War of 1812
Military Records
at the National Archives

When the United States declared war against Great Britain in 1812, Congress authorized the President to increase the size of the Regular Military Establishment, to accept and organize volunteers, to raise units of Rangers and Sea Fencibles, and to create a Flotilla Service. The Ranger units were raised for the protection of the frontier along the Mississippi River and adjacent States. The Sea Fencibles was the first organization of the U. S. Army charged exclusively with coastal defense. With the Flotilla Service, the Sea Fencibles protected ports, habors and the coast.

Many of the War of 1812 volunteer units were mustered into service for short periods (30, 60, 90, and 120 days, and 6, 9 and 12 months.) Consequently, many people served more than one enlistment. There may be two or more records for the same soldier.

The Compiled service records consist of a card or cards containing information abstracted from original records such as muster rolls, returns, and medical and prison registers. The records usually show a soldier?s presence or absence on certain dates, his rank and military organization, and the term of his service. Sometimes they list the age, place of enlistment, place of birth and may even provide a physical description. These records are valuable for proving military service.

Pension files often contain a wealth of genealogical information and may include the original pension application, affidavits from friends, family, and other members of his regiment, along with medical and service records, and copies of marriage and death certificates. All pensions granted to veterans of the War of 1812 and their surviving dependents before 1871 were based exclusively on service-connected death or disability.

10% DISCOUNT ON FIRST ORDER

Compiled Service Records: $21.95

This search requires the full name of the soldier and his regiment or unit designation. Birth date, birthplace and name of spouse may be helpful if known. You will receive a copy of the complete service record. The price includes 20 copies, which is usually more than sufficient for a compiled service record. Additional copies, if required, will be billed at 25 cents per copy.

Pension Record: $42.95

This search requires the full name of the soldier and his regiment or unit designation. Birth date, birthplace, name of spouse, name of children and date of death may be helpful if known. You will receive a copy of the complete pension file. The price includes copies of the first 75 pages, which is usually more than sufficient to copy a pension file. Additional copies, if required, will be billed at 25 cents per copy.

*If regiment is not known, we can conduct a search of the indexes to try and identify his regiment for an additional fee. Contact us for more information.

A shipping and handling charge of $2.00 will be added to all requests for Compiled Service Records. Pension records are shipped by insured Priority Mail and require a shipping and handling charge of $6.50.

We accept payment by check or money order and accept credit cards via PayPal. Orders can be E-mailed or faxed to our toll-free number (877) 794-6734. We will contact you within 48 yours with an estimate of time and cost.

We look forward to assisting you with your War of 1812 research requests. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need additional information.