Title: William R. Lacy Letter

Date/Date Range :   1861 November 14

Extent: 0.1 linear feet

Abstract:

Collection contains a letter dated November 14, 1861, by Lieutenant William R. Lacy of the 6th Tennessee Infantry (C.S.A.) to his cousin, Amarila Lemons. Written from Columbus, Ky., he describes the rules and conditions placed on a soldier in the areas of Belmont, Missouri and Columbus. The letter includes an explanation of the treatment of prisoners. Lacy speaks of the wounded and the Union dead. He adds that a cousin, Thomas Lacy resigned and became a Captain of a company at Union City.

Call number: MS-2131

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Aquisition Information:

Collection was purchased by Special Collections in March 2004.

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Copyright:

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of Item], William R. Lacy Letter, MS-2131. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of a single folder.

William R. Lacy was fatally wounded in Atlanta, Georgia, according to Lena Murdock, his niece. Thomas Lacy was a Lieutenant in Company C of the Tennessee 6th Infantry and later became a Captain for Company B of the Tennessee 33rd Infantry.

The 6th Tennessee Infantry Regiment under the command of Col. William H. Stephens was in a reserve position with other units in or near Columbus, Kentucky in November 1861. Lieutenant William R. Lacy served in this regiment. This letter is a reply to his cousin, Amarila Lemons. He describes the rules and conditions placed on a soldier in the areas of Belmont, Missouri and Columbus, Kentucky. There were fourteen desertions in his company. Lacy considers Major General Gideon J. Pillow's service to the Confederacy as praiseworthy for his management of the battles that resulted in victory for the Confederacy at Belmont, Missouri on November 7, 1861. The letter includes an explanation of the treatment of prisoners. Lacy speaks of the wounded and the Union dead. He adds that a cousin, Thomas Lacy resigned and became a Captain of a company at Union City.

• Confederate States of America. Army. Tennessee Infantry Regiment, 6th (1861-1865).
• Tennessee -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
• Kentucky -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Prisoners and Prisons.
• Soldiers -- Tennessee -- Correspondence.