Lacey, William T

William T Lacey

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

Company F, 21st Kentucky Infantry

Place of Death:

Murfreesboro, TN

Date of Death:

January 2, 1864

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, TN

Cemetery Name:

Stones River National Cemetery

William T Lacey enlisted into the Union army on October 1st, 1861 at Camp Ward in Green River Bridge, Kentucky. He was mustered in on December 30th, 1861 into Company F of the 21st Kentucky Infantry. Lacey was a first sergeant upon enlistment. After its organization in Green River Bridge, Kentucky, the regiment moved throughout Middle Tennessee until July 1862. They then moved to Louisville, Kentucky and later Perryville where they fought in the battle of Perryville as reserves. During this time, Lacey had been promoted to a second sergeant. After Perryville, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee where they remained until December of 1862. On the 26th of December, they received orders to march southward towards Mufreesboro in pursuit of Bragg.

They arrived in Murfreesboro on December 29th and were positioned as reserves along the railroad tracks. They were moved around the area before ending up positioned on the northside of the railroad tracks, along the west fork of the Stones River on December 31st, 1862 as fighting began southeast of them. They remained in this poisiton for the duration of the first day of fighting at the battle of Stones River.

On January 1st, 1863, they were sent across the river to occupy a new high ground position. This position is what sparked the fighting that would happen on January 2nd. At 4pm on January 2nd, Confederate Infantry made their way to the high ground in an attempt to take the area. They were met by heavy artillery fire from the Union and retreated back to their starting position.

Sergeant Lacey died on January 2nd, 1863 in a regimental field hospital due to a wound in the thigh. He was one of 57 enlisted men in the regiment who was killed or mortally wounded during the regiment's whole service time. It is unclear when Lacey received the wound during the battle of Stones River.

William T Lacey is laid to rest in the Stones River National Cemetery in plot K-4438. His headstone reads "W. T. Lacy," and is one of the many name discrepancies found in the national cemetery.