National Park Service News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 27, 2004

National Park Service Completes Civil War Soldiers

and Sailors System

Partnership with the National Geographic Society Enhances Future of System

(Washington, D.C.) --The National Park Service (NPS) today announced the completion of the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) at a special event at Ford's Theatre National Historic Site. The system, which was first started in 1993, was recently completed with the addition of the final soldier names from Pennsylvania and Virginia. This comprehensive computerized database of Civil War veterans, North and South, holds the service records of 6.3 million soldier names. The system can be accessed through any computer with Internet access.

In addition to celebrating the completion of the CWSS database the NPS announced that it has entered into a partnership with the National Geographic Society (NGS) to do joint mapping and geography projects. The first project will apply information from the CWSS system to publish an illustrated Civil War map, and a Web presentation on the Internet. Internet technologies provide innovative ways to enhance the park experience, both for virtual and actual visitors.

"We are thrilled to announce the completion of this wonderful project,” said Fran Mainella, Director of the National Park Service. “By making this database available to the millions of Americans who are descendents of Civil War soldiers, we are cultivating future stewards to help us preserve Civil War history. National parks are America's link to our collective heritage, and it is our mission to make this history accessible to the public. By partnering with the National Geographic Society, one of the most respected educational and scientific institutions in the world, we assure the public receives the best tools and technology to participate in celebrating and understanding the American experience."

The CWSS system allows visitors to search for individual soldiers and their assigned regiments and subsequent battle engagements. Visitors will be able to access sufficient data that links the service personnel to several dozen Civil War related sites within the NPS, including battlefields, monuments, and military parks. By partnering with the National Geographic Society, NPS has an opportunity to deliver valuable data to the public through state of the art tools. Through this and other NGS programs, the NPS will be able to educate a much larger public about parks, critical natural and cultural resources and opportunities both to visit and to learn about these resources in new and different ways.

 "The completion of the CWSS database and our partnership with National Geographic Society is an exciting opportunity for the NPS and the public,” said Dom Nessi, Chief Information Officer for the National Park Service. “Not only is the technology exciting, but it gives the public the information to make a connection to their personal history. This partnership helps us take a great step towards the continued preservation of our national parks for future generations."

During the event, the NPS took the opportunity to recognize the contributions of its many partners and volunteers in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Project, including the Mormon Church, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Howard University, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Civil War Preservation Trust, and the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System is an invaluable research tool that not only benefits Civil War enthusiasts, but also school groups, historians, genealogists, and people who may never have known that they had an ancestor in the Civil War. Through education and exploration, Americans have the opportunity to preserve America's legacy.

-NPS-