[Palmetto]

To find out what battles your ancestor was in, you need to get a look at his pension. Many local public libraries and courthouses have the RW soldier's Pension applications in books and now many are online. The Soldier's themselves or the widow of the soldier filed the pension statement when they were old men to get money for their service. They had to prove that they were veterans to the government by naming battles, officers, color and style of their uniforms etc.

If you know your ancestor's name and where he was from (the state he died in), it isn't very hard to find his pension. The reference section of your local public library usually has many books with this stuff. The National Archives in DC also has military records. I would try the state records first.