United States. War Records Office

By an act of Congress approved June 23, 1874, $15,000 was appropriated "to enable the Secretary of War to begin the publication of the official records of the war of the rebellion, both of the Union and Confederate armies," and the work was assigned to clerks detailed from the Offices of the Secretary of War and The Adjutant General. In December 1877, Capt. (later Lt. Col.) Robert N. Scott was placed in charge, and he served in this capacity until his death in 1887. His office was at first referred to as the "Publication Office, War Records," but later came to be known as the "War Records Office."

Reports of Union commanders that were not originally forwarded to the War Department were obtained through correspondence. The Confederate archives in the possession of the Federal government consisted at first mainly of the records that had been captured or surrendered at the close of the war. On July 1, 1878, Gen. Marcus J. Wright, a former Confederate officer, was appointed agent for the collection of Confederate records, and the original collection in the custody of the War Department was supplemented by the papers that he was able to obtain from other former Confederates. Some important additions were made by purchase but it was the policy of the War Department, whenever possible, to obtain material by gift or loan rather than by purchase.

...