U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865

Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

• Selected Records of the War Department Commissary General of Prisoners Relating to Federal Prisoners of War Confined at Andersonville, GA, 1864-65; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1303, 6 rolls); Records of the Commissary General of Prisoners, Record Group 249; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M598, 145 rolls); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, Record Group 109; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

About U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865

This database contains records relating to Civil War Prisoners of War (POW). The database is comprised of four National Archives (NARA) microfilm series (M1303, M598, M2702, and M918).

Microfilm series M1303 contains records relating to Federal or Union POWs that were held by Confederate authorities at Camp Sumter, Andersonville, Georgia between February 1864 and April 1865. Records contained in this series include:

• Register of departures of prisoners from Andersonville
  
• Register of admittances to the prison hospital (original and copy)
  
• Register of prisoners confined at the prison hospital
  
• Register of prisoners’ deaths and burials (original and copy)
  
• Burial lists of prisoners
  
• Lists of prisoners claiming reimbursement for money taken from them by Confederate authorities
  
• Consolidated monthly strength reports of prisoners (original and copy)
  
• Series of provision returns of the prison hospital
  
• Name index to the original hospital register of admittances
  
• Partial name index to one of the burial lists
  

Microfilm series M598 contains records relating to Confederate POWs that were held by Federal authorities at various prisons and stations from 1861 to 1865 (with a few records from 1866). These records are arranged in three sections: (1) records of POWs and political prisoners with no specific prison or place of confinement, (2) records of individual prisons and stations, and (3) records of several prisons. Records contained in this series include:

• Registers of prisoners
  
• Registers of deaths of prisoners
  
• Registers of prisoners’ applications for release and decisions
  
• Descriptive lists of prisoners and deserters
  
• Register of prisoners ordered to be released
  
• Register of applications made for release of prisoners
  
• Register of unclaimed money and valuables belonging to prisoners
  
• Register of the effects of deceased prisoners
  
• Permits granted by the Commissary General of Prisoners for clothing for the prisoners
  
• Lists of prison camp records received
  
• Letters sent and received
  
• Numeric report of prisoners received, transferred, paroled, released, and deceased
  
• Register of Confederate and Federal soldiers and civilians sentenced
  
• Register of prisoners discharged and released
  
• Register of prisoners transferred and escaped
  
• Morning reports of prisoners
  
• Ledgers of prisoners’ accounts
  

Microfilm series M2072 contains lists of Confederate soldiers who were captured at Vicksburg, Mississippi on 4 July 1863. These records are arranged alphabetically by the name of the state each unit was from, then by type of unit, regiment number, and company.

Microfilm series M918 contains a register of Confederate soldiers, sailors, and citizens who died in Federal prisons and military hospitals in the North between 1861 and 1865. The register is generally organized alphabetically by name of prison or hospital and then alphabetically by name of the deceased.

What Information can I Find in these Records?

The amount and type of information available for an individual will vary according to record types and forms. Each individual’s name has been indexed and is searchable in this database. However, additional information such as their rank, company, regiment, state where from, or date of death may be listed on the original document and may be found by viewing the image.

Updates:
27 Jul 2020: Fields that were not previously keyed, were keyed and added to the collection. The newly added fields may include admission or entry date, name of prison or hospital, location of prison or hospital, date and place of capture, rank, regiment, company and state, date of death, exchange, parole, or release, and location of grave. No new records were added.