Maryland. Commission to Publish Civil War Military Records.

In 1895, Maryland's Grand Army of the Republic lobbied the General Assembly to collect and organize Civil War military records. The following year, Governor Lloyd Lowndes, a Republican, appointed three commissioners to "classify and compile" the records of soldiers, sailors, and marines who served as part of Maryland's federal military quota during the Civil War (Laws of 1896, ch. 134). The commission consisted of the adjutant general and two Civil War veterans "who served in actual warfare" as a member of Maryland's federal quota.

Beginning with the adjutant general's files, the commission compiled a list of Maryland veterans. Deficient records were augmented by using U.S. War and Navy department records. The commission then printed 1,000 copies of the two-volume work entitled History and Roster of Maryland Volunteers: War of 1861-1865. Subsequent laws provided funding to publish an additional 1,000 copies (Laws of 1898, chs. 108 and 422).

In July 1899, the commission distributed the 2,000th volume and one week later closed its financial accounts.