The Mississippi in the Civil War Message Board

Military Records
In Response To: Re: PFD ()

Military paper work is tedious in its creation and worthless in its overall worth. The mountains of paperwork in the U.S. Military is and was only created for the purpose of CYA, treated as a pencil whipping drill by some regulation requiring it or, on those rare occasions, useful in historical references. The accuracy of military record keeping is highly questionable since the bulk of if was only created to be used against someone in some legal military since. Much of it is destroyed to save room for storing it within a year. Most documents that are saved is most likely by accident or because military regulations require it be saved for some length of time.

I doubt any historian could trace one one hundreth of the receipts, equipment issue forms, pay stubs, travel pay vouchers, qualifications, inspections, watches, guard duties, leaves, transfers, or special duties that I was ever involved in my military career. About the only thing a historian would learn about my career is when and were I was stationed, and what awards and education I recieved. Their is no record of my experiences. I know that if I did not save any of it, only the extreme highlights of my military career would be archived in the Military Records archives or, as its happened many times in my career and retirement, lost (especially dispersing/pay records). It is up to the individual military member to save every record, form, letter, message, certificate, etc. if he or she wants it for their history, and even then, most of their career is not documented anyway.

From my time in service, and it was no different in the Civil War, I know most day-to-day military history is never recorded or archived, only the humdrum like logbooks. Many officers bend the rules to fit their environment, and the most abused regulations were that by the Quartermaster or Supply Corps. How a combat unit operates and looks in the field is nothing like what the I.G. inspectors usually write about. I.G. inspections are used as a tool to keep units squared away and remind them their being watched. Just to pass the dreaded I.G. inspection many commanders will hide the 'unauthorized and irregular' and only show the regulation side of their command.

Ask any living veteran of any U.S. war if historians can learn how he or she operated in combat by the paperwork submitted to the Department of Defense and I bet you'll resounding no.

I'm not saying the records kept in the National Archives are useless, but they are a very, very small window into the day-to-day life of any Confederate military unit.

____________________
David Upton

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