"The Basics" Full Civil War Pension File and Compiled Service Records

The two most commonly requested records for Civil War soldiers are the full pension file and the compiled military service records. 

The pensions usually tell information about his service in the war, his life after the war, and details about his family. They are usually between 50-100 pages long. 

The compiled military service records will tell if a soldier was transferred, promoted, deserted, killed, taken prisoner, etc. If his enlistment papers still exist, they’d be in this file as well.

Please note:  Service records for the following states are on Fold3.com and the National Archives online catalog, so they are not available to be ordered here.  If the state you are looking for is on this list, please DO NOT order this set.  You'll need to order the pension here, without the service records.  

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Dakota Territory, Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and all of the US Colored Troops

Details & Terms

• You will receive full color images of the records, delivered electronically via.  
• We average about three to four weeks on most orders, but please allow up to eight weeks, just in case.
• These are only available for Union soldiers.
• Please be sure you submit the correct details.  We're not responsible if you order the wrong soldier.  If you have a Civil War ancestor, but you're not sure what's available to order, click here and we can help you start the process.   
• Pension files larger than 250 pages may be subject to an additional charge 
• There are a small number of pension files that are stored in other locations outside of Washington DC.  We aren't able to access those, but can issue a refund or switch out for another soldier if that's the case.

Please input the pension file numbers (from the pension index card) OR upload a copy of the pension index card when ordering.  These are searchable on Ancestry.com's Civil War Pension Index. 

Note:   Not every soldier has a pension file, so please DO NOT order a pension file if you don't have the pension index card.   If you're not sure if there is a pension index card available, contact us first and we'll help you find out. Thanks!