Lawrence County, Ohio in the Civil War

     Almost from the outbreak of hostilities until the closing days of the Civil War, Lawrence County, Ohio was a key industrial factor during that great struggle. Lawrence County's Hanging Rock Iron Region was the most important iron-producing center west of Pittsburgh. During the Civil War, every ton of iron that was produced in the cold-blast furnaces at Hecla was transported via the Ohio River to the Fort Pitt Iron Works in Pittsburgh. Hecla Iron was used to cast bullets and cannon barrels for the Union cause... cannons, including the celebrated Swamp Angel guarding Charleston Harbor were made of Hecla Iron... artillery cannons firing down upon Devil's Den at Gettysburg were forged of iron produced in Lawrence County.

     The reputation and importance of the Hanging Rock Iron Region was well known North & South of the Mason-Dixon Line. Further proof of this fact can be seen in the attempt made by the Union forces to burn Guyandot (now Huntington, West Virginia), just across the Ohio River from Lawrence County, and the ill-fated Rebel attack upon Ironton on July 18, 1864. Lawrence County Genealogy Society President, Sheri Pettit offers this explanation of the events at Guyandotte:

"Many men of the 8th Va CSA "Border Rangers" were from Guyandotte and they were trying to run out the Union recruitment camp. They came in on Sunday evening Nov. 10, 1861, and rounded-up Union sympathizers and left to march them to Richmond. Upon hearing this, the 5th WV Inf at Ceredeo, along with some Ohio Home Guard, came up to the town, found the Confederates gone and stories were wild that the towns people had helped. Chaos ensued and the Union troops destroyed the the town including two of the churches."

Lawrence County Units

Battery L, First Ohio Light Artillery

Company G, 1st West Virginia Regiment Mounted Volunteers

Company G, 1st WV Mounted Volunteers Courtesy of Jeannine Southers.

91st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry

91st OVI Courtesy of Allen Richmond.

The Kentucky Orphan Brigade

ARTICLES

STORIES OF LAWRENCE COUNTY MEN IN THE CIVIL WAR

LAWCO CIVIL WAR PENSIONSIronton Register

All information contained within the Lawrence County GenWeb site is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate. We cannot be responsible for any misinformation provided to the coordinators or typographical errors contained herein.
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