Civil War Grave Records: Finding Your Soldier Ancestors

The Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, claiming over 620,000 lives. Nearly every American family with roots before 1900 has a Civil War soldier somewhere in their tree. Finding that ancestor's grave can unlock a treasure trove of genealogical information — and connect you to one of the most defining chapters in US history.

The National Cemetery System: Created for Civil War Dead

The US National Cemetery System was established specifically to honor Civil War dead. By 1870, the government had created 73 national cemeteries containing the remains of over 300,000 Union soldiers. Confederate soldiers were initially excluded and buried in separate Confederate sections or private cemeteries.

The best-known Civil War national cemeteries include Arlington National Cemetery (VA), Gettysburg National Cemetery (PA), Antietam National Cemetery (MD), Shiloh National Cemetery (TN), and Vicksburg National Cemetery (MS). These are now fully indexed and searchable through the National Cemetery Administration.

Where to Search for Civil War Graves

• Soldiers' and Sailors' Database (nps.gov/civilwar) — The National Park Service maintains a database of 6.3 million Civil War soldiers. Search by name to find regiment, state, and sometimes burial location.
• Find A Grave / BillionGraves — Both have extensive Civil War sections with photos of headstones.
• GraveMapper — Search by surname combined with state or cemetery to find Civil War-era records in our indexed database.
• Fold3 (Ancestry) — The premier source for military records, including compiled service records, pension files, and burial cards.
• CWSS (Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System) — Free NPS database covering both Union and Confederate soldiers.

Confederate Burial Sites

Confederate soldiers were buried separately from Union soldiers, often in dedicated Confederate sections within existing municipal or church cemeteries. Major Confederate burial sites include:

• Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA — over 18,000 Confederate soldiers
• Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, NC — 2,800 Confederate dead including a 7-acre Confederate cemetery
• Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC — major repository for South Carolina Confederate soldiers
• Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, TN — Confederate Circle with 1,500 soldiers
• Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, GA — 6,900 Confederate soldiers

Civil War Pension Records: The Best Genealogical Source

If your ancestor survived the war, pension records are the richest genealogical source available. Union veterans who applied for pensions submitted detailed affidavits describing their service, wounds, and family circumstances. Widow's pension files often include marriage records, children's names and ages, and the veteran's burial location.

Confederate pension records are held by individual state archives. They vary significantly in completeness — Virginia and Tennessee have excellent records; others were lost or never fully compiled.

Unknown and Unidentified Civil War Graves

Approximately 40% of Union soldiers who died in the war were buried as “Unknown.” DNA identification programs have been slowly resolving some of these cases in recent decades. If your ancestor went missing during the war with no known burial, consider:

• Check the CWSS database for the last known engagement of the soldier's regiment
• Search the Andersonville prisoner-of-war cemetery records (many Northern soldiers died in captivity)
• Look for widow's pension applications that may describe the circumstances of death
• Contact the relevant state archives for muster rolls showing the soldier's last recorded status

Researching USCT Soldiers (African American Troops)

Nearly 180,000 African Americans served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT). Their service records and pension files are at the National Archives and are fully indexed in the Soldiers and Sailors Database. Many were buried in national cemeteries alongside white Union soldiers — a significant and often overlooked fact of Civil War burial history.

For more on finding African American Civil War ancestors, read our guide to African American genealogy and cemetery records.