Lore City

Lore City. A Destructive Spree. , Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his remaining raiders arrived at Campbell’s Station (now Lore City) near dawn on the morning of July 24, 1863. , The raiders entered the home and warehouse of John Fordyce at this former railroad station and stole nearly $4,000 from the company safe. Half of it belonged to a single man, Thomas Frame. With the money in hand, the Confederates burned the residence, the warehouse, and the Leatherwood Creek bridge along with several rail cars filled with tobocco. , Having completed the local destruction and with the knowledge that Union cavalry would soon arrive, the raiders moved north towards Washington (now called Old Washington). , In the five days since engaging the Confederates in the Battle of Buffington Island, Brigadier General James Shackelford and about 500 Union cavalrymen had steadily closed the gap on Morgan's Raiders to a mere seven miles. The Union forces arrived at Campbell’s Station at 9:20 a.m. and found the railcars, warehouse, and stores on fire. Despite the fatigue of the men and horses, Shackelford vowed to continue the pursuit. , (sidebar) , Union Forces Gain Ground. Effective communications along undamaged telegraph lines and the effective use of railcars for troop transport were an essential part of the Union’s ultimate success in capturing Morgan’s Raiders. By the late afternoon of July 24, additional forces were arriving in the area. About 375 Union cavalrymen under Major George Rue of Kentucky arrived by train near Belaire, east of here. A contingent of more than 1,000 militia men from Western Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio converged on Steubenville. The combined Union forces outnumbered Morgan’s Raiders nearly three to one. , Text by Tom Snyder, Illustrations by Bev Kirk.