Miscellaneous Discharge Certificates, 1861-1866

About This Collection

Contains approximately thirty discharge certificates for recruits who served with federal (Army, Navy, and Marine Corps) or state (Pennsylvania Militia or National Guard) military units. Generally the documents give the names, ranks, birthplaces, ages (at enlistment), occupations, races, heights, and hair and eye colors, the dates and places where enlisted and discharged, the reasons for discharge, the terms of enlistment, and the branch of the service and unit to which each soldier was assigned. Some certificates were typed in the Twentieth Century, apparently to provide veterans with a service record for pension purposes. This collection is part of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs which is responsible for administering the Pennsylvania National Guard, and administers various programs of assistance to veterans.