Daily AncestorCourt-martial
A court-martial is a military trial of a soldier or sailor accused of breaking military law, such as by desertion, theft or disobeying orders.
A general court-martial was the army's highest military court. Its case file can hold the charges, the plea, testimony, exhibits, the finding and sentence, and the review by higher officers or the President. Desertion is one of the most common charges in Civil War files.
Clues usually start in the compiled service record, which may cite a general order, special order or general court-martial order. NARA holds Army case files from 1809 to 1917 in Record Group 153, found through registers by name and, for the Civil War, by regiment.
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Daily Ancestor. "Court-martial." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/court-martial. Last checked 2026-10-03.