Noticed the reference to Footnote allowing free access to their Civil War records. Just wanted to mention the two following, always free, sites. 1. The National Park Service has a website devoted to the Civil War, or as we in the South say, the War of Northern Aggression: http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/index.html Quick search for Georgia gets 88 Pates. What I always tell folks, you need to know that your ancestor served, which unit, then find the records. It's very difficult to document service if you don't already know that info. They also had a bad habit of using initials, makes things difficult. 2. If your ancestor did something really good or bad, or you just want info about an incident (Battle), Cornell University has "The War of the Rebellion" online: http://digital.library.cornell.edu/m/moawar/waro.html