Lew Wallace

Lew Wallace
Wallace c. 1865
11th Governor of New Mexico Territory
In office September 29, 1878 – March 9, 1881
Appointed by	Rutherford B. Hayes
Preceded by	Samuel Beach Axtell
Succeeded by	Lionel Allen Sheldon
United States Minister to the Ottoman Empire
In office September 6, 1881 – May 15, 1885
President	James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleveland
Preceded by	James Longstreet
Succeeded by	Samuel S. Cox
Personal details
Born	(1827-04-10)April 10, 1827 Brookville, Indiana, U.S.
Died	February 15, 1905(1905-02-15) (aged 77) Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S.
Resting place	Oak Hill Cemetery, Crawfordsville
Political party	Whig (before 1847) Free Soil (1848) Democratic (1848–1861) Republican (from 1861)
Spouse	Susan Arnold Elston ​ (m. 1852)​
Children	1
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States Union Mexico
Branch/service	United States Army Union Army Mexican Army
Years of service	1846–1847, 1861–1865
Rank	Major general
Commands	11th Indiana Infantry 3rd Division, Army of the Tennessee VIII Corps
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson Battle of Shiloh Siege of Corinth Defense of Cincinnati Battle of Monocacy

Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827 – February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, artist, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is best known for his historical adventure story, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880), a bestselling novel that has been called "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century."^[1]

Wallace's military career included service in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. He was appointed Indiana's adjutant general and commanded the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment. Wallace, who attained the rank of major general, participated in the Battle of Fort Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Battle of Monocacy. He also served on the military commission for the trials of the Lincoln assassination conspirators, and presided over the trial of Henry Wirz, the Confederate commandant of the Andersonville prison camp.

Wallace resigned from the U.S. Army in November 1865 and briefly served as a major general in the Mexican Army, before returning to the United States. Wallace was appointed governor of the New Mexico Territory (1878–1881) and served as U.S. minister to the Ottoman Empire (1881–1885). Wallace retired to his home in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he continued to write until his death in 1905.