How to Find a Civil War Grave

Many of the dead at Gettysburg were buried there.

There are a great many Civil War soldiers buried across wide areas of the U.S. Many people may want to search for the grave of a particular soldier from the war, which began 150 years ago. Whether you are looking in to your own family history or researching a specific Civil War soldier, regiment or battle, there are several steps you can take to find the grave of a Civil War soldier.

Instructions

1. Discover which regiment the Civil War solider served in. You can then learn which battles the regiment was involved in. While some Civil War soldiers' bodies were shipped home for burial by their families, many others were buried near the site of their death. Indeed, you can find many Union soldiers buried in old graveyards in Southern states.

2. Check with organizations that maintain databases to collect information on Civil War soldiers, including the location of that individual's grave. For instance, the Sons of Union Veterans of Civil War Soldiers (which you can search online) is one place to look for the name of the individual for whom you are seeking to find the grave.

3. Look for graveyards specifically meant for members of the military, such as Arlington in Washington, D.C., or Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

4. Search the genealogy section of libraries in the area where you believe the solider may have died, such as near a battlefield where his regiment sustained heavy losses.

5. Locate government records of pensions paid to widows and orphans, since this may provide a clue as to the location of the grave.

References

• Sons of Union Veterans: National Graves Registration Database