Introduction to the Compiled Service Records
of McRae's Battalion North Carolina Cavalry

The compiled service records for the soldiers who served in McRae's Battalion North Carolina Cavalry are abstracts from Record Group 109, Microcopy 270, microfilm roll 46. These records are located at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. Other official and unofficial sources, including but not limited to family histories, county histories, cemetery records, county records and pension application files at the North Carolina De- partment of Archives and History, Raleigh, North Carolina supplemented the roster.

Each service record is arranged with name, rank, company, details of his service record. This is followed by civilian information, beginning with birth date, location, if known, antebellum census information, including occupation, post war residences, date and place of death and location of grave if known. All men were privates unless otherwise stated. Highlights of each soldier's career are presented to include date and place of enlistment, periods of sickness, wounds, death, capture, incarceration, and physical description. Dates are transcribed numerically month, day and year. All dates are in the 19th century, unless otherwise indicated.

Since the muster rolls for McRae's Battalion North Carolina Cavalry, as well as most other Confederate units are not complete, supplemental sources seem to be crucial in determining a complete listing of the McRae's soldiers. Consultation with pension files at the North Carolina Department of Archives and History, in Raleigh, North Carolina. These files are obviously not entirely accurate, usually due to failing memory in old age or widows who never knew the truth of the situation, but often add valuable data to the roster. Spellings found in these various sources are not consistent. Every effort has been made to include everyone who should be listed, and to avoid duplications; however, this effort may not have been entirely successful.

Discrepancies are found in even the official compiled service records. These problems arise from several contemporary organizational problems. Communications were not always efficient. It is entirely possible that a soldier was listed as AWOL or as a deserter, when, in fact, he had been captured, was wounded in the hospital, was sick, or was on detached service somewhere away from the main body of the regiment and the clerk preparing the roster was unaware of the fact.