Title: Wisconsin. Adjutant General's Office, collector: Miscellaneous Records of Civil War Regiments
Inclusive Dates: 1861-1866, 1886

Creator:

• Wisconsin. Adjutant General's Office

Call Number: Series 1204

Quantity: 11.2 cubic feet (3 archives boxes, 17 flat boxes, and 6 volumes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Descriptive lists, order books, and other miscellaneous records of Wisconsin Civil War regiments, the majority of which thought to have been collected by the Adjutant General during the 1880s as part of that office's effort to correct and complete the records of individual Civil War soldiers. Regiments represented are the 10th Light Artillery; the 1st, 3rd, and 4th cavalry regiments; and the 1st-3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th-13th, 18th, 21st, 24th-26th, and 30th-31st infantry regiments. The majority of the series consists of company descriptive books and regimental and company order books, all of which are preprinted volumes supplied by the government. The order book kept by Captain Edgar A. Meacham of Company F of the Wisconsin is of special interest, for it documents the period when the company was on detached service at the Crow Creek Indian Agency in the Dakota Territory. This volume concerns troop movements, promotions, safeguarding and rationing of provisions, requests for medicine and citric acid for scurvy, payment for Indians, and passes to allow Dakota (Sioux) and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Indians to enter the agency store. Also present are records of James G. Knight, quartermaster of the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry, and records of J.E. Murta, surgeon of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-ser01204

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By military unit and thereunder by type of record.

The majority of the series consists of regimental and company descriptive books and company morning reports and order books. An informant in the Adjutant General's office described the company descriptive records as “field logs,” while the regimental descriptive books, the red and blue muster rolls, were described as “official records.” According to this informant, the field logs were compiled by officers in action (presumably at both the company and regimental level) and returned to the Adjutant General's office for verification. These volumes are thought to have been acquired by the Adjutant General during the 1880s as part of that office's effort to correct and complete the records of individual Civil War soldiers. (See, for example, the note inside the morning reports of Company E, 26th Infantry.) A few records (those marked Wis Mss ZZ) were probably donated directly to the Historical Society. (Additional records that are similar in appearance and function to the company descriptive books are scattered through the SHSW Manuscript holdings, especially Wis Mss S.)

The descriptive books contain summary information on members of the unit, including age; place of birth; physical description; information on discharge, death, and desertion; and some remarks on military service. (A few descriptive volumes designated with an asterisk (*) in the container list include specific birthdates for members.) The order books are handwritten copies of orders issued by or to the unit's commander. The order book kept by Captain Edgar A. Meacham of Company F of the 30th Wisconsin is of special interest, for it documents the period when the company was on detached service at the Crow Creek Indian Agency in the Dakota Territory. This volume concerns troop movements, promotions, safeguarding and rationing of provisions, requests for medicine and citric acid for scurvy, payment for Indians, and passes to allow Dakota (Sioux) and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Indians to enter the agency store.

Other types of records are also present occasionally: monthly morning reports of companies of troops absent or present; hospital records containing official letters and orders, certificates for disabilities and furloughs, and rolls of soldiers on duty in the hospital; and lists of final effects. The records of James G. Knight, quartermaster of the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry, consist of correspondence and many official forms such as invoices, subsistence accounts, abstracts of provisions, special requisitions, quarterly returns of hospital stores, and abstracts of issues to hospitals. The records of J.E. Murta, surgeon of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry, include vouchers for hospital and medical supplies, invoices, yearly and quarterly reports, muster-in rolls, inventories, and monthly statements of the hospital fund. (Photographs of Murta and members of the 8th Wisconsin have been separated to the Visual and Sound Archives). The 21st Wisconsin Infantry is also documented by a hospital record, 1862-1865, maintained by various surgeons assigned to the regiment. Included are copies of orders and correspondence, certificates of disability giving reasons for discharge and furlough, and lists of men assigned to extra duty in the hospital.

Acquisition Information

This series constitutes old series numbers 37/4/5/1 (Series 1204), 37/4/5/2 (Series 1205), 37/4/5/3 (Series 1206), 37/4/7/2 (Series 1209), 37/4/8/1 (Series 1211), 37/4/8/2-1 (Series 1214), 37/4/8/5 (Series 1216), part of 37/4/8/6 (Series 1217, 37/4/9/1 (Series 1218), 37/4/9/1-1 (Series 1219), 37/4/9/2 (Series 1220), 37/4/10 (Series 1221), 37/4/11/1 (Series 1222), 37/4/11/2 (Series 1223), 37/4/11/3 (Series 1224), 37/4/12 (Series 1225), 37/4/13/1 (Series 1226), 37/4/13/2 (Series 1227), 37/4/14 (Series 1228), 37/4/15/1 (Series 1229), 37/4/15/2 (Series 1230), 37/4/16/1 (Series 1231), 37/4/16/2 (Series 1232 37/4/16/3 (Series 1234), 37/4/16/4 (Series 1235), 37/4/16/5 (Series 1236), 37/4/17/1 (Series 1237), 37/4/17/2 (Series 1238), 37/4/18 (Series 1239), 37/4/19 (Series 1240), Series 1897, Series 1928, and Series 1929.

Series 1204 Box   1 Folder   1	10th Light Artillery, Morning reports, 1862 Note: Was Series 1238, 37/4/2; see also unidentified volume.
	1st Wisconsin Cavalry
Box   1 Folder   2	Company M, Morning reports, 1863-1864 Note: Was Series 1929.
	3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Note: Includes Series 1204-6, and 1897.
Box   1 Folder   3	Orders and circulars, 1861-1865 Note: Was Series 1897.
Box   1 Folder   4	Company B, Descriptive Book, 1861-1864 Note: Was 37/4/5/2.
	Company E
Box   2 Folder   1	Order book, 1864-1865 Note: Was 37/4/5/1.
Box   2 Folder   2-3	Descriptive books, 1861-1864 Note: Was 37/4/5/2.
Box   2 Folder   4	Morning reports, 1864-1865 Note: Was 37/4/5/3.
	Company G
Box   3 Folder   1	Order book, 1862-1864 Note: Was 37/4/5/1.
Box   3 Folder   2	Morning reports, 1864-1865 Note: Was Series 1929.
	Company I
Box   4 Folder   1	Order book, 1862-1864 Note: Was 37/4/5/1.
Box   4 Folder   2-4	Descriptive books (3), 1861-1865 Note: Was 37/4/5/2.
Box   5 Folder   1	Company K, Descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was 37/4/5/2.
	Company L
Box   5 Folder   2-3	Descriptive books, 1861-1865 Note: Was 37/4/5/2.
Box   5 Folder   4	Order book, 1861-1865 Note: Was 37/4/5/1.
Box   5 Folder   5	Morning reports, 1863-1865 Note: Was 37/4/5/3.
Box   6 Folder   1	4th Wisconsin Cavalry Morning reports, 1865-1866 Note: Was Series 1929.
	1st Wisconsin Infantry
Box   6 Folder   2	Company K, Descriptive book, 1861-1865 Note: Was Series 1209, 37/4/7/2.
	2nd Wisconsin Infantry
Box   7 Folder   1	Order book, 1861 Note: Was Series 1240, 37/4/19.
Volume   1	Regimental descriptive book, 1861-1864
Box   7 Folder   2	Company G, Morning reports, 1862-1863 Note: Was Series 1929
Box   7 Folder   2	Company H, Morning reports, 1862-1864 Note: Was Series 1929
	3rd Wisconsin Infantry
Box   7 Folder   3	General order book, 1861-1862, August Note: Was Series 1211, 37/4/8/1.
Volume   2	Regimental descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 192.
	Quartermaster's correspondence (James G. Knight) Note: Was Series 1216, 37/4/8/5.
Box   8 Folder   2-3	1861, September-December
Box   9	1862-1864
Box   7 Folder   4	Company A, Descriptive roll, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1214, 37/4/8/2-1.
Box   8 Folder   1	Company F, Clothing record, 1861-1862 Note: Was part of Series 1217, 37/4/8/6.
	5th Wisconsin Infantry
Box   10 Folder   1	Consolidated morning reports, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1929.
Volume   3	Regimental descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1218, 37/4/9/1.
	Company C
Box   10 Folder   2	Descriptive Book,* 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1928.
Box   10 Folder   3	Morning report, 1863-1864 Note: Was Series 1220, 37/4/9/2.
	Company D
Box   11 Folder   1	Morning reports, 1863 Note: Was Series 1929.
Box   11 Folder   2	Descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1929.
Box   11 Folder   3-4	Company E, Descriptive books, 1861-1864 Note: Was 37/4/9/1-1 and Series 1928.*
Box   12 Folder   1	Company I, Descriptive Book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1219, 37/4/9/1-1.
	Company K
Box   12 Folder   2	Descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1928.
Box   20	Clothing record, 1861 Note: See also Unidentified volume in Box 19.
Box   12 Folder   3	6th Wisconsin Infantry, Company D Descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1928.
	8th Wisconsin Infantry, Surgeon J.E. Murta's papers Note: Was Series 1221, 37/4/10.
Box   13 Folder   1-3	Reports, 1861-1865
Box   13 Folder   4	Pension, 1886
	9th Wisconsin Infantry
Volume   4	Regimental descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1929.
Box   14 Folder   1	Company D, Descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1928.
	10th Wisconsin Infantry
Volume   5	Regimental descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1929.
Box   14 Folder   2	General orders, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1224, 37/4/11/3.
Box   14 Folder   3	Company D, Descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1222, 37/4/11/1.
	Company E
Box   14 Folder   4	Descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1222, 37/4/11/1.
Box   14 Folder   5	Morning reports, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1223, 37/4/11/2.
Box   14 Folder   6	Company F, Morning reports, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1223, 37/4/11/2. See also Unidentified volume in Box 19.
Box   6 Folder   2	11th Wisconsin Infantry, Company B, Descriptive book (see 1st Wisconsin Infantry)
Volume   6	12th Wisconsin Infantry, Regimental descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1225, 37/4/12.
	13th Wisconsin Infantry
Box   15 Folder   1	Surgeon's morning reports, 1861-1863 Note: Was Series 1227, 37/4/13/2.
Box   15 Folder   2	Company G, Descriptive book, 1861-1865 Note: Was Series 1226, 37/4/13/1.
	18th Wisconsin Infantry
Box   16 Folder   1	Company F Descriptive book, 1861-1865 Note: Was Series 1228, 37/4/14.
Box   16 Folder   2	Company H Morning reports, 1862-1863 Note: Was Series 1929.
	21st Wisconsin Infantry
Box   16 Folder   3	Company G, Descriptive book, 1862-1865 Note: Was Series 1229, 37/4/15/1.
Box   16 Folder   4	Hospital records, 1862-1865 Note: Was Series 1230, 37/4/15/2.
Box   19 Folder   1	24th Wisconsin Infantry, Regimental descriptive book, 1861-1864 Note: Was Series 1928.
	25th Wisconsin Infantry
Box   17 Folder   1	Regimental descriptive book, 1862-1864 Note: Was Series 1236, 37/4/16/5.
Box   17 Folder   2	Roster of commissioned officers, 1862-1865 Note: Was Series 1231, 37/4/16/1.
Box   17 Folder   3	Post Guard reports, 1862-1863 Note: Was Series 1234, 37/4/16/3, Wis Mss ZZ.
Box   17 Folder   4	Tri-monthly morning reports, November-December 1864 Note: Was Series 1232, 37/4/16/2.
Box   17 Folder   5	Final statements and inventories of effects Note: Was Series 1235, 37/4/16/4.
	26th Wisconsin Infantry
Box   18 Folder   1	Company A, Morning reports, 1862-1864 Note: Was Series 1929.
Box   18 Folder   2	Company E, Morning reports, 1863-1864 Note: Was Series 1237, 37/4/17/1.
Box   18 Folder   3	Company H, Morning reports, 1862-1864, Note: Was Series 1929.
Box   18 Folder   4	30th Wisconsin Infantry, Company F, Crow Agency order book, 1863-1864 Note: Was Series 1239, 37/4/18.
Box   13 Folder   5	31st Wisconsin Infantry, Company G, Descriptive list, 1863
Box   19 Folder   2	Unidentified register containing miscellaneous pages for the 5th Wisconsin Infantry,* Companies D and I of the 10th Battery, Light Artillery