Civil War News
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Researching Civil War Ancestors Since the inauguration of this column in March 2016, the question most frequently posed to this writer from readers of Civil War News: “How can I research my ancestor who fought in the war?” Previous installments have explored various ways to mine period records for a snapshot of one’s ancestor, blue or gray. See past columns at www.civilwarnews. com; one will need a subscription to access the archives of CWN. Another subscription site, www.civilwardata.com ($25 annually), provides an excellent starting point in the quest to learn more about a former infantryman, cavalry trooper, sailor, or artilleryman. As holds in all research, the more details on the starting-line, the better the results. First-time users of this site can visit the ‘System Overview’ link (see top right corner of Figure 1.) and start initial exploration. Many folks will begin at
‘Personnel Directory.’ (See figure 2.) For this exercise, let us look at one soldier involved in the Andrews Raid of 1862, William Pittenger. First, select ‘Union Army’ from the dropbox shown in Fig. 2. Next, type ‘Pittenger’ into the last name field and ‘William’ in the ‘First Name’ field. You may need to experiment with various spellings if unsure; one can enter only a surname, and perhaps select a state, and then review the results. Continuing this example, after entering only the last and the first name of Pittenger, the results field appears as shown in Fig. 3. Another benefit of this site includes quick access to an overview of the unit’s assignments during the war. Selecting ‘OH 2nd Infantry’ for Pittenger netted this snapshot as shown in Fig. 4. Indeed, not a comprehensive accounting, but the information opens many trails for additional research. Please notice the helpful toolbar on the left of the screen.
June 2021
Fig. 3. Pittenger record.
Fig. 4. Regiment Assignments.
Fig. 5. Toolbar.
Fig. 6. Casualties.
Fig. 1. www.civilwardata.com.
Fig. 2. Personnel Directory.
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Fig. 7. Troop Strength.
Civil War News
June 2021