New York State Bureau of Records of the War of the Rebellion Abstracts of Muster Rolls of Men Unassigned to Any State or…

Alphabetical by last name.

Laws of 1887 authorized the Adjutant General to "procure copies of all military records relating to New York volunteers in the war of the rebellion not on file in his office, from the proper departments of the general government" (Chapter 51).

In addition, the Adjutant General was "to establish as part of his office a bureau of records of the war of the rebellion, in which all records in his office relating to said war, and the records and relics of the bureau of military statistics shall be united and kept" (Chapter 247). Although the exact date of the collation of these records is unknown, they were probably produced between 1887 and 1907, during the same period when the abstracts for men who served in New York Volunteer units, the United States Navy and Marine Corps, or State Militia were being compiled.

This series consists of unbound printed abstracts which partially describe the military service of New York men who were mustered into service but were never assigned to either a federal or state unit.

Individual abstracts provide the following information for each man: name; date and place of enlistment; age (in years); length of enlistment; date mustered in; grade; place of birth; occupation; eye and hair color; complexion; height; and Congressional District number. The form also contains a section dealing with how each man left his organization, but since these men were never assigned to a unit, this section always appears blank. Finally, the form contains a section entitled "remarks." These remarks usually consist of notations stating that the man was drafted, a substitute (often supplies the name of the man for whom he was substituting), or deserted. The vast majority of the remarks state that the man was a substitute.

Microfilm is available at the New York State Archives through interlibrary loan.

Microfilm: 4 reels; 35 mm.

Folder list and roll list are available.

Collation date ca. 1887-1907.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.