Michael K. Lawler
| Michael Kelly Lawler | |
|---|---|
Michael Kelly Lawler during the American Civil War
|
|
| Born |
November 16, 1814 County Kildare, Ireland |
| Died | July 22, 1882 (aged 67) Shawneetown, Illinois |
| Buried | Hickory Hill Cemetery, Gallatin County, Illinois |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1846–1848 1861–1865 |
| Rank |
 Brevet Major General
|
| Unit | 18th Illinois Volunteer Infantry |
| Commands held | Lawler's Brigade, XIII Corps, Army of the Tennessee |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | Farmer, merchant |
Mexican-American War
American Civil War
Michael Kelly Lawler (November 16, 1814 – July 26, 1882) was a volunteer militia soldier in the Black Hawk War, 1831-1832, an officer in the United States Army in both the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. In the latter conflict, as a brigadier general he commanded a brigade of infantry in the Western Theater and served in several battles.
Born in Monasterevin, County Kildare, Ireland, in November, 1814, Lawler and his parents, John Lawler and Elizabeth Kelly, moved to the United States four years later and settled initially in Frederick County, Maryland. In 1819, they moved to rural Gallatin County, Illinois. On the 20th day of December, 1837 he married Elizabeth Crenshaw. He received an appointment as a captain in the Mexican War and commanded two companies in separate deployments to Mexico. He first led a company from Shawneetown Illinois that guarded the supply route from Vera Cruz to General Winfield Scott's Army. After the fall of Vera Cuz his company was discharged. He made a visit to Washington after which he was asked by Governor Thomas Ford to organize a company of riflemen. He served in the campaign to take Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
He then returned to his farm in Illinois, where he was residing at the outbreak of the Civil War. He established a thriving mercantile business, dealing in hardware, dry goods, and shoes. He studied law, passed his bar exam, and used his legal license to help the claims of Mexican War veterans.
In May 1861 he recruited the 18th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was appointed as its first colonel. His time in command of the regiment in Kentucky and Tennessee was controversial and an "ordeal." He was suffered a wound during the Battle of Fort Donelson. In November 1862 he was commissioned as a brigadier general, and commanded a brigade in the Second Division of the XIII Corps. He fought with distinction in the Vicksburg Campaign in 1863. He led his men in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion's Hill, and Big Black River Bridge. and during the general assault of May 22, 1863, where troops under his command were the only Union forces to enter the Confederate works at the Railroad Redoubt where they planted the U.S. flag.
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