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Tag Archives: civil-war
Honoring The Dead: The Origins of Decoration Day
Have you ever been to Decoration Day? The holiday has a long history in Lawrence County. Newspaper records indicate that it may have first been formally observed here in 1871 (although probably earlier) as a day set aside to decorate … Continue reading
The Military Career of Corporal Silas Smith, USCT
On this day in 1865, one Lawrence County man was promoted to corporal in his artillery unit. Little did he know that he would make the ultimate sacrifice for his country in less than a year’s time. Born free prior … Continue reading
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Tagged civil-war, family-history, genealogy, history, military
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The Great Lawrenceburg Bacon Raid of 1862
On this day in 1862, Union and Confederate soldiers met in Lawrenceburg in one of the first recorded fights of the Civil War in Lawrence County…and it ended with Union troops hauling off thousands of pounds of captured bacon. On … Continue reading
Lawrence County and the Vote to Abolish Slavery
Today is the 160th anniversary of the end of slavery in Tennessee. And, according to one source, the men of Lawrence County who turned out to vote for its abolition had to arm themselves at the ballot box for fear … Continue reading
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Tagged abraham-lincoln, civil-war, constitution, history, politics
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The Re-establishing: Lawrence County’s Wartime Unionist Government
Our county government was founded on October 21, 1817 by the state legislature. But did you know that it was re-founded 47 years later? On February 13, 1864, a group of local Union sympathizers met at the courthouse in Lawrenceburg … Continue reading
Veterans’ Accounts of the Battle of Sugar Creek
A few veterans’ accounts of the Battle of Sugar Creek in southeastern Lawrence County survive. At least two are found in the book ‘The Military Annals of Tennessee.’ In the mid-1880s, a Nashville educator and civic leader named J. Berrien … Continue reading
The Daring Escape of John Bell Hollis
John Bell Hollis was just 19 years old, and it looked like he would never see 20. The young Lawrence Countian was scheduled to be shot the next day just outside of Lawrenceburg–until quick thinking and whiskey intervened. Hollis, despite … Continue reading
Andrew Johnson Hits the Campaign Trail in Lawrenceburg
On June 10, 1853, twelve years before he became President of the United States, Andrew Johnson was on a different campaign trail in Lawrenceburg. That summer, Johnson was running for governor of Tennessee against Gustavus A. Henry. The two men … Continue reading
The Life of Captain Deavenport
Captain Thomas D. Deavenport of Lawrence County had an illustrious career of public service that was cut tragically short by his personal demons. Deavenport was born on September 18, 1837. He began life working on his father’s Lawrence County farm. … Continue reading
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Tagged ancestry, civil-war, family-history, genealogy, history
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Co. Aytch at Franklin
Just a few days after fighting their way through Lawrence County in the fall of 1864, the Confederate Army of Tennessee suffered a horrific loss of manpower and leadership at Franklin, Tennessee. November 30 is the 150th anniversary of the … Continue reading
Lawrence County History Trivia 