NATF 86 National Archives Order for Copies of Military Service R

OMB Control No. 3095-0027 Expires 01-31-2011

NATIONAL ARCHIVES ORDER FOR COPIES OF MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS

Expedite your order; submit it online at

eservices.archives.gov/orderonline

We receive orders more quickly when you submit them online. We will send you an email confirming that we have your request and you will be able to track the order online at no additional cost.

If you wish to order by mail please read these ordering instructions and the general information about the types of records that can be ordered with this form. Mail order photocopying service by using this form is available ONLY from Old Military and Civil Records (NWCTB-Military), Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001. For more information, please write to us at the address above.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ORDER

DO NOT use this form for any request relating to post-1912 military service in World War I or II, or subsequent service. Write to: National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132-5100.

For additional information about these later records, visit eVetrecs at www.archives.gov/veterans.

Military service records rarely contain family information. Federal pension files may be requested on NATF Form 85. Pension application files generally are most useful to those who are doing genealogical research and contain the most complete information regarding a soldier's military career. We suggest that you first request copies of a soldier's pension file. You should request copies of a bounty-land warrant file or a military record only when no pension file exists. If the veteran's service was during the Revolutionary War, bounty-land warrant applications have been consolidated with pension application papers. You can obtain both files by requesting the pension file only. We will copy complete compiled military service and bounty-land application files. More information about the availability of records pertaining to military service or family histories may be found in our free genealogical information leaflets and forms. You may request these, as well as order additional copies of this form, online at www.archives.gov/contact or by writing to: Old Military and Civil Records (NWCTB), Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001. Electronic versions of this and other forms are available on the NARA website, www.archives.gov. To assist you in your research, relevant reference books, catalogs and pamphlets are available for purchase online at estore.archives.gov.

The success of our search depends on the completeness and accuracy of the information you provide in blocks 1-13 on this form. Please note that each NATF Form 86 is handled separately. When you send more than one form at a time, you may not receive all of your replies at the same time.

USE NATF FORM 85 TO OBTAIN COPIES OF

FEDERAL PENSION AND BOUNTY LAND WARRANT APPLICATIONS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THIS FORM

Use a separate NATF Form 86 for each file that you request. You must complete blocks 1 – 6 or we cannot search for the file. Print your name (last, first, MI) and address in the box provided at the bottom of the form. This serves as your mailing label. We destroy requests without return addresses. All information must be legible. If you wish to pay by credit card, please enter the Card Validation Code in the space provided on the form. For Master Card, Visa and Discover, this is a three digit code found on the back of the card. For American Express this is a four digit code printed on the front of the card. When we search your order, we will make photocopies of records that relate to your request. For credit card orders, we will mail the copies immediately. We accept MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover credit cards. For non-credit card orders, DO NOT SEND PAYMENT WITH THIS FORM. Instead, we will mail an invoice with your copies. Payment is due upon receipt. Make a copy of the completed form for your records. Mail it to: Old Military and Civil Records (NWCTB - Military), Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001. Please allow 60 to 90 days for processing your order. You will receive a postcard acknowledging receipt of your order and providing our tracking number. You can track the status of your order at our website, eservices.archives.gov/orderonline. Do not use this form to request certified copies of records. To request certified copies contact us at www.archives.gov/contact or write to the above address. You may also request our free genealogical information leaflets with more information about the availability of records pertaining to military service or family histories and additional forms by using the same contact information.

TYPES OF RECORDS THAT CAN BE ORDERED WITH THIS FORM

ARMY SERVICE RECORDS

Military service records are based on service in the UNITED STATES ARMY (officers who served before June 30, 1917, and enlisted men who served before October 31, 1912) and CONFEDERATE ARMED FORCES (officers and enlisted men, 1861-65). In addition to persons who served in regular forces raised by the Federal Government, volunteers fought in various wars chiefly in the Federal Government's interest from the Revolutionary War through the Philippine Insurrection, 1775-1902.

Compilations of information concerning Army service in volunteer organizations during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are available. Such records were not compiled for Regular Army officers who served before 1863 and for Regular Army enlisted men who served during most of the nineteenth century. Records pertaining to that service tend to be limited. We will copy those records which pertain to the soldier in question that can be retrieved by name. This will not represent all of the information scattered among a variety of records. We are not able to undertake the research required to locate all such documents.

The record of an individual's service in any one organization is entirely separate from his record of service in another organization. We are unable to establish accurately the identity of individuals of the same name who served in different organizations. If you know that an individual served in more than one organization and you desire copies of all of the military service records, submit a separate form for the service record in each organization.

Discharge certificates are not usually included as a part of a compiled military service record. Before 1944, Army regulations allowed the preparation of an original discharge certificate only, which was given to the soldier. Confederate soldiers in service at the time of surrender did not receive discharge certificates. They were given paroles, and these paroles became the property of the soldier.

NAVY OR MARINE CORPS SERVICE RECORDS

There are no compiled service records for Navy or Marine Corps personnel. Do not use this form to obtain information about obtaining copies of records relating to Navy or Marine Corps service. You may obtain information by contacting us online at www.archives.gov/contact or by writing to Old Military and Civil Records (NWCTB-Military), Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001.

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT

Collection of this information is authorized by 44 U.S.C. 2108. Disclosure of the information is voluntary; however, we will be unable to respond to your request if you do not furnish your name and address and the minimum required information about the records. The information is used by NARA employees to search for the record; to respond to you; to maintain control over information requests received and answered; and to facilitate preparation of internal statistical reports. If you provide credit card information, that information is used to bill you for copies.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT

A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a current valid OMB control number. The OMB Control No. for this information collection is 3095-0027. Public burden reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be 10 minutes per response. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of the information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to National Archives and Records Administration (NHP), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park MD 20740. DO NOT SEND COMPLETED FORMS TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND COMPLETED FORMS TO THE ADDRESS INDICATED ON THE FORM ITSELF.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES ORDER FOR COPIES OF MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS (See Instructions page before completing this form)

If we locate the record you request below, we will copy it for you. The cost for these copies is $25. Indicate your preferred method of payment at the bottom of this page. There is no charge for an unsuccessful search.

Reference Number: G M M D D Y Y # #

Reference Number: Enter the date you fill out the form (example – MMDDYY = 012309). Enter the number of the request being submitted in the last two boxes. If you are submitting four forms and this is your second, you would enter 02. A completed reference number example is: 01230902.

SECTION A. REQUIRED MINIMUM IDENTIFICATION OF VETERAN - MUST BE COMPLETED OR YOUR ORDER CANNOT BE SERVICED

2. VETERAN (Give last, first, and middle names)

 Please note: ARMY SERVICE ONLY. See instructions for information about Navy and Marine Corps service.

3. STATE WHICH HE SERVED

4. WAR IN WHICH, OR DATES BETWEEN WHICH, HE SERVED

5. IF SERVICE WAS CIVIL WAR:

6. KIND OF SERVICE

UNION

CONFEDERATE

VOLUNTEER

REGULAR

PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, IF KNOWN

7. UNIT IN WHICH HE SERVED (Name of regiment or number, company, etc.)

8. ARM IN WHICH HE SERVED

If other, specify:

9. RANK

INFANTRY

CAVALRY

ARTILLERY

OFFICER

ENLISTED

10. DATE OF BIRTH

11. PLACE OF BIRTH (City, County, State, etc.)

12. DATE OF DEATH

13. PLACE OF DEATH (City, County, State, etc.)

Comments:

SECTION B. THIS SPACE IS FOR OUR REPLY TO YOU

We were unable to search for the file you requested above. No payment is required. Your request is returned because: REQUIRED MINIMUM IDENTIFICATION OF VETERAN WAS NOT PROVIDED. Please complete blocks 2 (give full name), 3, 4, 5, and 6 and resubmit your order. Post-1912 Regular Army service records are housed at the Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO. You may be able to obtain information about the military service of the person in which you are interested by completing the Standard form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records. The Standard Form 180 is available online at www.archives.gov or visit eVetrecs at www.archives.gov/veterans. See attached forms, leaflets, or information sheets.

SECTION C. METHOD OF PAYMENT PREFERRED AND YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS (REQUIRED)

CREDIT CARD FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT of copies (see Instructions for credit cards we can accept)

BILL ME (No credit card)

Signature

Exp. Date

Card Validation Code (See Instructions):

Day Time Phone (Required for Credit Card Orders):

email Address (Optional):

Shipping Address

Last Name

First Name, MI

Billing Address

Last Name

First Name, MI

Street

(check here if shipping address is same as billing address)

Street

Street

Street

City

State

ZIP or Postal Code

Country (if not USA)

City

State

ZIP or Postal Code

NATIONAL ARCHIVES TRUST FUND BOARD

NATF Form 86 (rev. 11-2007)