Ben-Hur: Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace

[Battleline]

Maj. Gen. Lewis Wallace (b. 1827, d. 1905) Writer, general, politician. All three titles fit Lewis “Lew” Wallace. While modern folk may know Wallace as the author of many literary works, including Ben-Hur (1880), which was turned into a major motion picture (the 1959 remake starring Charlton Heston won 11 Academy Awards). While Wallace also was governor of New Mexico Territory and minister to Turkey after the war. But this bio concentrates on his work Wallace gave the Federal armies during the Civil War. Wallace was born in Brookville, Indiana, April 10, 1827. When his father was elected Indiana’s governor, he moved to Indianapolis. As a young man, he had a number of interests. School, however, was not one of them. At one time, he ran away from home in an attempt to join the Texas Navy during the Lone Star Republic’s fight for independence from Mexico. After briefly serving as a reporter, he did serve as a first lieutenant in the First Indiana Infantry during the Mexican War. In 1849, he was admitted to the bar and began practice in Covington, Indiana. In 1856, while residing in Crawfordsville, Indiana, he was elected to the state senate and organized a militia company, the Montgomery (County) Guards, which . When Fort Sumter was shelled, Gov. Oliver Morton named Wallace the state adjutant general, raising more than twice the number of troops requested by President Lincoln. On April 25, 1861, Wallace was named colonel of the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry (Zouave), a three-month unit. That regiment later extended its enlistment for three additional years. Wallace’s men drove Confederates from Romney, Virginia. Wallace was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers Sept. 3, 1861. Wallace saw action in the capture of Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River (Feb. 13-16, 1862). Wallace’s military star continued to ascend as he was promoted to major general March 21, 1862, the youngest in the U.S. Army to hold that rank. His first action at this rank was the Battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862). Camped at Crump’s landing, six miles downstream from the battle, Wallace received orders to move his division into action as fast as possible. Unfortunately, Wallace lost his bearings. Instead of smashing into the Confederate left, Wallace’s forces were in action on the second day, making a cautious attack on the right flank. Both actions drew scorn from Grant and Wallace was reassigned. Sent to the Middle Department, taking an administrative post, he organized defenses of Cincinnati when a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith invaded Kentucky in the second half of 1862. On March 12, 1864, Wallace was named to command the Middle Department and the Eighth Army Corps based in Baltimore. Wallace was the only Federal commander to act when Lt. Gen. Jubal Early’s force advanced on Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1864. Bolstered by Brig. Gen. James Rickett’s division of the VI Corps, Wallace’s patchwork command opposed the Confederates at the Battle of Monocacy, July 9, 1864. While Wallace was defeated in the battle, losing 1,800 men, he had delayed the Confederate advance long enough for Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant to shift men and bolster the Washington defenses. In 1865, Wallace served on military commissions which tried the Lincoln assassination conspirators and was president of the court-martial of Confederate Maj. Henry Wirz, commandant of the Andersonville prison. Fellow Civil War veteran, President Rutherford Hayes, appointed Wallace governor of New Mexico Territory in 1878. Another fellow Union veteran, President James Garfield, appointed him Minister to Turkey in 1881. Wallace lived long enough to see Ben-Hur turned into a Broadway play. He also completed two other major works, including his self-titled biography which was published after his death, Feb. 15, 1905, in Crawfordsville, Indiana.


Done per request from Gil
3881 characters (including html coding).

[Gil R.]

Thanks for doing this bio so fast. Here’s the Wallace bio, which is good and ready to go, and will be the 25th and last for this patch. As you can see, I made some changes, but don’t think I changed the substance any. (I don’t think that my changes to the Shiloh part are too radically different.)

You started to say something about the Montgomery Guards. If you meant to do so but forgot, we might still be able to fit it in.

I changed his regiment’s name to “11th Regiment Indiana Zouaves,” following The Civil War Zouave Database. (http://members.tripod.com/~Shaung/cwuni.html )

For space reasons I took out the bit about Romney, Virginia, which wasn’t too important an engagement. (I didn’t know anything about Romney, so I did a Google search. Turns out that Wikipedia has a (to me) entertaining page about its having traded hands 56 times: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romney,_We ... _Civil_War )

I also took out the number of Academy Awards he won.


Maj. Gen. Lewis Wallace (b. 1827, d. 1905). Writer, general, politician. All three titles fit Lewis “Lew” Wallace. Today Wallace is most famous as the author of many literary works, including the best-seller “Ben-Hur” (1880), which was turned into two major motion pictures, the second of which starred Charlton Heston in 1959. But in his own time he was most famous for his role in the Union war effort. Wallace was born in Brookville, Indiana, on April 10, 1827, moving to Indianapolis when his father was elected governor. As a young man, he had a number of interests. School, however, was not one of them. At one time, he ran away from home in an attempt to join the Texas Navy during the Lone Star Republic’s fight for independence from Mexico. After briefly working as a reporter, he served as a first lieutenant in the First Indiana Infantry during the Mexican War. In 1849 he was admitted to the bar and began practice law in Covington, Indiana. In 1856, while residing in Crawfordsville, Indiana, he was elected to the state senate and organized a militia company, the Montgomery (County) Guards. When Fort Sumter was shelled, Gov. Oliver Morton named Wallace the state adjutant general, and as a result the state raised more than twice the number of troops requested by Pres. Abraham Lincoln. On April 25, 1861, Wallace was named Colonel of the 11th Regiment Indiana Zouaves, a three-month unit that later extended its enlistment for three additional years. After brief service in western Virginia, Wallace was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on September 3, 1861. Following the capture of Fort Henry, he played a vital part in taking Fort Donelson, the Confederate stronghold on the Cumberland River that protected Nashville, that February. Wallace’s military star continued to ascend as he was promoted to major general on March 21, 1862, the youngest in the U.S. Army to hold that rank. His first action at his new rank was the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, where he played a controversial role that would always haunt him. Camped at Crump’s Landing, six miles downstream from the battle, Wallace received orders to move his division into action as fast as possible. Unfortunately, a mix-up over the path he should take and miscommunication with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant led him to spend the first day marching back and forth instead of smashing into the Confederate left. His actions drew scorn from Grant, and Wallace was reassigned to an administrative post in Ohio. He organized the defenses of Cincinnati when a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith invaded Kentucky beginning in August 1862. On March 12, 1864, Wallace was named to command the Middle Department and the Eighth Army Corps based in Baltimore. Wallace was the only Union commander to act when Gen. Jubal Early’s force advanced on Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1864. Bolstered by Gen. James Rickett’s division of the VI Corps, Wallace’s patchwork command opposed Early in the Battle of Monocacy on July 9. While Wallace was defeated in the battle, losing 1,800 men, he had delayed the Confederate advance long enough for Grant to shift men and bolster the Washington defenses, repelling Early. In 1865, Wallace served on military commissions which tried the Lincoln assassination conspirators and was president of the court-martial of Confederate Maj. Henry Wirz, commandant of the notorious Andersonville prison. In 1878, a fellow Civil War veteran, Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes, appointed Wallace governor of New Mexico Territory. Another fellow veteran, Pres. James A. Garfield, appointed him Minister to Turkey in 1881. Wallace lived long enough to see “Ben-Hur” turned into a Broadway play. He also completed two other major works, including his self-titled autobiography, which was published posthumously. Wallace died on February 15, 1905, in Crawfordsville. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 4
Tactics: 4
Initiative: 3
Command: 3
Cavalry:

Start date: 16

Special abilities: Cautious (29), Diggers (7), Polar Bears (18)