A Guide to Tennessee Civil War Research

Rather than focusing on the big picture,
this book helps you look for a very small cog in the wheel,
regular people, with ordinary problems and concerns,
who found themselves swept into the vortex
of war in their own homes.

 

With all the many hundreds of books on the Civil War coming out every year and thousands now available on line, the challenge for the non-professional Civil War researcher is to zero in on the relevant material that will aid in your research.

John Rigdon, a professional Civil War researcher, and author of dozens of Civil War books has finally authored a volume that will aid your research in Tennessee. The book is 180 pages in length and it will open up the universe of materials available to you in a way never shown before.

CONTENTS

Getting Started

Finding a Name - How to find the name of your ancestor who fought in the war.

A Word About Troop Organization - What does regiment, company, battalion, squadron, army, corps, and battery mean and why should I care?

A Mini Course on How To Do Research

Off Line Resources for Research - General reference material for researching both the war in Tennessee and Tennessee troops who fought in Virginia and in the west.

Military Service Records - An introduction to the holdings in the National and State archives and how to access the finding aids on line.

Veteran Records - Pension records, the United Confederate Veterans, the 1890 Veterans Census, Confederate Veteran Magazine and other resources.

Library Research Tools - Bibliographies, how to effectively utilize the Library of Congress classifications and numbers to browse a library shelf virtually. How to use Inter Library Loan.

On Line Research Tools - An introduction and overview of the on line resources.

Tennessee Research Volumes - The most comprehensive bibliography ever compiled by regiment of histories, diaries and journals of Tennessee troops. This section lists each of the artillery, cavalry, and infantry units formed in Tennessee with cross references to the first hand accounts, diaries, journals, and regimental histories written on the unit.

Formation of Counties in Tennessee

County Cross Reference - Showing what units were formed in each county.

EXAMPLE:
HARDIN COUNTY:

1st Confederate Cavalry Regiment
21st Reg. Cavalry (Wilsons)
Newsomes Cavalry
1st Infantry Regiment (Fields)
34th Infantry Regiment

Local Designations of Tennessee Troops - Cross referencing local names to the unit and company in which they served.

EXAMPLE:
Gadsden Spartans (Company I, 6th Tennessee Infantry.)
Gaines Invincibles (Company G, 13th Tennessee Infantry.)
Gayoso Guards (Company A, 1st Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi Infantry.)
Gotten Zouaves (Company B, afterward D, 6th Tennessee Infantry.)

Battles Fought in Tennessee - The major battles identified by campaign with links to on-line resources.

Mr. Rigdon has spent over 25 years researching and organizing these materials and this book truly represents a lifetime of achievement in the field of Tennessee Civil War research.