Answered By: Heather Maisel
Last Updated: Nov 18, 2017     Views: 222

What an exciting topic to research! I wasn't sure which unit your great uncle was in so I have provided a few general sources for you to start with.

Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) - this is a massive genealogy database that the library subscribes to. It has a gigantic military records section. It is only accessible in the library. ALE is a partnership between ProQuest and Ancestry.com. (Ancestry.com offers individual subscriptions if you prefer to have access to it at home).

We also have a book at the library, The Historical Atlas of World War I, that traces the events of the war, including the battles.

The National Archives houses information about military service records. Try their veterans services page to learn more.

US Army Military Campaigns World War I. This is from the US Army Center of Military History. It provides descriptions of the battles.

Wikipedia has a great list of the Military Engagements of World War I, and a list of World War I Battles, though caution must be used with it since it can be edited by anyone.

Another resource of interest was created by two Information Specialists from the Congressional Research Service put together an excellent guide titled, "Military Service Records and Unit Histories: a Guide to Locating Sources" (pdf). This guide provides information on locating military unit histories and individual service records of discharged, retired, and deceased military personnel. It includes contact information for military history centers, websites for additional sources of research, and a bibliography of other publications. Starting on page 2, websites for certain published unit histories are mentioned. (They can be found in the collections of the Library of Congress or military history centers of each branch).

You may have seen these, but here are some other websites that may be of interest:

I hope you find the websites suggested above helpful. If you have more questions, feel free to contact us again. Best wishes with your research!

 

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