Concannon, Marie. Index to Missouri Military Pensioners, 1883. Columbia: State Historical Society of Missouri, 1997. [CI-GEN 973.74]

28. McGhee, Lucy Kate. Missouri Revolutionary War Soldiers, War of 1812 and Indian Wars Pension List. Washington, D.C.: n.d.[CI-GEN 977.8]

29. Payne, Dorothy E. Arkansas Pensioners, 1818-1900: Records of Some Arkansas Residents who Applied to the Federal Government for Benefits Arising from Service in Federal Military Organizations [Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Indian and Mexican Wars]. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1985.[CI-GEN 929.3767]

30. United States. Census Office. A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services; with Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts in 1840. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967. [CI-GEN 929.373]

31. United States. Pension Bureau. List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883, Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Which Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance, as Called for by the Senate Resolution of December 8, 1882. 5 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1970. [CI-GEN 973.74]

32. United States. War Department. Kentucky Pension List of 1835. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1959. [CI-GEN 976.9]

33. United States. War Department. Message From the President of the United States, Transmitting a Report of the Secretary of War: in Compliance with a Resolution of the Senate, "To cause to be laid before them, a list of all the pensioners of the United States, the sum annually paid to each, and the states or territories in which the said pensioners are respectively paid." March 28, 1818. Baltimore, MD: Southern Book Co., 1959. [CI-GEN 929.373]

34. United States. War Department. The Pension List of 1820: U.S. War Department, reprinted with an index by Murtie June Clark. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991. [CI-GEN 973.74]

35. United States. War Department. The Pension Roll of 1835. 4 vols. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968. [CIl-ST 973.34]

36. White, Virgil D. Index to War of 1812 Pension Files. 2 vols. Waynesboro, TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1992. [CI-GEN 973.526]

GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF 1812, PART IV

War of 1812-- Military Service & Enlistment Records

Microfilm

1. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. 234 reels.[Central-MI 973.74]

2. Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. 47 reels. [Central-MI 973]

Books

3. Callahan, Edward William. List of officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900; comprising a complete register of all present and former commissioned, warranted, and appointed officers of the United States Navy and of the Marine Corps, regular and volunteer. Compiled from the official records of the Navy Dept. New York: Haskell House, 1969. [Central-HG 353.7]

4. Coles, Harry Lewis. The War of 1812. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965. [Central-ST 973.5]

5. Gandrud, Pauline Myra Jones. Alabama Soldiers: Revolution, War of 1812, and Indian Wars / compiled by Pauline Jones Gandrud; edited by Bobbie Jones McLane. Hot Springs National Park, AR: B. J. McLane: P. J. Gandrud, 1975- 1992, 15 vols. [Central-HG, ST 929.3761]

6. Gardner, Charles K. A dictionary of all officers, who have been commissioned, or have been appointed and served, in the army of the United States, since the inauguration of their first president in 1789, to the first January, 1853,--with every commission of each;--including the distinguished officers of the volunteers and militia of the states, and of the navy and marine corps, who have served with the land forces. New York : G. P. Putnam and Company, 1853. [Central-ST 353.6]

7. Hamersly, Thomas Holdup Stevens. Complete general navy register of the United States of America from 1776 to 1887 arranged in alphabetical order; containing the names of all officers of the navy, volunteer and regular, who have entered the service from the time of the Revolutionary War to the present time [1776-1887], containing the official record of each officer as on file at the Navy Department, showing the dates of their original entry, of their progressive rank, and in what manner they left the service, if not now in it. Compiled from the official records by Thomas H. S. Hamersly. New York: T.H.S.Hamersly, publisher, 1888. [Central-ST 353.7]

8.Huntsberry, Thomas Vincent and Joanne M. Huntsberry. Maryland Privateers, War of 1812. Baltimore, MD : J. Mart, 1983. [Central-HG 973.525]

9. Huntsberry, Thomas Vincent and Joanne M. Huntsberry. Western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia Militia in defense of Maryland, 1805 to 1815 / by Thomas V. Huntsberry; assisted by Joanne M. Huntsberry. Baltimore, MD: T.V. Huntsberry, 1983. [Central-HG 973.52452]

10. Irving, L. Homfray. Officers of the British Forces in Canada During the War of 1812-15. Welland, Ontario, Canada: Welland Tribune Printers, 1908. [Central-ST 973.5]

11. Kentucky. Adjutant-General's Office. Kentucky Soldiers of the War of 1812 [originally published in 1891 under title: Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky: Soldiers of the War of 1812. With an added index compiled by Minnie S. Wilder, 1931, and a new introduction by G. Glenn Clift. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969. [Central-HG 973.524]

12. Kratovil, Judy Swaim. Index to War of 1812 Service Records for Volunteer Soldiers from Georgia/ abstracted by Judy Swaim Kratovil. Atlanta, GA [P.O. Box 450062, Atlanta 30345]: J. S. Kratovil, 1986. [Central-HG 973.52]

13. Marine, William Matthew. The British Invasion of Maryland, 1812-1815, with an appendix containing eleven thousand names by Louis Henry Dielman. Baltimore, MD: Society of the War of 1812 in Maryland, 1913. [Central HG 973.5]

14. Moore, Mary Brown Daniel. Record of Commissions of Officers in the Tennessee Militia, 1796-1815/ compiled by Mrs. John Trotwood Moore ; with a new introd. by Robert M. McBride; and an index for the years 1812-1815 by Anita Comtois. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1977. [Central-HG 973.4]

15. North Carolina. Adjutant General's Department. Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812 : detached from the Militia of North Carolina in 1812 and 1814 / published under the direction of the Adjutant General ; with an added index by Maurice S. Toler [reprint of the 1926 ed. published by Barber Printing Co., Winston-Salem, N.C.- originally published in 1851]. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1976. [Central-HG 973.524]

16. Sistler, Byron and Samuel Sistler. Tennesseans in the War of 1812/transcribed and indexed by Byron and Samuel Sistler. Nashville, TN : B. Sistler & Associates, 1992. [Central-HG 973.52468]

17. Wright, F. Edward. Maryland Militia, War of 1812. Silver Spring, Md.: Family Line, c1979-1980, 7 vols. [Central-HG 973.52452]

GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF 1812, PART III

11. Bounty land records
12. Pension papers & pensioner lists
13. Military censuses
14. Casualty & burial lists
15. Hereditary & lineage society records

Bounty Land Records. War of 1812 volunteers who met certain conditions regarding length and character of service were entitled to federal bounty lands. Most veterans received grants of 40-160 acres, although a special act of Congress passed in 1814 doubled the acreage allotted to 320. War of 1812 bounty land acts passed prior to 1850 allotted land only to enlisted men, not to officers. Until 1842, the land awarded to War of 1812 veterans lay in special military districts within the present-day states of Illinois, Arkansas, and Missouri. After 1842, War of 1812 veterans could claim any unrestricted public domain land with their bounty land warrants. Before 1852, War of 1812 bounty land warrants could not be legally assigned to a second party [although many veterans circumvented this law by signing a power of attorney which allowed the transfer of the warrant to another person]. Bounty land application files typically provide the veteran's name, age, military unit, place of residence, term of service and, if applicable, the name of the veteran's widow or heir. These files [War of 1812 Bounty Land Warrants, 1815-1858, M848- 14 rolls] are indexed on roll no. 1 for assignees in the Arkansas and Missouri military districts. Other listings are in roughly alphabetical order. The Missouri and Illinois State Archives websites indexes to land records include many War of 1812 bounty land assignees:

Missouri Land Patents
Illinois Land Patents

Pension Papers & Pensioners' Lists. Prior to 1871, only disabled War of 1812 volunteer soldiers [or the widows or orphans of soldiers killed in action or disabled during the war] received federal pensions for War of 1812 service. A law passed in 1871 provided a pension for any surviving War of 1812 volunteer soldiers who had served 60 days or more, and provided a pension for widows of War of 1812 volunteer soldiers who had married their spouses in 1815 or earlier. A second law passed in 1878 reduced the term of service requirement to either 14 days continuous service or participation in a battle or skirmish.

Pensions for War of 1812 soldiers can be listed in either of two NARA microfilm sets. The first, Index to Old Wars Pension Files [NARA series T316, 7 rolls], covers pensions granted to veterans [or widows] of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps who died in service or were disabled during the period 1784-1861. The second, Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files [NARA series M313, 102 rolls], covers those War of 1812 veterans and their survivors who were granted pensions based on the acts of 1871 and 1878. The actual pension files covered by these indexes are available from NARA. You can also check to see if the subscription services, Fold3 or Ancestry.com, have digitized the pension record of interest:

Ancestry.com
Fold3.com

Persons checking for a War of 1812 pension record may also wish to consult a book set called Index to War of 1812 Pension Files by Virgil D. White. There are several book sets which list persons in the United States were receiving federal military pensions during the following years: 1818, 1820, 1835, and 1883. There are also books which list only pensioners from certain states, including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia [all of the above-named books and book sets are owned by St. Louis Public Library- see bibliography in Part IV for details].

Military Censuses. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several states compiled lists of veterans of various wars residing in that state in a given year. St. Louis Public Library owns such registers for Iowa [1886] and Nebraska [1893, 1897, and 1915- see bibliography in Part IV for details].

You can also check to see if the subscription services, Fold3 or Ancestry.com, have digitized the military census of interest:

Ancestry.com
Fold3.com

Casualty & Burial Records. The burial place of a War of 1812 soldier can be discovered in a number of ways. If you know his religion and the county he lived in, finding his grave may be a relatively simple matter of checking cemetery books published for that county. Veterans of various wars are often mentioned in "Goodspeed" type county histories of the 1880s and 1890s [St. Louis Public Library owns many books of these sorts for numerous counties in Missouri and in many states east of the Mississippi River- see our catalog for details: http://www.slpl.org There can even be a biographical sketch of the veteran in a county history, which may list date of death and place of burial.

If the veteran or his widow collected a pension based on his War of 1812 service, the pension file often includes a notice of his death which may state his burial place. A will or estate record in the office of the Circuit Clerk in the county where the veteran died may also provide information of interest about the veteran, including possibly his date of death and place of burial.

You can also check to see if the subscription services, Fold3 or Ancestry.com, have digitized a source containing the record of a burial of interest:

Ancestry.com
Fold3.com

Some state archives maintain lists of veterans buried in that state. The Illinois State Archives has an online database called "Database of the 1929 Roll of Honor, " which can be accessed here:

Database of 1929 Roll of Honor

The Roll of Honor was the product of a survey made of Illinois cemeteries in 1929 which recorded the graves of veterans of America's wars up to that point in time. The Roll of Honor was published at that time as a book set. The online version can be searched by name of the veteran.

St. Louis Public Library also owns a book which lists War of 1812 veterans buried in Tennessee [see bibliography in Part IV for details].

Hereditary & Lineage Society Records. Societies of this sort seek members who have an ancestor who was a War of 1812 soldier, sailor, or marine. Members had to submit proofs that their ancestor was a War of 1812 veteran, and proof that they are in fact descended from that veteran. If the society allows public access to its files, such files can be gold mines for persons seeking information on a War of 1812 ancestor. St. Louis Public Library owns a number of books which list members of such societies and the ancestors they used to gain admittance to the society [see bibliography in Part IV for details].

You can also check to see if the subscription services, Fold3 or Ancestry.com, have digitized a source containing heritage/lineage society records of interest:

Ancestry.com
Fold3.com

GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF 1812, PART II

6. Regimental & county histories
7. Lists of impressed seamen
8. Records of prisoners of war, enemy aliens, and privateers
9. Courts-martial records
10. Discharge papers

Regimental & County Histories. Histories in book form exist for some state and U.S. regiments that served in the War of 1812. Adjutant-general rosters for the various states often provide a brief history of a regiment as well as a roster for the regiment. St. Louis Public Library owns histories in book form for various regiments from various states. County histories often list soldiers from that county who participated in various wars, including the War of 1812, and biographical sketches in such books often mention ancestors who participated in the the American Revolution and the War of 1812. We own book histories of the "Goodspeed" type for most counties in Missouri and Illinois, and for some counties in many other states east of the Mississippi River.

Some county histories and regimental histories have been digitized--try Google Books, the Internet Archive, or the HathiTrust for subjects of interest.

Lists of Impressed Seamen. One of the factors contributing to the outbreak of the War of 1812 was the involuntary impressment of American sailors and merchant seamen by British press gangs. Two NARA microfilm publications contain lists of impressed seamen: Registers of Applications for the Release of Impressed Seamen, 1793-1802, and Related Indexes [M2025- 1 roll]; and Miscellaneous Lists and Papers Regarding Impressed Seamen, 1796-1814 [M1839- 1 roll]. St. Louis Public Library doesn't own either of these items, but we can get them for interested cardholders through Interlibrary Loan [NARA microfilm sets are also available through the Mormon Church, and sometimes from a state archives or state historical society].

You can also check subscription services Ancestry.com and Fold3.com to see if War of 1812 impressment records of interest have been digitized.

Records of Prisoners of War, Enemy Aliens, and Privateers. A War of 1812 soldier's Compiled Military Service Record may indicate that he was a prisoner of war during his time in the military. The microfilm set "War of 1812 Papers" of the Department of State, 1789-1815 [NARA series M588- 7 rolls] includes material on War of 1812 prisoners of war and on the registration of enemy aliens [British citizens living in the United States during the War of 1812]. Set contents include: Roll 1- Letters Concerning Letters of Marque and Enemy Aliens, 1812-1814; Roll 2- U.S. Marshal's Returns of Enemy Aliens and Prisoners of War, 1812-1815 [Part I]; Roll 3- - U.S. Marshal's Returns of Enemy Aliens and Prisoners of War, 1812-1815 [Part II]; Roll 4- Requests for Permission to Sail From the U.S., and Passenger Lists of Outgoing Vessels, 1812-1814; Roll 5- Correspondence Regarding Passports, 1812-1814; Roll 6- Agreements for Exchange of Prisoners of War, 1812-1813 & Miscellaneous Letters Received Concerning Prisoners of War, 1812-1815; and Roll 7- Miscellaneous Intercepted Correspondence, 1798-1814.

You can also check subscription services Ancestry.com and Fold3.com to see if War of 1812 prisoner records of interest have been digitized.

Courts-martial Records. A War of 1812 soldier's Compiled Military Service Record may indicate that he was subject to a courts-martial during his time in the military. Proceedings of general courts-martial against both regular and volunteer War of 1812 soldiers are located in the Records of the Judge Advocate General [NARA Record Group 153]. Proceedings of general courts-martial against War of 1812 sailors and marines can be found in the Records of the General Courts-Martial and Courts of Inquiry of the Navy Department, 1799-1867 [NARA series M273- 198 rolls].

You can also check subscription services Ancestry.com and Fold3.com to see if War of 1812 courts-martial records of interest have been digitized.

Discharge Papers. Discharge papers for an War of 1812 veteran of the U.S. Army, Navy, or Marine Corps may sometimes be found in his bounty land application file (housed at NARA-Washington, DC). The Records of the Adjutant General's Office [NARA Record Group 94] include some surgeons' certificates of disability issued to regular army soldiers during the War of 1812 [not microfilmed].

You can also check subscription services Ancestry.com and Fold3.com to see if War of 1812 bounty land records or surgeons' certificates have been digitized.

GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF 1812, PART I

1. Compiled military service records
2. Indexes to compiled military service records
3. Muster rolls & Adjutant-General rosters
4. Enlistment records
5. Pay & account books

Compiled Military Service Records [CMSR] were compiled by government clerks from original muster rolls, pay rolls, etc. They cover soldiers who volunteered for duty in various military organizations raised by the states. Volunteer soldiers in the War of 1812 could enlist for a bewildering variety of terms of service: 30, 60, and 90 days; and 3, 6, and 12 months. It is quite possible, therefore, for a War of 1812 soldier to have served in more than one military organization during the war [and there will be a different CMSR for each military unit in which the veteran served]. CMSRs were recorded on cards which are kept in jackets (files) at the National Archives and Records Administration [NARA] in Washington, D.C. Most War of 1812 CMSRs have not been microfilmed. An exception is the CMSRs for the state of Mississippi, which are available in a 22 roll microfilm set [NARA series M678]. The rolls in this set are organized by regiment and then alphabetically. CMSRs for volunteer 1812 soldiers from other states have not been microfilmed. They can be requested from NARA.

You can now also check to see if one of the the subscription services (Fold3 or Ancestry.com) has digitized a CMSR of interest:

http://www.fold3.com/
http://www.ancestry.com/

Indexes to Compiled Service Records are available on microfilm and book format in some libraries [see bibliography in Part IV for materials owned by St. Louis Public Library], from the Mormon Church, and from NARA.

A. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer War of 1812 Soldiers [NARA series M602- 234 rolls]. Listings are alphabetical by surname, and include name, rank, and unit or units in which the man served.

B. Indexes to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer War of 1812 Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana [NARA series M229- 3 rolls]. Listings are alphabetical by surname, and include name, rank, and unit or units in which the man served.

C. Indexes to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer War of 1812 Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of North Carolina [NARA series M250- 5 rolls]. Listings are alphabetical by surname, and include name, rank, and unit or units in which the man served.

D. Indexes to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer War of 1812 Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of South Carolina [NARA series M652- 7 rolls]. Listings are alphabetical by surname, and include name, rank, and unit or units in which the man served.

Muster Rolls & Adjutant-General Records. In addition to the compiled service records maintained by NARA, the offices of state adjutant-generals and state archives sometimes maintain additional records pertaining to War of 1812 volunteer soldiers from that state. Rosters in book and/or electronic format exist for these states and territories: Connecticut; Delaware; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Mississippi; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; Tennessee; Vermont; and Virginia. St. Louis Public Library owns many [but not all] of these state rosters of 1812 soldiers [see bibliography in part IV for details].

Lists of Missouri and Illinois War of 1812 veterans are also available online:

Missouri: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/
Illinois: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases/war1812.html

Enlistment Records. Some men enlisted in the United States Army, Navy, or Marine Corps, rather than in a volunteer military organization raised by a state. Records of such Army enlistments are available on a microfilm set, Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1789-1914 [NARA series M233- 47 reels], which is owned by St. Louis Public Library. The Register is also available from subscription service Ancestry.com:

http://www.ancestry.com/

St. Louis Public Library also owns various registers in book form of 19th century U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps officers [see bibliography in Part IV for details].

Pay and Account Books. Pay and account books for various volunteer military organizations are often in the collection of state archives. These records are sometimes reprinted in books or in periodicals [see bibliography in Part IV for details].

MAJOR AMERICAN MILITARY CONFLICTS, PART IX

Revolutionary War-- Casualty Lists and Burial Records

92. Daughters of the American Revolution. Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Missouri. Kansas City: DAR, 1966. (Central-HG 973.74)

93. Hatcher, Patricia Law. Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots. Dallas: Pioneer Heritage Press, 1987-1988. (Central-HG 973.74)

94. Illinois State Genealogical Society. Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois: a Bicentennial Project of the Illinois State Genealogical Society. Springfield: The Society, 1975. (Central-HG 929.3773)

95. Peterson, Clarence S. Known Military Dead During the American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. Baltimore: C. S. Peterson, 1959. (Central-HG 973.74)

War of 1812-- Casualty Lists and Burial Records

96. Peterson, Clarence S. Known Military Dead During the War of 1812. Baltimore: C. S. Peterson, 1955. (Central-HG 973.5)

Mexican-American War-- Casualty Lists and Burial Records

97. Peterson, Clarence S. Known Military Dead during the Mexican War, 1846-1848. Baltimore: the Author, 1957. (Central-HG 973.6)

Civil War-- Casualty Lists and Burial Records

98. Confederate Roll of Honor: Missouri. Ed. by Leslie Anders. Warrensburg, MO: West Central Missouri Genealogical Society and Library, Inc., 1989.(Central-HG 973.76)

99. Faehtz, Ernest F. M. The National Memorial Day: a Record of Ceremonies Over the Graves of the Union Soldiers, May 29 & 30, 1869. Washington, D.C.: Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic, 1870. (Central-ST 973.7)

100. Praus, Alexis A. Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Civilians Who Died as Prisoners of War at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill., 1862-1865. Kalamazoo, MI: Gray Publications, 1968. (Central-HG, ST 973.76)

101. Reamy, Martha & William Reamy. Index to the Roll of Honor. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995. (Central-HG 973.76)

102. Soldiers Buried at Union Cemetery, Kansas City, MO. Kansas City: Union Cemetery Historical Society, 1988, 2 vols. (Central-HG 929.3778)

103. United States. War Department. Quartermaster’s Department. Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers Who Died in Defense of the American Union, Interred in the National Cemeteries. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994. Multi-volume set, indexed. Lists Union soldiers buried in national cemeteries during the Civil War, or reinterred in them shortly after the war. (Central-HG 973.76)

MAJOR AMERICAN MILITARY CONFLICTS, PART VI

Korean War—Rosters & Reference Works

51. Blanchard, Carroll H. Korean War Bibliography and Maps of Korea. Albany: Korean Conflict Research Foundation, 1964. (Central-ST 016.9519)

52. Dornbusch, C. E. Histories of American Army Units, World Wars I and II and Korean Conflict, with Some Earlier Histories. Washington, D. C.: Department of the Army, 1956. (Central-ST 016.355)

53. United States. Marine Corps. First Division. First Marine Division. November 1-December 15, 1950, Chosin Reservoir. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1951. (Central-ST 951.9)

Vietnam War—Rosters & Reference Works

54. Headhunters: Stories from the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, Vietnam, 1965-1971. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1987. (Central-ST 959.704342)

55. Stanton, Shelby L. Vietnam Order of Battle. Washington, D.C.: U.S. News Books, 1981. (Central-HG Oversize 959.70433)

56. The Marines in Vietnam, 1954-1973: an Anthology and Annotated Bibliography. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Printing Office, 1974. (Central-ST 959.70434)

57. The United States Navy and the Vietnam Conflict. Washington, D.C.: U.S.Government Printing Office, 1976. (Central-ST 959.704345)

Revolutionary War-- Bounty Land Records

58. Bockstruck, Lloyd Dewitt. Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants: Awarded by State Governments. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996. (Central- HG 973.34)

59. Cartwright, Betty Goff Cook. North Carolina Land Grants in Tennessee, 1778-1791. Memphis, TN: I. C. Harper Co., 1958. (Central-HG 973.34)

60. Jillson, Willard Rouse. The Kentucky Land Grants: a Systematic Index to All of the Land Grants Recorded in the State Land Office at Frankfort, Kentucky, 1782-1924. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1971. (Central-HG 976.9)

61. Mayo, Robert. Army and Navy Pension Laws, and Bounty Land Laws of the United States Including Sundry Resolutions of Congress from 1776-1852. Washington, D.C.: J. T. Towers, 1852. (Central-ST 355.115)

62. Smith, Clifford N. Federal Land Series: a Calendar of Archival Materials on the Land-Patents Issued by the United States Government, with Subject, Tract, and Name Indexes. Chicago: American Library Association, 1972-1982, 4 vols. Vol. 1 covers 1788-1810; vol. 2 covers 1799-1835; vol. 3 covers 1810-1814; vol. 4 covers land grants in the Virginia District of Ohio. Includes name and tract indexes in each volume. (Central-HG 333.16)

63. Wilson, Samuel M. Catalogue of Revolutionary Soldiers and Sailors of the Commonwealth of Virginia to Whom Land Bounty Warrants were Granted by Virginia for Military Services in the War for Independence. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967. (Central-HG, ST 973.34)

War of 1812-- Bounty Land Records

64. Christensen, Katherine. Arkansas Military Bounty Grants (War of 1812). Hot Springs: Arkansas Ancestors, 1971. (Central-HG 929.3767)

65. Dunaway, Maxine. Missouri Military Land Warrants, War of 1812. Springfield, MO: M. Dunaway, 1985. (Central-HG 929.3778)

66. United States. General Land Office. War of 1812 Bounty Lands in Illinois. Thomson, IL: Heritage House, 1977. (Central-HG 977.3)

67. Wardell, Patrick G. War of 1812: Virginia Bounty Land & Pension Applicants: a Quick Reference Guide to Ancestors having War of 1812 Service Who Served Lived, Died, or Married in Virginia or West Virginia. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1987. (Central-HG 973.52455)

MAJOR AMERICAN MILITARY CONFLICTS, PART V

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR--ROSTERS & REFERENCE WORKS

38. Pictorial Atlas Illustrating the Spanish-American War: Comprising a History of the Conflict. New York: G. F. Cram, 1898. (Central-ST 973.8)

39. Venzon, Anne C. The Spanish-American War: an Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1990. (Central-HG 016.97389)

WORLD WAR I--ROSTERS & REFERENCE WORKS

40. DeCastelbled, Maurice. History of the A.E.F. New York: Bookcraft, 1937. (Central-ST 940.91)

41. Livesey, Anthony. I. The Historical Atlas of World War. New York: H. Holt, 1994. (Central-HG 940.410223)

42. Ohio. Adjutant-General’s Office. The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the World War, 1917-1918. Columbus: F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1926-1929. (Central-ST 940.91)

43. Schaefer, Christina. The Great War: a Guide to the Service Records of All the World’s Fighting Men and Volunteers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1998. (Central-HG 940.3)

WORLD WAR II--ROSTERS & REFERENCE WORKS

44. Conference on Research on the Second World War. World War II: an Account of Its Documents. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1976. (Central-ST 940.5307)

45. 42nd Rainbow Infantry Infantry Division. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Co., 1987. (Central-ST Oversize 940.541273)

46. Goodenough, Simon. War Maps: World War II, From September 1939, to August 1945, Air, Sea, and Land, Battle by Battle. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982. (Central-HG Oversize 911)

47. Sixth Marine Division: the Striking Sixth. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Co.,1987. (Central-ST Oversize 940.541273)

48. Stanton, Shelby L. Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1984. (Central-HG Oversize 355.30973)

49. 34th Bombardment Group (H), 1941-1945. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Co., 1988. (Central-ST Oversize 940.544973)

50. United States. National Archives. Federal Records of World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1951, 2 vols. Vol. 1 covers civilian records; Vol. 2 covers military records. (Central-HG 940.92)

MAJOR AMERICAN MILITARY CONFLICTS, PART III

War of 1812-- Military Service Records & Rosters

Microfilm

12. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812, 234 reels. (Central-Microfilm)

Books

13. Coles, Harry Lewis. The War of 1812. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965. (Central-ST 973.5)

14. North Carolina. Adjutant-General. Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1976. (Central-HG 973.524)

Mexican-American War-- Military Service Records & Rosters

Microfilm

15. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican-American War, 41 reels. (Central-Microfilm)

Books

16. Dufour, Charles. The Mexican War: a Compact History. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1968. Maps. (Central-ST 973.6)

17. Hackenburg, Randy W. Pennsylvania in the War With Mexico. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Publishing Co., 1992. (Central-HG 972.05)

18. Nebraska. Secretary of State. Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the War of 1812, Mexican War, and the War of the Rebellion, Residing in Nebraska, June 1, 1893. Lincoln: Jacob North & Co., 1893. (Central-ST 973.74)

MAJOR AMERICAN MILITARY CONFLICTS, PART II

REVOLUTIONARY WAR-- MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS & ROSTERS

Microfilm

1. General Index to Compiled Service Records of Revolutionary War Veterans [58 reels]. (Central-Microfilm)

2. Revolutionary War Service Records [138 reels]. (Central-Microfilm)

Books

3. Atwood, Rodney. The Hessians: Mercenaries from Hessen-Kassel in the American Revolution. NY: Cambridge University Press, 1980. (Central-ST 973.342)

4. Carrington, Henry B. Battles of the American Revolution: Battle Maps and Charts of the Revolution. New York: New York Times, 1968. (Central-ST 973.33)

5. Daughters of the American Revolution. Index of the Rolls of Honor (Ancestor’s Index) in the Lineage Books of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1972 [160 volumes].(Central-HG 929.373)

6. Myers, Paul W. Pennsylvania Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, Living in States Other Than Pennsylvania. Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1987. (Central-HG 973.3448)

7. Smith, Clifford Neal. Brunswick Deserter-Immigrants of the American Revolution. Thomson, IL: Heritage House, 1973. (Central-HG 929.343)

8. Smith, Clifford Neal. Mercenaries from Ansbach and Bayreuth, Germany, Who Remained in America after the Revolution. McNeal, AZ: Westland Publications, 1979. (Central-HG 973.342)

9. Smith, Clifford Neal. Muster Rolls and Prisoner of War Lists in American Archival Collections Pertaining to the German Mercenary Troops who Served with the British Forces during the American Revolution. DeKalb, IL: Westland Publications, 1976. (Central-HG 973.342)

10. The State Records of North Carolina. Raleigh: P. M. Hale, 1886-1914 [30 vols]. (Central-ST 975.6)

Volume 16 has a list of soldiers in the North Carolina Continental Line.

11. White, Virgil D. Index to Revolutionary War Service Records. Waynesboro, TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1995 [4 vols]. (Central-HG 973.4)

MAJOR AMERICAN MILITARY CONFLICTS, PART I

1775-1783--Revolutionary War (Was your male ancestor 10-45 years of age in 1775?)

1812-1814--War of 1812 (Was your male ancestor 15-45 years of age in 1812?)

1846-1848--Mexican-American War (Was your male ancestor 16-45 years of age in 1846?)

1861-1865--Civil War (Was your male ancestor 13-45 years of age in 1861?)

1898--Spanish-American War (Was your male ancestor 18-45 years of age in 1898?)

1917-1918--World War I (Was your ancestor 17-45 years of age in 1917?)

1941-1945--World War II (Was your ancestor 13-45 years of age in 1941?)

1950-1953--Korean War (Was your ancestor 15-45 years of age in 1950?)

1964-1973--Vietnam War (Was your ancestor 9-45 years of age in 1964?)

1990-1991--Gulf War (Was your ancestor 17-45 years of age in 1990?)


If you know when an American man (or woman) was born, it is fairly easy to figure out in which war(s) he may have served. Just figure that men have generally been liable for military service between the ages of 18-45, with those between the ages of 18-35 being the ones most likely to enlist/be drafted. Also be aware that it would have been hard for men 18-35 to avoid serving in several of these wars, notably the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II, while it would have been relatively easy to avoid serving in the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and the Gulf War.

Men who have served in America’s wars have been eligible at various times for special government programs, including bounty land grants and military pensions. Bounty land warrants were granted at various times during the period 1788-1855. Warrantees could receive up to 160 acres each (privates or seamen), all of which need not have been awarded under the provisions of one particular piece of legislation. A soldier’s heirs could also receive a grant for land based on his service, so long as total acreage awarded to that man and his heirs did not exceed 160 acres.

Land warrants initially would have been redeemable in specially earmarked military districts: men receiving warrants in 1847 and after could redeem them for any open public lands, not just land in military districts. Civil War Union soldiers did not receive bounty lands, although they could deduct time in service from the residency requirements of the 1862 Homestead Act.

Most bounty land was located in the present-day states of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois, with smaller amounts in the present-day states of New York, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, and Missouri. Most land warrants were issued by the federal government, although some state governments, notably Pennsylvania and New York, also rewarded Revolutionary War soldiers with land grants.

Immediately after each of these wars, pensions were available only to those men permanently disabled by their service, and to widows or orphans of men killed in the war. Pensions would become available later to any man who had served in the war who was unable to support himself and/or his family due to age and/or infirmity; then at some later point would be available to any surviving soldier of a particular war. For example, Revolutionary War vets became eligible in 1818 for pensions if they had financial need for support, and if they had either 9 months total service or had served to the end of the war.

Civil War Union soldiers received pensions from the federal government, while Confederate soldiers received pensions directly from the Southern or border state they were living in after the war (surviving Confederate widows only became eligible for federal pensions in 1959--after the last Confederate vet had passed on).

Men entering military service sometimes received one-time payments for enlisting (bounties were more widely available in the North than in the South). These payments could come from the soldier’s town, county, state, or the federal government, or from all four (some soldiers enlisting in the Union Army in late 1864/early 1865 received bonuses of up to $1,200, a very substantial sum at the time).

Certain types of aid to soldiers and/or their families were made only by state/local governments. While in service, a man’s family (in some states) could receive relief payments if receipt of a soldier’s meager pay ($13.00/month) was causing family hardship. Victims of amputation could receive artificial limbs from some states (1/3 of Mississippi’s budget in 1866 consisted of payments for artificial limbs and eyes).

Families of deceased veterans were also eligible for certain forms of aid. The family of a Union soldier killed during the war received a one-time payment of $100 from the federal government. The man’s body could be buried by the U.S. Army on or near the place where he fell, or the family could pay to transport the body home. The U.S. government furnished a headstone to a veteran’s family free of charge (and maintains a list of veterans for whom a headstone was furnished).

READING LISTS-- CIVIL WAR GENERALS, PT. 12

Thomas Jonathan (“Stonewall”) Jackson was born in Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1824. His father and older sister died of typhoid fever when Jackson was just two years old. His mother raised Jackson and two siblings by herself until she was able to remarry in 1830. His new stepfather did not like his stepchildren, however, and they were sent to live with an uncle when Jackson’s mother died in 1831. Jackson’s older brother, Warren, died of tuberculosis in 1841.

Jackson was mostly self-educated when he managed to secure admission to West Point in 1842. He began his schooling there in last place academically, but through sheer determination and hard work managed to graduate 17th in a class of 52. He participated in the Mexican-American War as an artillery officer, and received two brevet promotions for bravery, as well as a Regular Army promotion to 1st Lieutenant.

He left the army to teach at Virginia Military Institute in 1851. Jackson was not popular with his students, because he memorized his lectures and delivered them verbatim in class. If a student asked a question, he simply backed up and repeated that part of the lecture. He also taught Sunday School for black persons at the local Presbyterian Church, and was apparently very popular with those students. He owned six slaves, but was widely known as a “fair and humane” master.

Jackson supervised a contingent of VMI artillerists during the 1859 hanging of John Brown. When war broke out, Virginia Governor John Letcher appointed him a Colonel. Jackson organized the military unit that would later be named after him: the Stonewall Brigade. He was known as a rigid disciplinarian, but was nonetheless popular with most of his men because he was personally fearless, and because his methods seemed to work.

He earned his nickname at First Bull Run, where another general rallied his own troops by saying, “There stands Jackson like a stone wall. Rally behind the Virginians!” His direction of his troops on the battlefield had made him a legend by the time he was wounded in an accidental shooting by his own men on the Chancellorsville battlefield (2 May 1863). His left arm had to be amputated, and he died of complications from pneumonia on 10 May 1863. His wife, Mary Anna, moved to North Carolina but never remarried. She was known as the Widow of the Confederacy, and died in 1915.

Alexander, Bevin. Lost Victories: The Military Genius of Stonewall Jackson. New York: Holt, 1992. HG-973.73092

Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. ST,BU-973.732

Davis, Don. Stonewall Jackson. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. HU-B JACKSON

Gallagher, Gary W. Lee and His Generals in War and Memory. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1998. ST-973.73013

Hamlin, Augustus C. The Battle of Chancellorsville: The Attack of Stonewall Jackson and His Army Upon the Right Flank of the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville, Virginia, on Saturday Afternoon, May 2, 1863. Bangor, Me: The author, 1896. ST-973.733

Johnson, Clint. In the Footsteps of Stonewall Jackson. Winston-Salem, N.C: John F. Blair, 2002. CB-917.540444

Krick, Robert K. Conquering the Valley: Stonewall Jackson at Port Republic. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2002. ST-973.732

Krick, Robert K. The Smoothbore Volley That Doomed the Confederacy: The Death of Stonewall Jackson and Other Chapters on the Army of Northern Virginia. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2002. ST-973.7455

Redwood, Allen C. Stonewall: Memories from the Ranks. Livermore, Maine: Signal Tree Publications, 1998. ST-B JACKSON

Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend. New York: Macmillan Pub. USA, 1997. ST-B JACKSON

MEDICINE IN THE TIME OF THE CIVIL WAR

PLACE: Saint Louis Science Center
DATES: Opens July 2, 2011 (closing date has not been determined)
COST: Free

The Civil War was fought at a time when the practice of medicine was primitive compared to today’s standards. Little was known about what caused disease; there was minimal training for doctors; and some surgical procedures were left over from the Middle Ages. During the four-year conflict more than three million men fought in the war and approximately 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died. Many soldiers died from a bullet on the battlefield, but disease and wounds claimed even more lives than battlefield casualties.

Throughout the war both the North and South worked to improve medical care for their soldiers and through the experience gained valuable knowledge. The lessons learned in the ramshackle field hospitals all over the country contributed to advances in medicine. Doctors became better at surgery; the implementation of medical records was established; the service of female nurses in the hospitals elevated the importance of women in medicine; and the medical community gained a greater understanding of the relationship between cleanliness and disease.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Saint Louis Science Center has produced an abbreviated exhibit that will give the visitor a glimpse into the medicine and technology of the Civil War. Drawing from the Science Center’s Collections, the exhibit features authentic medical objects from the mid- to late-1800s. The exhibit will feature a model of a Civil War-era field hospital supplied with both authentic objects and reproductions. This field hospital will give visitors the opportunity to discover what life was like for doctors and wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Period objects on display include a bullet extractor, an amputation kit, a field microscope, a stereoscope and historical photographs. Visitors will also have an opportunity to compare and contrast contemporary and Civil War-era medical instruments and objects. Interactive displays will allow the visitor to research “Mystery Medical Objects” and look through a Civil War stereoscope.

DIRECTIONS:Take I-64 west to the Kingshighway North / South exit. Turn left at S Kingshighway Blvd. Make a right on Oakland Avenue. The Science Center is on your left.

WE NEED YOUR HISTORY. Exhibition developers need help to tell St. Louis’ Civil War story. If you had a relative that served as a doctor, surgeon or nurse during the war or if you have medical or other objects or photographs from the period, please contact Debra McStay.

St. Louis Science Center website