What is the Civil War Roster Project?
The Civil War Roster Project is an ongoing effort to illuminate the service record of each individual from North Carolina who served in the American Civil War, for both the United States and the Confederacy, and to detail the story of the conflict in North Carolina. While current volumes focus on the Confederate Army and Navy, future volumes will explore the United States units organized in North Carolina.
With twenty-two volumes currently published, North Carolina, A Roster: 1861-1865 is an on-going series which offers a comprehensive list of the North Carolinians who served in the American Civil War. In 1961 the Office of Archives and History and the North Carolina Centennial Commission established this project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American Civil War. From its inception, the series has been dedicated to documenting the American Civil War service of all North Carolinians. This includes people who served in United States and Confederate armed forces. When the North Carolina Centennial Commission ended in 1965, the Office of Archives and History continued the Roster Project - first as part of the State Archives, then, in 1970, as part of the Historic Publications Office, and finally, in 2014, as part of the merged Historical Research and Publications Section.
The first twenty-two volumes focus on Confederate service. Twenty-one of those volumes detail the service of individuals in North Carolina’s Confederate army troops (including artillery and cavalry). Volume twenty-two lists the service of North Carolinians in the Confederate Navy, including marines and Charlotte Naval Yard workers.
Each published volume contains both a narrative overview and a roster of individuals. Readers will find these rosters ordered alphabetically by battalion or, for the navy, service branch. Volume twenty, however, organizes North Carolina generals and staff in their own alphabetical lists. If readers face any difficulty locating a specific individual, please refer to our index in the resources tab.
North Carolina, A Roster is now beginning Series Two. This new series shifts its attention to documenting the people of North Carolina, African American and White, who served in the United States Army and Navy. Currently in production, volume one focuses on the United States Navy. The volume will be comprised of a comprehensive narrative of naval service in and around North Carolina, and an alphabetical listing of individuals by surname with their service record. The ensuing volumes will focus on service records and unit histories of the United States Colored Troops – infantry, artillery, and cavalry. The final volumes of Series Two will be comprised of the service records and unit histories of the North Carolina Union Volunteers (White) and Mounted Infantry units. These volumes will also include those people who “Galvanized” – took the Oath of Allegiance and went from being a prisoner of war to serving in the United States Army/Navy.
Future projects may also include an addendum to the series. This addendum will offer new information that has been gathered since the initial publication of a person’s service record. Given the on-going nature of this project, the Historical Publications staff accepts submissions of reliable information regarding a North Carolina soldier/sailor in the American Civil War. Examples of valuable information include:
• a soldier/sailor's full name,
• birth and death date,
• place of residence and
• any information relating to their service in the war.
Please note that we can only include information in our series we deem to be reliable. If you are so fortunate as to have an original document relating to someone’s service in the American Civil War, such as a letter or diary or official document, we would appreciate it if you would contact the Historical Research and Publications staff. If you have research on an individual or company’s service, please contact the Historical Research and Publications staff and include a detailed bibliography of sources. By sharing with us, you can contribute to North Carolina history!
Contact the Roster Project:
Chris Meekins - Editor, Civil War Roster Project
919-814-6624
Carly Beehler – Editor, Civil War Roster Project
Search by name: The index here includes all roster entries through Volume 21. The index is alphabetical by last name and can be searched using the search function of your computer’s PDF reader. Entries in this document show an individual’s name with publication information in this format: Last Name, First Name: Volume: Page.
Search by County: The index here will assist researchers looking to compile a listing of men who served from a particular county. Under each county is listed the regiments and companies of service and the North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster volume where information on those regiments and companies can be found. The index is listed alphabetical by county.
The Civil War Roster is available for purchase through UNC Press. Use the links below to navigate to each volume.
