The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion

The Official Records of the War Of The Rebellion

THE
WAR OF THE REBELLION:
A COMPILATION OF THE
OFFICIAL RECORDS
OF THE
UNION AND CONFEDERATE ARMIES
PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR, BY
BVT. LIEUT. COL. ROBERT N. SCOTT, THIRD U.S. ARTILLERY
AND
PUBLISHED PURSUANT TO ACT OF CONGRESS
APPROVED JUNE 16, 1880.

WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1880

In the unlikely event that you are not familiar with the Official Records (ORs), they consist mainly of battle reports and there are literally thousands of them. It would be a physical impossibility for me to put them all on the internet. Therefore, This site contains selected after action reports of the Commanders in the field for major battles of the American Civil War and selected events that I felt were significant. Just click on the event/battle you're interested in.

Note: "Excerpts from the Army Official Records" are used by specific, restricted permission from Guild Press Emis Publishing, Zionsville, Indiana. Excerpts may not be copied from this site. You may order the CD ROM of the Official Records from Guildpress.com for the unbelievable low price of $69.95. In my opinion this is far and away the best deal anywhere for Civil War research. In the event you decide to purchase this CD I have developed a set of instructions that you might find useful when first starting your research using this great tool. Shotgun's Guild Press OR CD-ROM Tutorial

Event/Battle Name

Page Content

Preface The Preface to the Official Records.

Numbering System Because the numbering system on the Offical Records on this section of the website might confusing, conversion tables are provided

Antietam (Sharpsburg) Battle description with ORs.

Appomattox Brief battle description with ORs of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Lee's Last Order, and Grant/Lee Surrender Correspondence.

Atlanta Campaign Campaign Description with ORs.

Ball's Bluff Battle description with ORs.

Big Bethel Battle description with ORs.

Bull Run (1st Manassas) Battle description with ORs.

Bull Run (2nd Manassas) Battle description with ORs.

Baltimore Riot Brief description of the event plus a series of ORs written by those that were there.

Champion's Hill Battle description with ORs.

Chancellorsville Battle description with ORs.

Chattanooga Descriptions of actions at Brown's Ferry, Wauhatchie, and Missionary Ridge with ORs.

Chickamauga Battle description with ORs.

Cold Harbor Battle description with ORs.

Court-Martial of
Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter ORs of Charges and Specifications, Defense of the Accused, and Finding of the Court.

Court-Martial of
Henry Wirz OR of the Military Commission that tried Henry Wirz (Commandant of Andersonville). Contains charges and specifications, finding of the court and sentence.

Dranesville The "First Federal Victory South of the Potomac" in the War Between the States. ORs and Battle descriptions.

Fort Donelson Battle description with ORs and the Grant/Buckner Surrender Correspondence.

Fort Pillow Battle description with ORs.

Fort Sumter ORs of Confederate Correspondence and Maj. Robert Anderson.

Fredericksburg Battle description with ORs.

Gettysburg Battle description with ORs.

Hampton Roads
(Battle of the Ironclads) Battle description with ORs.

Jackson's Valley Campaign Campaign description with ORs.

Medical Directors Reports Various reports of some of the medical directors on both sides.

Miscellaneous Reports ORs of Lieut. Gen. U. S. Grant , Maj. John S. Mosby, Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus, Lincoln's meeting with Confederates at Hampton Roads.

Monocacy Battle description with ORs.

Nashville Battle description with ORs.

New Madrid and Island #10 Battle description with ORs.

New Market Battle description and ORs.

New York Draft Riots Description and ORs of military personnel involved.

Pea Ridge Battle description with ORs

Pilot Knob Battle description with ORs

Red River Campaign Campaign description with ORs.

Seven Days' Battles Battle description with ORs.

Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) Battle description with ORs

Spotsylvania Court House Battle description with ORs

Stones River (Murfreesboro) Battle description with ORs

The Wilderness Battle description with ORs

Vicksburg Battle description with ORs

Wilson's Creek Battle description with ORs

Costliest Battles of the Civil War A list of the ten costliest battles of the Civil War based on total casualties (killed, wounded, missing, and captured). These are not taken from the Official Records.

Loss in Engagements in the Civil War A chronological battle listing with statistics where the Union casualties were 500 or greater. Not from the Official Records but from Phisterer's "Statistical Record Of The Armies Of The United States"

Note: If you can't find what you are looking for on this page, try some of the "Links" on this page of my website :

Battles

This page last updated 03/20/06

Event/Battle Name	Page Content
Preface	The Preface to the Official Records.
Numbering System	Because the numbering system on the Offical Records on this section of the website might confusing, conversion tables are provided
Antietam (Sharpsburg)	Battle description with ORs.
Appomattox	Brief battle description with ORs of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Lee's Last Order, and Grant/Lee Surrender Correspondence.
Atlanta Campaign	Campaign Description with ORs.
Ball's Bluff	Battle description with ORs.
Big Bethel	Battle description with ORs.
Bull Run (1st Manassas)	Battle description with ORs.
Bull Run (2nd Manassas)	Battle description with ORs.
Baltimore Riot	Brief description of the event plus a series of ORs written by those that were there.
Champion's Hill	Battle description with ORs.
Chancellorsville	Battle description with ORs.
Chattanooga	Descriptions of actions at Brown's Ferry, Wauhatchie, and Missionary Ridge with ORs.
Chickamauga	Battle description with ORs.
Cold Harbor	Battle description with ORs.
Court-Martial of Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter	ORs of Charges and Specifications, Defense of the Accused, and Finding of the Court.
Court-Martial of Henry Wirz	OR of the Military Commission that tried Henry Wirz (Commandant of Andersonville). Contains charges and specifications, finding of the court and sentence.
Dranesville	The "First Federal Victory South of the Potomac" in the War Between the States. ORs and Battle descriptions.
Fort Donelson	Battle description with ORs and the Grant/Buckner Surrender Correspondence.
Fort Pillow	Battle description with ORs.
Fort Sumter	ORs of Confederate Correspondence and Maj. Robert Anderson.
Fredericksburg	Battle description with ORs.
Gettysburg	Battle description with ORs.
Hampton Roads (Battle of the Ironclads)	Battle description with ORs.
Jackson's Valley Campaign	Campaign description with ORs.
Medical Directors Reports	Various reports of some of the medical directors on both sides.
Miscellaneous Reports	ORs of Lieut. Gen. U. S. Grant , Maj. John S. Mosby, Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus, Lincoln's meeting with Confederates at Hampton Roads.
Monocacy	Battle description with ORs.
Nashville	Battle description with ORs.
New Madrid and Island #10	Battle description with ORs.
New Market	Battle description and ORs.
New York Draft Riots	Description and ORs of military personnel involved.
Pea Ridge	Battle description with ORs
Pilot Knob	Battle description with ORs
Red River Campaign	Campaign description with ORs.
Seven Days' Battles	Battle description with ORs.
Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing)	Battle description with ORs
Spotsylvania Court House	Battle description with ORs
Stones River (Murfreesboro)	Battle description with ORs
The Wilderness	Battle description with ORs
Vicksburg	Battle description with ORs
Wilson's Creek	Battle description with ORs

Costliest Battles of the Civil War	A list of the ten costliest battles of the Civil War based on total casualties (killed, wounded, missing, and captured). These are not taken from the Official Records.
Loss in Engagements in the Civil War	A chronological battle listing with statistics where the Union casualties were 500 or greater. Not from the Official Records but from Phisterer's "Statistical Record Of The Armies Of The United States"