Four years ago I started a project to track down any relative of mine that fought in the CW. I knew that my maiden name, Wigginton, was fairly uncommon and thought it would be a small little project. I had very little idea that I would tracking down 140 different men from 18 different states on both sides of the war. So, take that as a word of caution but also a word of encouragement. You will get addicted to this if you're not careful! Ha!

Now for some tips of where to get started. If you are doing a "collateral" relative search (like what I have done - anyone sharing that name), I would suggest starting with the National Park Service Soldier and Sailor listing. You can search that by name or narrow it down by state (ie VA). I would also suggest you make a list of any possible spelling variations. Trust me, use your imagination and you will be surprised by what you'll come up with. If you are looking for specific ancestors, the NPS site can help you focus your search as well. These message boards (and the others for other states) are extremely helpful as their are some real experts on here (I am not one!). Another source that I have used primarily for my CSA soldiers is footnote.com. They have an amazing collection of service records (but their USA ones are not complete yet.) There is a fee for it but I think they have a trial period to give it a try. They sometimes have special times of the year where their military records are available free. Sometimes doing a general google search will come up with something, maybe a site dedicated to a specific unit or a reenactment group. It is truly amazing what is out in cyberspace.

I guess that is some info to get you started. Please let us know how things go and post other questions as they come up. As I said before, these message boards are very helpful. Good luck!
Kerry