How were dead soldiers identified during the Civil War?
There was only a very basic system to identify dead soldiers during the Civil War, mostly relying on identifications made by fellow soldiers. Because the soldiers had uniforms (blue for Yankees, grey for Confederates) and battles were usually conclusive, soldiers were identified by whatever uniform they were wearing and were usually assigned to their respective army. There were also truces to remove the dead, a practice that faded in the 20th century. Soldiers killed on the battlefield were often buried on the battlefield, and whatever information available about them was recorded along with the burial site. Sometimes the bodies were later moved. But often, because many soldiers wore no uniform or carried no identification, they were marked “unknown” when buried. The book “Soldier Dead,” by author Michael Sledge, goes into more detail. Information about burial of the dead following the Battle of Gettysburg can be found on the American Experience website at http://home.ptd.net/~nikki/gb
There was only a very basic system to identify dead soldiers during the Civil War, mostly relying on identifications made by fellow soldiers. Because the soldiers had uniforms (blue for Yankees, grey for Confederates) and battles were usually conclusive, soldiers were identified by whatever uniform they were wearing and were usually assigned to their respective army. There were also truces to remove the dead, a practice that faded in the 20th century. Soldiers killed on the battlefield were often buried on the battlefield, and whatever information available about them was recorded along with the burial site. Sometimes the bodies were later moved. But often, because many soldiers wore no uniform or carried no identification, they were marked “unknown” when buried. The book “Soldier Dead,” by author Michael Sledge, goes into more detail. Information about burial of the dead following the Battle of Gettysburg can be found on the American Experience website at http://home.ptd.net/~nikki/gb
