Walt Lafty on “A Near Death Experience: The Battle of Stones River, a Turning Point in the War”

The Battle of Stones River in Tennessee was the last battle of 1862 and the first of 1863. It was one of the best defensive battles fought during the civil war, and saw many heroics, on both sides, ending in a Union strategic win. The battle is number one in percentage of casualties to troops engaged, slightly higher than the battle of Gettysburg. Months after the battle, President Lincoln said that “…had there been a defeat instead, the nation could scarcely have lived over”. It can be considered one of the most important political turning points of the war.

Walt Lafty has been active in various Civil War groups for almost twenty years. Currently those include the Delaware Valley CWRT where he is a board member as well as a member of the preservation committee; and he is also an active member of the Old Baldy CWRT. In addition, Walt is a volunteer and research administrator at the G.A.R. Museum in Philadelphia. He is also a member of Baker-Fisher Camp 101 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Hatboro PA, where he serves as the camp secretary, and he is also a member of the General Meade Society.