Lew Wallace: An Unsung Hoosier Hero

Indianapolis, IN

Lew Wallace is undoubtedly one of the most important Hoosiers of the nineteenth century. His long list of achievements lie within the fields of politics, military valor, and creative writing. The aim of the thesis is to highlight these capstone moments in Lew Wallace's life such as his upbringing, his political career, his military experience, and his talent as an author in order to shed light on a Hoosier that does not seem to receive the recognition that he deserves. I will begin the paper by looking at Wallace's childhood. His attitude from an early age would put him on the path that would lead to his controversial military experiences and his success as an author and politician. Next, the paper will move to a discussion of Wallace's military command. This includes both the supposed failure at the Battle of Shiloh as well as the efforts at Monocacy. The third portion of the paper will examin Wallace's political life after the Civil War, and his efforts in that respect. This includes his work as the governor of the New Mexico territory and his work as minister to the Ottoman Empire. The fourth section of the paper examines Wallace's success as an author. This focuses primarily on the work that became the best-seller of his time, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. At the end of the paper, I hope to illuminate the idea that Wallace, despite his flaws, is worthy of more Hoosier praise, which I feel he does not receive.