The Civil War—a house divided.

The Civil War pitted the Union north against the Confederate south, with slavery at the center of a conflict that threatened to tear the nation in two. Our Civil War collections include more than 18 million names from both Union and Confederate records, so you can find your ancestors no matter which side they fought for.

The Civil War collections on Ancestry include more than 18 million names from both Union and Confederate records, so you can find your ancestors no matter which side they fought for.

Search Civil War (1861–1865) Military Records

American Civil War (1861–1865)

Ringgold, Ga., battery at drill

Mounting tensions over slavery came to a head with the election of anti-slavery President Abraham Lincoln in 1860. By February 1861, even before Lincoln had taken office, seven states had seceded from the Union; 6 more would follow by the end of the year. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces attacked South Carolina’s Fort Sumter igniting war.

In total, more than 3.5 million Americans would fight in the Civil War; more than 2 million for the Union, some 1.5 million for the Confederate States. The Union side suffered more than 350,000 deaths, both battle and non-battle related. The Confederate forces saw some 160,000 battle and non-battle deaths.

Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan and his generals in front of Sheridan's tent, 1864

The Ancestry American Civil War Collection

Discover your Civil War ancestors in our online collection of American Civil War military records, spanning 1860–1865. Featuring more than 18 million names, both Union and Confederate, from service records, pension files — some created as late as the 1930s — to photographs and more. Because of the various record types included, some soldiers will have more than one record in the collection.

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Featured Collections

U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861–1865
Collection of military service records, containing more than 6 million names of servicemen — Union and Confederate — who fought in the U.S. Civil War.

U.S., Civil War Soldiers Records and Profiles
A historic effort to compile and interlink all available records of soldiers who participated in the American Civil War.

Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files
Records of more than 2 million Union Army soldiers who filed for pensions after the Civil War.

U.S., Civil War POW Records
Collection of more than 1.5 million names from the Union and Confederate prisoner of war records.

U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861–1865
Records featuring details about 178,000 African-American troops who served the Union during the Civil War.

U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861–1865
Index of compiled military service records for volunteer Union soldiers who served. This index also includes Confederate soldiers who later served with the Union Army.

U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861–1865
This database contains an index to compiled service records (CSRs) for soldiers who served with units in the Confederate army.

Confederate Applications for Presidential Pardons, 1865–1867
Collection of 14,000 pardon applications featuring background information and service details for former Confederates soldiers.

U.S., Civil War Photos
Almost 7,000 photographs depicting the Civil War Era.