This is the way the U.S. War Department handled Confederate papers referencing more than one soldier. The original paper would be filed in under the name of the first soldier listed. Reference cards would be placed in service files of other soldiers named on the paper.

Obviously blank cards were printed for company rolls and other similar records, such as regimental returns, nominal casualty lists, hospital returns and prisoner-of-war records. Papers which were not "carded" usually are discharges which might list two, three or more soldiers with their descriptive lists. I don't know the cut-off limit used by the War Department.