Visitors often ask if Lew Wallace knew Abraham Lincoln. The answer, of course, is yes, though Lew’s brother-in-law Henry S. Lane was likely closer to Lincoln. Lew and Lincoln had a lot in common. They both spent their boyhoods in rural parts of Indiana along the Wabash River. They both […]
Lew Wallace
81 posts
Lew Wallace’s 1881 appointment as US Minister to the Ottoman Empire provided him with many opportunities to travel in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today I’ll be focusing on the Wallaces’ travels in Europe. Traveling to Europe On their way to the Ottoman Empire, Lew and Susan arrived at Queenstown, Ireland, […]
Soon after his arrival in the Middle East, Lew Wallace helped Jews fleeing to Syria from the pogroms of Russia and Romania. Officials of the Ottoman Empire did not welcome these poor refugees. However, Lew used his friendship with the Sultan to obtain a reprieve for the refugees. He also […]
“Give us something about the Nile they say. Tell how the Sphinx looks; is the nose really knocked off? and how about the Pyramids, are they equal to their fame? and were you disappointed in Karnak?” – Susan E. Wallace, The Repose in Egypt Susan Wallace traveled with her husband […]
Lew Wallace’s most widely remembered military exploits were the result of his participation in the Civil War. However, his interest in the military predated his Civil War experiences by many decades. His participation in the Mexican War began a lifelong love of Mexico His father, David, had attended West Point. […]
The Grand Kankakee Marsh, once known as the Everglades of the North, was a very important place to Lew Wallace. Everglades of the North The Grand Kankakee Marsh spread across Indiana, from western St. Joseph County, into Illinois. This “Everglades of the North” covered more than 500,000 acres of land […]
In 1893, Harper and Brothers published Lew Wallace’s third novel, The Prince of India; or, Why Constantinople Fell. They paid Lew a $100,000 advance for the novel; he apparently decided it was time to invest in real estate. As a result, he and his son Henry began planning a luxury […]
President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Lew Wallace as Governor of New Mexico Territory in September 1878. He arrived in Santa Fe on September 30. Susan and their 25-year-old son Henry arrived in New Mexico in early February 1879. Rail Travel to New Mexico Susan later wrote about her trip to […]
We often see comments online about Lew Wallace betraying William Bonney–Billy the Kid. The situation really wasn’t as clear-cut as that. Corrupt officials and the Lincoln County War complicated Lew’s relationship with Billy. In September 1878, President Hayes appointed Lew Wallace Governor of New Mexico Territory. Lew spent four days […]
Lew Wallace spent the Christmas holidays in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1876. He wasn’t there to enjoy the sunshine and orange groves—rather, he was there as a “visiting statesman” for the Republican Party in the fallout of one of the most contested Presidential elections in history. It was, in fact, even […]