First Guide to Civil War Genealogy and Research

The years 2011 through 2015 mark the Sesquicentennial (150th) Anniversary of the great American Civil War. This historic event will generate a renewed interest in "all things Civil War" and now is a good time to research and learn about your Civil War ancestors.

If any of your ancestors were living in America at the time of the Civil War, chances are very good that your great grandfather or great great-grandfather (you have eight of them) was one of the 3.5 million soldiers who fought for either the North or South. If this is the case, the good news is that there probably is a wealth of information about your Civil War Confederate or Union ancestor and his military unit waiting for you in some dusty archive. And, getting your own copy of these records is as easy as going online to the Web sites listed in this book.

This book gives you the information needed for your own Confederate or Union Civil War genealogical research. Chapter 2 provides a "Quick Start" method using the Internet to get you started on your research with a minimum effort. Other chapters explain how and where (Web sites and addresses are provided) to get information about your ancestors from the National Archives, State Archives, the census records, the Internet, local libraries and many other sources. This book also provides background information on the Civil War and how military units were raised and organized.

Gerald Post became interested the Civil War after inheriting his great grandfather's Civil War diary which he published, The Civil War Diary and Biography of George W. Bailey. Gerald is a Civil War re-enactor with an Artillery Unit and appeared in the movie Gettysburg. He graduated from Western Michigan University, has an Electrical Engineering Certificate from Michigan State University and a MBA from Western Connecticut University