How to Research the Life and Military Service of a Union Soldier

Bob Anstine, a Civil War News reader, recently emailed me about a carte de visite of a man in civilian dress identified as “Rev. W.C. Walker Late Chaplain 18th Reg. C.V.” Anstine went online to find more information about this soldier, and found hundreds of Civil War veterans with this surname. To complicate matters, he was unsure about the abbreviation “C.V.” He guessed it might signify “Confederate Volunteers,” Connecticut Volunteers,” or “Confederate Veterans.”

Anstine asked for help. My experience suggests that “C.V.” stands for Connecticut Volunteers. A search on Ancestry.com found William C. Walker of Andover, Connecticut, who served as a chaplain for the Eighteenth Connecticut Infantry. Rev. Walker survived the war, and died in 1886. Further searching indicates this is the only W.C. Walker who served as a chaplain in either army.

Anstine had another request: “It would be very instructive if you might be able to write an article on how you would go about researching a carte de visite such as mine.” An eleven-step research method, How to Research the Life and Military Service of a Union Soldier, is intended to help.

Give it a try, and please share your comments.