Michael Kelly Lawler (November 16, 1814 – July 26, 1882) was a volunteer militia soldier in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

1831–1832, an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in both the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In the latter conflict, as a brigadier general he commanded a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

in the Western Theater and served in several battles.

Early life and career

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 Frederick County is located in Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick, Maryland, Frederick. The county is part of the Washington metropolitan area, ...

. In 1819, they moved to rural

Gallatin County, Illinois Gallatin County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 4,946, making it the third-least populous county in Illinois. Its county ...

. On December 20, 1837 he married Elizabeth Crenshaw. He received an appointment as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 Cruz 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 Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Bro ...

. 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.Pitkin, 357.

Civil War service

In May 1861 he recruited the 18th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was appointed as its first

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. His time in command of the regiment in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

was controversial and an "ordeal." He suffered a wound during the

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

. 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 The Vicksburg campaigns were a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi ...

in 1863. He led his men in the battles of

Port Gibson Port Gibson is a city and the county seat of Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. The first European settlers i ...

, Champion's Hill, and Big Black River Bridge, and during the general assault of May 22, 1863 on Vicksburg MS, 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.wayside marker, Gallatin Historical Society and The Illinois State Historical Society Following the surrender of

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, the XIII Corps was split up and divided among other operations in the Western Theater. For the rest of the war, General Lawler served as commander of the 1st Division, XIII Corps in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

in the Department of the Gulf, taking command of the division during the disastrous Red River Campaign and leading it on an expedition in June 1864 to secure a crossing of the

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River () is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River of the South, Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and is the fifth largest river in N ...

used by Confederate forces. In the omnibus promotions at the end of the Civil War, Lawler received a promotion for distinguished service to major general in the Union army backdated from March 13, 1865.

Post-bellum and later career

After mustering out of the army in 1866, Lawler returned home and resumed his legal practice and farming near

Shawneetown, Illinois Shawneetown is a city in Gold Hill Township, Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,054 at the 2020 United States census. It is the county seat of Gallatin County. Geography Shawneetown is located southeast of the cent ...

. He died in the summer of 1882 and is buried in the Lawler Family Cemetery near

Equality, Illinois Equality is a village in Equality Township, Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 539 at the 2020 census. Near the village are two points of interest, the Crenshaw House and the Garden of the Gods Wilderness. Equality ...

, at the rear of the Old Slave House property. A memorial to Michael K. Lawler stands in

. He also was honored with a marble bust in

Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, flanking the Mississippi River, also commemorates the greater ...

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

. Chicago named a street after Gen. Michael Lawler, The Civil War hero. Lawler Ave., location: 5034 West, running from 400 to 5500N and from 4300 to 6500 South

Notes

References

* Gallatin Historical Society and The Illinois State Historical Society, wayside marker erected 1/1/1970, near the Shawneetown Mall in Shawneetown, Illinois. * Pitkin, William A., "Michael K. Lawler's Ordeal with the Eighteenth Illinois Infantry," ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society'', Vol. 58, No. 4 (Winter, 1965), pp. 357–77.

External links