I have an Indiana ancestor who died in November 1864 at Fort Smith, supposedly a Union prisoner. There are no County, State, or National records of him being in the Civil War. He is buried at Fort Smith and according to their website he was a Union private.

I live in Wisconsin and am considering making a trip to Fort Smith to visit the cemetery and to see if I can learn more about his death and military service. Are there any historic records or archives in Fort Smith that might have details about him? Perhaps at the cemetery, the library, or another historic site?

It's a mystery as to how he got into the Civil War, especially since his family was pacifist Mennonites. In fact, in an old history book about his home church, he was only mentioned in one sentence. Current thinking is that the church and the community were not proud of his serving in the military.