His career got off to a promising start when he routed an inferior Confederate force at Romney, Virginia. With the outbreak of the Civil War he offered his services, and his assignments included: adjutant general of Indiana (April 1861) colonel, 11th Indiana (April 25, 1861) colonel, 11th Indiana (reorganized August 31, 1861) brigadier general, USV (September 3, 1861) commanding 3rd Division, District of Cairo, Department of the Missouri (February 14-17, 1862) major general, USV (March 21, 1862) commanding 3rd Division, Army of the Tennessee (February 17-June 1862) commanding 8th Corps, Middle Department (March 22, 1864-February 1,1865 and April 19-August 1, 1865) and also commanding the department (March 22, 1864-February 1,1865 and April 19-June 27, 1865). In 1849 he was admitted to the bar in his native state and seven years later entered the state senate. During the Mexican War he served as a second lieutenant in the lst Indiana but saw only minor action. Born in Indiana, he had worked as a clerk and early displayed a fascination for Mexico which would affect him in later years. Lewis 'Lew' Wallace was a lawyer, governor, Union general in the American Civil War, American statesman, and author, best remembered for his historical novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.Īlthough he would have much preferred to be remembered as a highly successful military hero, Lew Wallace has been thwarted in this ambition and is best known as an author. Wallace did indeed write two subsequent novels, Why Constantinople Fell and The Prince of India, but neither was as popular as Ben-Hur. Some historians insist that Ben-Hur directly drew from Wallace’s personal experiences, particularly his time at the Battle of Shiloh, and his tarnished reputation as a man accused of failing to follow orders. The book also was adapted for several motion pictures, the most notable of which was an MGM sound film starring Charlton Heston, which premiered in New York City on November 18, 1959. During Wallace’s time in Crawfordsville, he wrote the manuscript for Ben-Hur, later publishing the book while he was the governor of New Mexico.īen-Hur eventually became the best-selling novel of the 19th Century, providing Wallace with sound financial security and fame throughout the country. The book was based on the conquest of Mexico by Hernán Cortés. Wallace began writing his first novel, The Fair God, in 1843, but did not publish it until 1873. Lew Wallace wrote several books throughout his life, but he is best known for his fame-establishing story, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, published in 1880.

Ben lew wallace