U.S., Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1784-1811

This database contains an index and images of compiled service records (CSRs) for volunteer soldiers who served the United States government in the interim between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

History behind the Records

As the Revolutionary War wound down, so did America’s armed forces. Legislation passed by Congress in 1790 called for a maximum enlistment of 1,216 regular troops in the Regular Army of the United States. The federal government could raise additional levies for up to six-months’ duty or call on state or territorial militia troops when a larger force was required. The CSRs in this database include volunteer soldiers from the Regular Army, levies, and militia who served the federal government in Indian campaigns and other federal military actions.

Compiled Service Records

Compiled service records consist of cards that record information extracted by the Adjutant General’s office about a soldier from muster rolls, payrolls, receipts rolls, returns, and other lists. A few may also include personal papers. A new card was created each time a soldier’s name appeared on a new document, and a typical CSR will include an envelope that lists a soldier’s name, rank, unit, and card numbers, followed by the cards and documents.

On the cards you’ll find details such as name, rank, unit, dates called into service and discharged, date and place where the roll was taken, pay periods, pay rate, pay due or received, and other details that can help you track your ancestor’s federal military service.

For more information about these records, consult NARA publication M905, “Compiled Service Record of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served from 1784 to 1811,” which was the source for much of this description.