During the
American Civil War, LaGrange was defended by a volunteer women's auxiliary group known as the
Nancy Harts. After the Confederate defeat in nearby
West Point, Georgia, the Federal troops, led by
Colonel Oscar LaGrange, marched north to LaGrange, with Confederate prisoners near the front of the column. The Nancy Harts formed and negotiated a surrender. Although local assets were burned and looted by Union troops, Colonel LaGrange spared the homes of LaGrange, including
Bellevue, the home of Senator
Benjamin Harvey Hill. This may have been a returned favor. Colonel LaGrange had previously been under Confederate medical care for wounds received and had been cared for by the niece of Senator Hill. After his care, LaGrange was later exchanged for a Union prisoner and returned to duty. This became an opportunity to return the kindness he had been shown.