1. Summary
The Union Army data has significant information on the military involvement of the recruit, including his wartime service history. This includes the dates and places of recruit enlistment, muster-in, and discharge.
2. Variable Groups
Collection: Military, Pension and Medical Records
Enlistment: Recruit's age at enlistment, Enlistment date, Enlistment city, Enlistment county, Enlistment state, Recruit's enlistment officer, Enlistment type, Enlistment years, Enlistment months, Enlistment days
Credit: Credit city, Credit county, Credit state, Credit subdistrict, Credit district, Credit to other place, Credited to
Bounty: Enlistment bounty paid, Enlistment bounty due, Discharge bounty paid, Discharge bounty due
Muster-In: Muster date, Muster city, Muster county, Muster state
Unfit for Duty: Number of days unfit for duty, Unfit for duty cause
Discharge: Discharge date, Honorable or dishonorable discharge designation, Reason for discharge, Discharge city, Discharge county, Discharge state
Place variables including enlistment, muster-in, and discharge are additionally classified under the Geographic category. Place and date variables are qualified by a set of codes that can be found in the Quality Codes User Guide.
3. Historical Background
3.1 Original Sources
The primary sources of enlistment, discharge, and related data are found in the Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) and the Pension Record. Recruits could enlist several times, and information on each enlistment is collected separately. Information on the first enlistment is stored in variables whose second numerical suffix is 1 (for example, 1stag1_1, 1stag2_1, etc.) Information on the second enlistment is stored in variables whose second numeric suffix is 2 (for example, 1stag1_2, 1stag2_2, etc.) Recruits were mustered in as many times as they enlisted. As with the variables pertaining to enlistment, information about each muster-in is stored in separate variables. Information about the first muster-in is stored in variables whose second numeric suffix is 1 (for example, mstdt1_1, mstdt2_1). Information about the second muster-in is stored in variables whose second numeric suffix is 2 (for example, mstdt1_2).
The date and place of enlistment were also found in the Pension Record in affidavits, pension applications and/or claim forms, and War Department papers. Civil War soldiers often enlisted multiple times. We have fields to input up to three separate enlistments and discharges, enlistments are paired with corresponding discharges. If a soldier enlisted more than three times, the fourth enlistment/discharge is input in sc4rmks.
Recruit information found on enlistment papers in CMSR and pension records:
- name
- age
- occupation
- place of birth
- place of enlistment
- residence at time of enlistment
- period of enlistment
- enlistment officer
- credit
- appearance
For each enlistment, alternate information, such as a discrepancy in the date, could be recorded. If discrepancies appear across sources, enlistment papers found in the CMSR take precedence over other sources.
Some enlistments were credited to congressional districts and sub-districts to fill recruitment quotas, and this information was found on Muster and Descriptive Roll Card of the CMSR. Information on bounty received at enlistment or discharge is recorded.
Similar to enlistment information, discharge information was found throughout both the pension record and the CMSR. Discharge information from the CMSR is the most accurate, but not always the most complete. Like enlistment, up to three instances of discharges could be recorded, along with any discrepant data. The number of days the recruit was unfit for duty during his service is recorded from information taken from Certificate of Disability for Discharge, which asked how many of the last 60 days a recruit had been unfit.
The CMSR of both volunteer officers and enlisted men serving in wartime show the soldier's rank, military organization, and term of service. They also include age at enlistment, place of enlistment, and place of birth, but provide no information about family. The CMSR for each recruit is an envelope consisting of cards with information about the recruit transcribed by War Department clerks. The clerks transcribed the information on the cards from muster rolls, descriptive books, returns (statistical reports submitted to the Adjutant General Office or the War Department by organizations such as hospitals or forts), hospital registers, prison records, and other records. Cards are arranged first by war, then by state, then by military unit, and finally alphabetically by the soldier's last name.
The transcription of a CMSR started soon after the Civil War when Fred C. Ainsworth assumed the duties of Adjutant General. His aim in having the military records transcribed was twofold: first, to preserve the information found on decaying original records, and second, to eliminate the serious backlog on pension applications and rulings by making claim checking easier. Initially, the cards contained the soldier's name, rank, company, regiment, and the page and volume number from which the information was obtained. This is all copied onto separate cards. Most CMSR today also include information that was added later, including POW records, casualty information, hospital register information, records of desertions, furloughs, AWOLs, and MIAs, copies of enlistment papers, and copies of surgeons' certificates of discharge for disability.
As information from the CMSR was entered into the collection screens, it was compared with information already collected. When the CMSR seriously conflicted with the pension information, we attempted to reconcile the previously entered pension data with the more straightforward CMSR. Military information that came from the CMSR was judged to be more accurate than conflicting information from the pension, which may have been retrospective and self-reported.
3.2 Variables
Multiple enlistments/discharges were collected as well as discrepant information for each unique enlistment. The variable lstdt1_1 is the first enlistment while, lstdt2_1 is the discrepant date for the same enlistment instance. The variable lstdt1_2 is the second enlistment, while lstdt2_2 is the discrepant date for the second enlistment.
Some examples of variables relating to the enlistment and discharge groups are unftd, dchdt and lstag. The variable unftd1_2 is the number of days a recruit was unfit for duty during his enlistment. The first numeric suffix matches the first numeric suffix of the variable for the recruit's discharge date (dchdt). The second numeric suffix matches the second numeric suffix of the variable for the recruit's enlistment date (lstag). In this case, unftd1_2 relates to dchdt_1 and lstag_2. The variable dchdt1_2 is an instance of a recruit's discharge date that relates to the recruit's enlistment date (lstag_2). The second numeric suffix matches the second numeric suffix of lstag to which it relates. Similarly, the variable lstag2_3 is an instance of the recruit's enlistment age. Information on the recruit's first enlistment is stored in variables whose first numerical suffix is 1, while information on the second enlistment is found in variables whose first numeric suffix is 2.
4. User Guide Table
| Variable Label | Variable Name | Data-Set | Source |
| lstag1_1 - lstag2_3 | Recruit's age at enlistment | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lstdt1_1 - lstdt2_3 | Enlistment date | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lsdqc1_1 - lsdqc2_3 | Quality code for enlistment date | MIL | Military Quality Codes |
| lscty1_1 - lscty2_3 | Enlistment city | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lscnt1_1 - lscnt2_3 | Enlistment county | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lstst1_1 - lstst2_3 | Enlistment state | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lspqc1_1 - lspqc2_3 | Quality code for lscty, lscnt, lstst | MIL | Military Quality Codes |
| crcity_1 - crcity_3 | Credit city | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| crcnty_1 - crcnty_3 | Credit county | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| crstat_1 - crstat_3 | Credit state | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| crplqc_1 -crplqc_3 | Quality code for credit place | MIL | Military Quality Codes |
| crsdis_1 - crsdis_3 | Credit subdistrict | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| crcdis_1 - crcdis_3 | Credit district | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| crothp_1 - crothp_3 | Credit to other place | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| credto_1 - credto_3 | Credited to | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lstoff_1 - lstoff_3 | Recruit's enlistment officer | MIL | CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Death Form |
| lstyp1_1 - lstyp2_3 | Enlistment type | MIL | CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book |
| lsyrs1_1 - lsyrs2_3 | Enlistment years | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lsmth1_1 - lsmth3_3 | Enlistment months | MIL | CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lsdys1_1 - lsdys2_3 | Enlistment days | MIL | CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lbntpd_1 - lbntpd_3 | Enlistment bounty paid | MIL | CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| lbntdu_1 - lbntdu_3 | Enlistment bounty due | MIL | CMSR: Volunteer Enlistment Form Company Descriptive Book Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| dbntp1_1 - dbntp2_3 | Discharge bounty paid | MIL | CMSR:Individual Muster-Out Roll |
| dbntd1_1 - dbntd2_3 | Discharge bounty due | MIL | CMSR:Individual Muster-Out Roll |
| mstdt1_1 - mstdt2_3 | Muster date | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| msdqc1_1 - msdqc2_3 | Quality code for muster date | MIL | Military Quality Codes |
| mscty1_1 - mscty2_3 | Muster city | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| mcnt1_1 - mscnt2_3 | Muster county | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll Card |
| mstst1_1 - mstst2_3 | Muster state | MIL | CMSR: Muster and Descriptive Roll |
| mspqc1_1 - mspqc2_3 | Quality code for muster place | MIL | Military Quality Codes |
| unftd1_1 - unftd2_3 | Number of days unfit for duty | MIL | CMSR: Certificate of Disability for Discharge |
| unftc1_1 - unftc2_3 | Unfit for duty cause | MIL | CMSR: Certificate of Disability for Discharge |
| dchdt1_1 - dchdt2_3 | Recruit's date of discharge | MIL | PEN: Pension Application Pension Application Widow CMR: Carded Medical Record CMSR: Individual Muster-Out Roll |
| dchqc1_1 - dchqc2_3 | Quality code for dchdt | MIL | Military Quality Codes |
| dchhd1_1 - dchhd2_3 | Honorable or dishonorable discharge designation | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Certificate of Disability for Discharge Company Muster-Out Roll Card |
| dchrn1_1 - dchrn2_3 | Reason for discharge | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMR: Carded Medical Record CMSR: Certificate of Disability for Discharge |
| dccty1_1 - dccty2_3 | Discharge city | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Individual Muster-Out Roll Company Muster-Out Roll Card Certificate of Disability for Discharge |
| dccnt1_1 - dccnt2_3 | Discharge county | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Individual Muster-Out Roll Company Muster-Out Roll Card Certificate of Disability for Discharge |
| dchst1_1 - dchst2_3 | Discharge state | MIL | PEN: Pension Application CMSR: Individual Muster-Out Roll Company Muster-Out Roll Card Certificate of Disability for Discharge |
| dcpqc1_1 - dcpqc2_3 | Quality code for discharge place | MIL | Military Quality Codes |