Columbine Genealogical and Historical Society has as one of its objectives "To locate, preserve and index public and private genealogical and historical records and make such available to members of the public." Among the oldest books in the possession of the Colorado State Archives are twelve ledgers that date back to the period of the Civil War.  These were issue records involving the Colorado Volunteers that participated in that conflict.  The Archives had a need to preserve these records but still wanted the public to have access to the information contained within them.  The objectives of Columbine and the Archives came together to start the long and arduous task of extracting the data and publishing it for use by the public.

Once the data had been extracted it became clear that the twelve ledger books did not contain issue information for all the Volunteers that served in the Colorado Companies.  It was also apparent that there had to have been additional issue records that had not survived the last 130 years.  These twelve ledgers did contain the majority of the 4903 Volunteers that served, but because all of those Volunteers were not recorded, Columbine has attempted to supplement the extracted data with additional information from other sources about the men and Companies.  Much valuable information for the genealogist, historian or Civil Was enthusiast was extracted and is contained in the book.

Many histories have been written telling part or all of the story about the conflict as it relates to Colorado Territory, the Companies and their men.  However, since this book is principally about the Volunteers that served in the Civil War conflict and because the information from the ledgers may not give a researcher all he would desire, an abridged history of the movements and battles, and the organization and reorganization of the Companies, is also provided.  Using this history along with the enlistment date and place (when known), dates of issues, muster out date and remarks should tell the researcher much about the movement of individuals and Companies during this period.

The issue information for every Volunteer listed in these twelve volumes was extracted and recorded in this book.  There is information contained in the ledgers that did not lend itself to extraction.  Examples are provided of this type of information.  The names of the Volunteers are recorded in alphabetical order allowing this book to be used as an index to the twelve ledgers should that become necessary.

The Colorado State Archives personnel have been generous with their treasured material.  Columbine Genealogical and Historical Society is pleased to have been of assistance in bringing forth information about the individuals who served the Union cause and played such a vital role in the winning of the West.

Donald R. Elliott, Chairman

C.G.& H.S. Projects Committee