In a message dated 2/19/99 8:05:20 PM !!!First Boot!!!, ehoward@conknet.com writes: << I believe that the County courthouse was burned. I don't know of wide private or civil destrruction. Great question. -eddie Does anyone know if there was destruction in Russell County, VA during the Civil War? I am specifically interested in destruction in the Castlewood area. I don't know about Russell County, but I have been doing research on the lead mines near Austinville and read that the Yankees burned a lot of public buildings in Wytheville if they were used to store ammunition and supplies. For general information, these lead mines produced 1/3 of the lead used by the Confederate Army during the war. They also produced a large amount of lead for the Revolutionary War too. Wytheville was a prime target for the Yankees because of the lead mines, the salt works and the railroad hub in the area.