Texas, U.S., Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900

This database contains index cards with details extracted from various rolls related to Texas military units.

What You’ll Find in This Database

This database includes images of approximately 170,000 index cards containing details extracted from muster rolls and other documents relating to Texas military units. These units include Confederate (both Texas State Troops and CSA units) and Union soldiers from the Civil War, Minute Men, Texas Rangers, Republic Rangers, Texas Navy, Texas Volunteer Guard, and soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War. Documents indexed include muster rolls, payrolls, rosters, returns, and even some election returns.

What You Can Find in the Records

Details extracted vary according to the original document. They may be as simple as a sailor’s name and ship, or they may be more extensive and include some of the following facts:

• name
• enlistment details
• rank
• commanding officer (name and rank)
• unit or organization
• discharge data
• description
• remarks
• payments: pay, bounty, allowances, etc.

Additional Details from TSLAC

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) provides the following description of the “Confederate” and Union records in this collection:

“The ‘Confederate’ military rolls consist of muster rolls, payrolls, rosters, returns, and election returns, of approximately 1,500 companies of both Texas State Troops (including Rangers) and the Confederate States Army, stationed in Texas during the Civil War, dating 1861–1865. The term "Confederate" is used in the title only to distinguish this series from the Union military rolls; the series includes Texas State Troops units, which are distinct from units of the Confederate States Army. Almost all of these rolls were abstracted (early in the 20th century) onto 3-by-5 inch index cards located in the Texas State Archives' search room, giving all of the information that is found on the roll itself. …

“The Army of the United States (or Union) military rolls consist of 29 rolls, from 24 captains plus 4 colonels, plus one volume of official copies from the U. S. War Department (1865), of Union troops stationed in or near Texas immediately before and during the Civil War, dating 1860–1861 and 1864–1865. The rolls from 1860–1861 and 1864 are mainly of the 2nd Regiment of Texas Cavalry; those from 1865 are from 1st Regiment of Texas Cavalry (San Antonio) and the 2nd Regiment of Texas Cavalry (Brownsville).”