Missouri State Archives
Missouri's Union Provost Marshal Papers: 1861 - 1866
Records of the Provost Marshal
The Provost Marshal Papers for the state of Missouri are part of Record Group 109, War Department Collection of Confederate Records in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Although they are records of the Union Army, they were associated with Confederate records in the War Department because they relate, in part, to Confederate citizens and sympathizers. The National Archives refers to this collection as Union Provost Marshals’ File of Papers Relating to Individual Citizens. This national collection is three hundred rolls of microfilmed documents, 1861-1866. The online database created by the Missouri State Archives is an index of the Missouri portion of the collection.
There are similar documents that refer to more than one citizen, Union Provost Marshals’ File of Papers Relating to Two or More Civilians. On the 94 rolls of this microfilm publication are reproduced a series of documents dated 1861 to 1867, each of which pertains to two or more civilians. The series was assembled in the War Department from documents that were extracted from the files of the Union Army provost marshals and from other records of Army territorial commands. The documents here reproduced relate to civilians, or “citizens,” as they were called during the Civil War, who came in contact with the Army.. They included correspondence, provost court papers, lists of prisoners, orders, passes, paroles, oaths of allegiance, transportation permits, and claims for compensation for property used or destroyed by military forces.
The microfilm collection contains thousands of pages of documents detailing the way the provost marshal affected the lives of Missouri citizens who came into contact with the Union Army. The office of provost marshal generated much paperwork which offers a unique look at a state divided in loyalty and beliefs, and the war society that resulted. Far from being solely a resource for military research, the provost marshal papers provide information about the role of women during the war, its effect on Missouri’s slavery institution, and the difficulties experienced by war refugees.
The documents on film include correspondence, provost marshal court papers, orders, passes, paroles, oaths of allegiance to the United States, transportation permits, and claims for compensation for property used or destroyed by military forces. Charges could be initiated by anyone, civilian or military. Statements by accusers or witnesses were taken down as evidence; citizens could be arrested, however, simply on suspicion.
More info...
• History of the Provost Marshal
• Provost Marshal Database Index Project
• Sample Provost Marshal records
If you have questions or comments about these records please contact the Missouri State Archives at archref@sos.mo.gov.
Using the Provost Marshal Database Index
The database index can be searched by name, county, and subject. Place names and dates were not readily identifiable for a small percentage of the county, city, and date fields. The results that are returned from the search are:
- name (be alert to alternate spellings of proper names)
- subject (subjective main topic phrase assigned by indexer)
- county (name of Missouri county)
- city (name of Missouri town/city)
- date
- reel number (State Archives microfilm reel number)
Please note this database is simply an index to assist researchers in locating information found in the original microfilmed records. The database index provides a microfilm reel number(s) where researchers can locate the original record. The records are not available online. This is an ongoing indexing project. Additional indexes will be added to the database as they become available. To request copies of records, please email the citation for the record you want to the Missouri State Archives at archref@sos.mo.gov. The record will be located, the number of pages counted, and you will be notified by email of the cost of the copies. Upon receipt of a check, the copies will be made and mailed to you.