Williamsburg, Ohio
Introduction
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Founded in 1796 by General William Lytle, a member of the prominent Lytle family in Cincinnati, Williamsburg became the oldest settlement in Clermont County. When Williamsburg was first founded, it was recognized as the County Seat, but it was eventually moved to the growing town of Batavia, next door. This small town, with approximately 2,500 residents is filled with rich and influential history.
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Backstory and Context
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Williamsburg played a vital role in the Underground Railroad as a part of the Clermont County Freedom Trail, with the houses of many of the brave conductors still standing in the heart of the town.
With the start of the Civil War, Williamsburg had another role to fill: it became intertwined with Morgan's Raid. Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan of the Confederacy was recruited to help distract enemy forces, in this case, the Union armies in Tennessee and Kentucky. But he eventually crossed into Ohio and Indiana as well, despite the fact that he was ordered not to cross the Ohio River. His raid started in Sparta, Tennessee on June 11, 1863 and ended in Salinesville, Ohio on July 26, 1863. In time, Morgan escaped from one of Ohio's penitentiaries and returned south but was not welcomed, and he was never fully trusted by his superiors again.
Sources
http://www2.cincinnati.com/blogs/ourhistory/2011/03/30/clermont-hotbed-for-underground-railroad/