Regular army Enlistment Papers

ust because your ancestor served during peace time, that doesn't mean that there are no records available.  Most soldiers who served in the regular army will have enlistment papers on file at the National Archives.

These vary from year to year, but most of them will tell where the soldier was born, his age at enlistment, and a physical description of him.  If the soldier was a minor when he enlisted, one of his parents would have to give consent too.  

Many of the earliest ones were destroyed or lost, so these span the years of approximately 1815-1912.

Note:  If your soldier was in the Civil War, but was part of a state regiment (as in the 115th Ohio Infantry) as opposed to a US regiment (5th US Infantry), then his enlistment papers would be included in his compiled service records.

Terms and Conditions:

• You will receive full color images of the records, delivered electronically.  
• Please allow for 6-8 weeks at the most for delivery, but in many cases it will be shorter than that. 
• These are only available for soldiers from about 1815-1912.
• 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.
• Because of the time involved in searching through the enlistment papers, these are non-refundable, even if none are found.  In this case, you're paying for the search, regardless if there are papers on file for him or not.