Daily AncestorCpl.
Cpl. (older Corp.) is short for corporal, the lowest noncommissioned officer rank, just above private.
Cpl. is the usual abbreviation of corporal in muster rolls, pension files, service records and gravestones.
Corporals led small groups of men within a company and ranked below sergeants. In nineteenth century rosters the rank is often written Corp., which can be mistaken for corporation in other contexts.
As seen in a recordName line in a muster roll
Corp. Edw. Price, Co. D
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Daily Ancestor. "Cpl.." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/cpl. Last checked 2026-10-01.