Daily AncestorGalvanized Yankee
A Galvanized Yankee was a Confederate prisoner of war who swore allegiance to the United States and enlisted in the Union army.
About 5,600 former Confederates enlisted in six regiments of United States Volunteers between 1864 and 1866, and some 800 more served in companies raised by states. The government used many of them on the western frontier during the Indian wars instead of against their former comrades. Their service records are among NARA's Union volunteer records and on microfilm M1017.
The term was also used the other way, for at least 1,600 Union prisoners, many of them German or Irish immigrants, who joined Confederate units late in the war. Such a man may have service records on both sides.
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Daily Ancestor. "Galvanized Yankee." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/galvanized-yankee. Last checked 2026-10-03.