Last updated: January 1, 2026
Person
Davis, William T
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Significance:
Company I, 31st Indiana Infantry
Place of Death:
Murfreesboro, TN
Date of Death:
12/31/1862
Place of Burial:
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Cemetery Name:
Stones River National Cemetery
William T Davis enlisted as a corporal in Company I of the 31st Indiana on September 20th, 1861. The 31st Indiana was part of General Cruft's brigade at the battle of Stones River.
During the battle of Stones River, Davis would have been positioned along McFadden Lane, waiting for Confederates to arrive at their location. Around 10am on December 31st, they began to take heavy fire from the Confederates who had been fighting since 6:00 that morning. Eventually, Cruft's brigade was pushed into a V-shaped position, essentially surrounded, and had to make a hasty retreat out of the area.
The casualty rate was so bad in this area that soldiers from the Illinois dubbed it the "Slaughter Pen." This is where William T Davis lost his life. He was laid to rest in the field after battle, but was later reinterred in the Stones River National Cemetery in plot E-2161.