Before we start looking at Groene's recommendations, the first thing we need to do is to find a Civil War ancestor to research! The first inclination is to think about direct male ancestors and to consider who might have been of military age (say between 17 and 40). Go ahead and add these folks to a list. Now look at their brothers, and see if any of them are potential candidates. Finally, check your female ancestors and look to see the ages of their brothers in 1861. Once you add these folks to the list, we're ready to get started.
Groene's Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor takes us to the National Archives. This is truly one of the great resources we need to mine. In order to get the best answers possible, we need to identify as much as we can about where our candidates lived during the Civil War and where they were in 1890. Look up each of your candidates in the 1890 U.S. Federal Census. Although the census burned, parts of it, including the Civil War veterans section, survived. If your ancestor is listed there, you may be able to discover his regiment and company.
Next we'll be looking at how to access the 1890 Census.
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