Smith, William Riley

William R. Smith

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

Private- Company A, 38th Indiana Infantry

Place of Birth:

Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana

Date of Birth:

1844

Place of Death:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Date of Death:

December 31, 1862

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Cemetery Name:

Stones River National Cemetery

William Rily Smith was born to William and Elizabeth Smith 1844 in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana. He had five siblings named Robert, Margaret, Jemina, Mariah, and Adam. In his adult life, he moved to Valeene, Indiana where he lived prior to the Civil War.  

William was 18 when he enlisted in the Union on September 17, 1861. He joined Company A of the 38th Indiana as a private. The 38th Indiana was organized in New Albany, Indiana and mustered in on September 18, 1861. It was led by Colonel Benjamin Franklin Scribner. Three days after its organization, the 38th was ordered to Elizabethtown, Kentucky and assigned to duty at Camp Nevin near the Green River. During Smith’s service, they marched across Kentucky and Tennessee and engaged in skirmishes with Confederate troops. The regiment’s first major battle was the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862. After the battle of Perryville, they were ordered to Nashville, Tennessee, where they remained until December 26, 1862.  

During the Battle of Stones River on December 31, 1862, the 38th functioned as reserves for U.S. General William Rosecrans’ northern left flank. After the initial Confederate attack, Smith’s regiment was ordered to assist in the fighting near Wilkinson Pike; however, the Union had already fallen into a retreat and the 38th regrouped elsewhere.  

After falling back, Private Smith and the 38th would advance again into the dense cedar forest and the enemy came upon them with great fury. The brigade would retreat and take up the defensive position along the Nashville Pike. They suffered heavy losses. William R. Smith was among those who lost his life on December 31, 1862, the first day of the battle of Stones River.  

William R. Smith is buried at the Stones River National Cemetery in plot N-5377. 

Tags: stones river national battlefield, stones river national cemetery, american civil war