One Of The Best Military Records In Genealogy Research

If you’re new to genealogy research, you may not be familiar with a CMSR…Compiled Military Service Record. These records can be some of the richest sources of information we can find on our ancestors.

In this blog post, you’ll learn what a CMSR contains and how to obtain it. I’ll also give an example from my family so you can see how valuable this can be.

What Is A CMSR?

A Compiled Military Service Record is one of the foundations of military records. It does cost money to acquire, but the amount of information it can offer is staggering.

Here are some things that may be included:

• Enlistment dates – find out when your ancestor joined the military and when they were discharged. Where they AWOL at any time?
• Ranks held – did your ancestor start as a private and work their way up in the ranks?
• Battles engaged in – discover what battles your ancestor was involved with. Was he a pivotal player?
• Personal details – these military records may be wonderful substitutes for other missing records, like marriage dates, full names and birth places.

A CMSR can highlight your ancestor’s military service, their sacrifices, achievements, and contributions to history. For anyone tracing their family history, these records serve as an invaluable key to that part of their life. Genealogy research is incomplete without discovering more about your ancestor’s military life.

Obtaining a CMSR

Here’s how you can obtain your ancestor’s CMSR:

1. National Archives: The National Archives is a primary repository for CMSRs, offering access to records spanning from the Revolutionary War to the Philippine Insurrection. Visit their website here or contact them directly to begin your search.
2. Online Resources: Several online databases provide access to digitized CMSRs. Websites like Fold3 and Ancestry.com may have extensive collections for you to explore.

According to the National Archives, “Beginning in the 1890s, the War Department created the Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) to document the military service of Volunteer soldiers. Transcribed from original muster and pay rolls, regimental returns, descriptive books, hospital rolls, and other records, the CMSRs were intended to permit more rapid and efficient checking of military and medical records in connection with claims for pensions and other veterans’ benefits.

The War Department initially created CMSRs for Union veterans of the Civil War and later expanded the records to include state Volunteers from other conflicts. As a result, the National Archives now holds CMSRs for Volunteer soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the Philippine Insurrection.”¹

My Family’s CMSRs

I have a CMSR for two ancestors, one on my mom’s side (John Dunahoo) and one on my dad’s (Andrew Bothell). John’s packet is taking a while to look through because it is over 100 pages long. Andrew’s is much shorter at 15 pages. He was the husband of Susanna Krewson, the couple I wrote about in this previous blog post.

Andrew’s record shows he was a Corporal in Company H, 138th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Infantry. He enlisted on 16 August 1862 in Yardleyville, Bucks County, PA; mustered in on 26 August 1862 in Harrisburg, PA; and mustered out on 23 June 1865 near Washington, D.C.

Wikipedia has an enlightening article documenting the battles this regiment participated in during their years of service. This included the Battle of Cold Harbor, a fight that occurred near Mechanicsville, Virginia from 31 May to 12 June 1864. I drive past this exit every week on my travels around Richmond, Virginia, and can’t imagine the horrors he witnessed.

This battle held particular significance in Andrew Bothel’s life as it was where he suffered his injury.

A musket ball injured Andrew on June 1st, 1864, and on June 6th he transferred from a field hospital to an Army hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. For a map showing Andrew’s unit’s position on that day, check out the image here.

Below is a hospital card detailing his battle wounds and vital information about his nearest relative…his wife Susanna Bothel who lived in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This card provides one more piece of evidence of their marriage.

His muster roll cards list him as a patient at a general hospital in Alexandria until January/February 1865 when he entered Haddington Hospital in Philadelphia. According to the website Civil War-Era Historical Sites in Philadelphia, the hospital occupied the Bull’s Head Tavern Building and accommodated around 200 beds. Andrew mustered out near Washington, D.C. in June 1865. The government owed him $14.06. At that point, he faced a trip home of over 150 miles to Newtown to rejoin his wife and children.

The National Archives lists medical records among the wonderful collections they have. That is where I will look next to see if they have anything further on Andrew.

Finally

As we research out ancestors, there are many free resources and some that come with a fee. We have to choose what we are willing to spend money on. Without a doubt, the information you can find in a CMSR is worth every penny. I look forward to ordering again for other ancestors.

13 Nov 2022 UPDATE – I wrote to NARA to see if they had hospital or medical records. Within the week they were kind enough to send me 4 hospital cards they had for Andrew. A musket ball severely wounded him on 1 June 1864, hitting his right hip. He had recovered enough to receive a furlough on 22 June 1864 and returned to duty on 24 March 1865, about 3 weeks before the end of the Civil War. Another takeaway from this…you won’t get what you don’t ask for…so ask!

Genealogy Tip: Take the time to transcribe all records, but especially CMSRs. It may seem tedious, but well worth it if you find that one nugget of information you need.

Do you need assistance with military records? Contact me and I’ll help you fill out that part of your ancestor’s story.

¹ National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/military/army/compiled-military-service-records: accessed 22 October 2022).

2 “Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Card Files, 1775-1916,” images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62200/images/3182_1784?pId=187135: accessed 31 October 2022), card for Andrew Bothel, image 2403 of 45794; citing Pennsylvania National Guard Veteran’s Card Files, 1867-1921, Series Number 19.135, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

³ Compiled service record, Andrew Bothel, Cpl., Co. H, Reg’t 138th PA Infantry; Carded Records, Civil War; Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

4 Ibid.