U.S. Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775-1783

Source Information

This database contains Compiled Military Service Records for the following individuals who served in the American Revolutionary War:

• Regular soldiers of the Continental Army


• Militia, volunteers, and others who served with the Continental Army (the combined forces was known as the American Army)


• Naval personnel


• Members of the Quartermaster General Department


• Members of the Commissary of Military Stores Department

The Compiled Service Records consist of a jacket-envelope for each individual, labeled with their name, rank, and unit or special corps in which they served. The jacket-envelope contains card abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in original records such as muster rolls; payrolls; rank rolls; inspection, provision, and clothing returns; receipts for pay and bounty; accounts for subsistence, pay, rations, clothing, and ordnance; abstracts of muster and pay rolls; and correspondence.

These records also include jacket-envelopes (similar to those used for the soldiers) containing caption cards for muster rolls, payrolls, and other records. The cards show the exact captions of documents that were copied for each organization and the certificates of officers verifying the accuracy of the records.

The above information was taken from the Descriptive Pamphlets or Introductions of National Archives Microfilm Publications M880 and M881, National Archives, Washington, D.C. For additional information about these microfilm collections please consult these publications.