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The Sword & the Pen: A Life of Lew Wallace
From fighting for the cause of freedom during the Civil War to writing of one of the best-selling books of all time, Lew Wallace of Indiana enjoyed a remarkable career that touched the lives of such famous figures in American history as Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, James Garfield, James Whitcomb Riley, and Billy the Kid. The ups and downs of Wallace’s amazing days are told in this new biography for young readers. Written by award-winning Hoosier historian and author Ray E. Boomhower, The Sword and the A Life of Lew Wallace, includes numerous photographs and illustrations of Wallace and the people he met and events he participated in during his lifetime. The book also features information on historic places related to Wallace’s life and times. Growing up when much of Indiana was still a wilderness, Wallace frequently fled from his classroom studies to wander the woods and fields he loved. The son of an Indiana governor, Wallace became passionate about books and combat. He tried to win lasting fame through service for the Union cause on the battlefield during the Civil War, but instead won honor and glory through a quieter writing. His novel A Tale of the Christ, became one of the country’s best-loved books and was made into two successful Hollywood films. At various times in his life, Wallace also was a lawyer, an Indiana state senator, vice president of the court-martial that tried the conspirators behind the assassination of President Lincoln, governor of the New Mexico Territory during the days of outlaw Billy the Kid, and a diplomat who represented the United States in Turkey. Wallace dreamed always of glory and lived a life full of adventures, triumphs, and tragedies. Through it all, he believed in himself and was never afraid to accept new challenges. He remains one of the most colorful and important figures in the Hoosier State’s history.
173 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2005
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About the author
Ray E. Boomhower
43 books28 followersFrom famed World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle to unlucky astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, author and historian Ray E. Boomhower has produced books on a variety of notable figures in Indiana and American history.
Currently senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press, where he edits the quarterly popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Boomhower has also published books on the life of Civil War general and author Lew Wallace, reformer and peace activist May Wright Sewall, U.S. Navy ace Alex Vraciu, and journalist and diplomat John Bartlow Martin.
In 1998 he received the Hoosier Historian award from the Indiana Historical Society and in 2010 he was named winner of the Regional Author Award in the annual Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards. In 2009 his book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary was selected as the winner in the historical nonfiction category of the annual Best Books of Indiana contest sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book. His books have also been finalists in the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
Currently senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press, where he edits the quarterly popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Boomhower has also published books on the life of Civil War general and author Lew Wallace, reformer and peace activist May Wright Sewall, U.S. Navy ace Alex Vraciu, and journalist and diplomat John Bartlow Martin.
In 1998 he received the Hoosier Historian award from the Indiana Historical Society and in 2010 he was named winner of the Regional Author Award in the annual Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards. In 2009 his book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary was selected as the winner in the historical nonfiction category of the annual Best Books of Indiana contest sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book. His books have also been finalists in the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 16, 2015
I really enjoyed this short biography of famous Hoosier, Lew Wallace , even though it was written "for young readers" and not a middle aged guy like me. :-) I recently read Wallace's epic novel, Ben-Hur for the first time and wanted to read more about the author and bought this book via Amazon.com without knowing it was for younger readers. Great bibliography at the end which I will certainly pillage for future reading.
May 4, 2019
Had I realized this is a book written more or less for young adults, I'd probably not have bought it at the Monocacy Battlefield gift shop as I did. However, having read it, I'm glad I did. Lew Wallace led a long and illustrious life and it never hurts, when cracking the ice on a subject, to start with the least intimidating works available.
Lew Wallace lived a number of different lives in his 77 years on this earth. Born in Indiana, he was a lawyer, a politician, a diplomat, a soldier and an author of great renown, something of a standout in a century that produced, in America anyway, a remarkable number of Rennaissance men. Author Ray Boomhower takes us through these lives with dry, simple prose and short chapters, heavily illustrated with photographs and sketches, some of the latter composed by Wallace himself (he was also quite an artist in his way). We follow Wallace from his racketing childhood to a modestly successful law practice to a rocky career in politics, to the Mexican War, where he served as a junior officer, and from there through more law-and-politics until the Civil War, during which he rose to the rank of Major General and fought at Shiloh and Monocacy. The latter battle, though small in scale and a tactical defeat, is credited by most, including U.S. Grant, with saving Washington, D.C. from capture by the Confederate army in the summer of 1864, an event that might have changed the entire course of the Civil War. When the war ended, Wallace continued to labor on his magnum opus, BEN-HUR, which became one of the best-selling books of all time and was eventually made into movies three times. The latter portion of his life was spent as an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, writing more books, and enjoying himself at a palatial home he constructed in Indiana, before dying at 77 years of age with the words, "I am ready to meet my Maker."
What struck me about Wallace's life was both the breadth of his interests and talents -- he was a brave, self-taught soldier, a remarkably astute diplomat (the Ottoman emperor considered him a close friend), a doting and faithful husband, an author of epic abilities, and a small-time inventor -- and the depth of his patriotism. He fought for the North in the Civil War not because he was a Hoosier but because the North was in favor of the Union: had the North opposed it, he would have fought for the Confederacy. And at the age of 70, he volunteered his services to the U.S. Army for a third time when the Spanish-American War broke out. The man was almost Roman in the scope of his personalities and passions. It's true that Boomhower's writing is a bit dry, but the book is not less enjoyable for this fact: I think it does an admirable job of serving as a primer to this remarkable (but not all that well-remembered) American.
Lew Wallace lived a number of different lives in his 77 years on this earth. Born in Indiana, he was a lawyer, a politician, a diplomat, a soldier and an author of great renown, something of a standout in a century that produced, in America anyway, a remarkable number of Rennaissance men. Author Ray Boomhower takes us through these lives with dry, simple prose and short chapters, heavily illustrated with photographs and sketches, some of the latter composed by Wallace himself (he was also quite an artist in his way). We follow Wallace from his racketing childhood to a modestly successful law practice to a rocky career in politics, to the Mexican War, where he served as a junior officer, and from there through more law-and-politics until the Civil War, during which he rose to the rank of Major General and fought at Shiloh and Monocacy. The latter battle, though small in scale and a tactical defeat, is credited by most, including U.S. Grant, with saving Washington, D.C. from capture by the Confederate army in the summer of 1864, an event that might have changed the entire course of the Civil War. When the war ended, Wallace continued to labor on his magnum opus, BEN-HUR, which became one of the best-selling books of all time and was eventually made into movies three times. The latter portion of his life was spent as an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, writing more books, and enjoying himself at a palatial home he constructed in Indiana, before dying at 77 years of age with the words, "I am ready to meet my Maker."
What struck me about Wallace's life was both the breadth of his interests and talents -- he was a brave, self-taught soldier, a remarkably astute diplomat (the Ottoman emperor considered him a close friend), a doting and faithful husband, an author of epic abilities, and a small-time inventor -- and the depth of his patriotism. He fought for the North in the Civil War not because he was a Hoosier but because the North was in favor of the Union: had the North opposed it, he would have fought for the Confederacy. And at the age of 70, he volunteered his services to the U.S. Army for a third time when the Spanish-American War broke out. The man was almost Roman in the scope of his personalities and passions. It's true that Boomhower's writing is a bit dry, but the book is not less enjoyable for this fact: I think it does an admirable job of serving as a primer to this remarkable (but not all that well-remembered) American.
August 14, 2024
Though not great detail in this relatively short summary of his life, the author of Ben-Hur lived an amazing and inspiring life. A civil war hero, territorial governor and ambassador, along with a famous author. He is worthy of a statue in statutory hall at the capital!
December 18, 2023
I just read Ben Hur in the last year and there was a brief story about the author, Lew Wallace. I then watched the 1950's movie Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston. Everyone has seen the famous chariot race scene but I had never seen the entire movie. After reading the book, which I loved, I wanted to find out more about the author, Lew Wallace. He had a very interesting life. Glad I read his story. For decades Ben Hur was the most read and purchased book, with only the Bible having sold more copies. It is also a story of Christ. Highly recommend both books and the movie.
May 7, 2012
This biography of Lew Wallace was a bit dry, but very informative. It was loaned to me by a family friend after I read Ben Hur, and before I went to Crawfordsville, IN to visit Lew Wallace's study. I recommend the book to anyone interested in Lew Wallace. He was certainly more than just the author of Ben Hur -- a lawyer, a general in the Civil War, governor of the New Mexico territory, ambassador to Turkey...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews