Indiana's Lew Wallace led a grand life, negotiating with Billy the Kid in New Mexico, serving as America's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and, of course, authoring “Ben-Hur,” one of the most popular novels of all time. But the most dramatic chapter of Wallace's story took place 150 years ago on July 9 when his bravery in a little-known Civil War battle saved our nation's capital.
The rise of his military career had been stratospheric, progressing from colonel to major general in a year, but by the summer of 1862, Wallace was home in Crawfordsville, wondering if he would ever see action again. Just months prior, a miscommunication with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant delayed the arrival of Wallace's division at the Battle of Shiloh. Though a Union victory, the carnage of the conflict, which left over 20,000 dead, appalled many in the North. Wallace, a convenient scapegoat, was removed from command.
A reprieve of sorts arrived in the spring of 1864 when President Abraham Lincoln designated him military administrator of the Mid-Atlantic states. It was in this capacity that on July 2 Wallace received an anxious visit from John W. Garrett, president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, who brought word that Confederate troops were moving toward Washington, D.C., poorly defended and vulnerable with Union forces busy besieging Gen. Robert E. Lee in Petersburg.
Read Full Article »