New York State Bureau of Records of the War of the Rebellion Abstracts of Muster Rolls for Colored Enlisted Men Unassigned to…

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." 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."

Although the exact collation date of these records is unknown, they were probably produced 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. According to annual reports submitted by the chief of the Bureau of Records of the War of the Rebellion to the Adjutant General, this was between 1887 and 1907.

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

The designation "unassigned" refers to men who were located at various recruiting depots and stations when recruiting was ceased by the federal government; men who were permanently assigned duty at these depots and stations; and men who deserted at the depots or stations before being assigned to a unit or en route to their unit.

Individual abstracts provide the following information: 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 ("conscript"), a substitute (in many cases the name and residence of the man for whom he was a substitute is supplied), enlisted, or deserted. The vast majority of the remarks state that the man was a substitute.

Microfilm is available for use at the New York State Archives or through inter-library loan.

Folder list is available at the repository.

Collation date ca. 1887-1907.

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