Civil War Sailors, 1861-1865

Each record identifies a sailor who served in the United States Navy during the U.S. Civil War. While the information for each person may vary, U.S. Civil War Sailors, 1861-1865 typically includes:

• First and last name of sailor
• Place of birth (city and state)
• Year of birth
• Complexion
• Occupation
• Height
• Place of enlistment
• Date of enlistment
• Term of enlistment
• Vessel
• Rating

The sailors of the United States Navy played a vital, if overlooked, role in the course of the Civil War. These records represent the contributions of thousands of veterans to the Union war effort.

The American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865, and began after a number of Southern states seceded from the country and formed the Confederate States of America. The ensuing conflict involved millions of Americans being recruited on both sides and became the bloodiest war in American history. The war was brought to a close in April of 1865 after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, close to the Union-Confederate border on the east coast of the United States.

Discover interesting and specific information about your ancestor’s wartime service. The details you learn will enrich your family history and help lead you to new areas for further research.

Created by the National Park Service, in cooperation with the Genealogical Society of Utah and the Federation of Genealogical Societies, information in this collection is from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors index, which collects entries for 6.3 million individuals from 44 states and territories. Compiled from original records held by the National Archives and Records Administration.

• Widen your search by clicking the “name variants” box in the search bar. This will return more records with similar names, including possible alternate spellings or the use of initials or middle names.

• If you know the name of the ship your ancestor’s served on, try adding this information to the “Optional keywords” search bar. This can narrow down the search results or let you discover other sailors who may have served with your ancestor.