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Lew Wallace, General.
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Lew Wallace was a General in the Union Army during the Civil War. A general is a leader who commands and directs soldiers on the battlefield.

Lew Wallace’s most famous fight of the Civil War was the Battle of Monocacy in Maryland in 1864. Confederate General Jubal Early was marching toward Washington, D.C., with the goal of capturing the capitol. General Early had at least four times as many men as General Lew Wallace. Although Wallace could not win the battle, he slowed down the Confederate troops by 24 hours. That was enough time for Union soldiers to travel to Washington, D.C. and set up a good defense. The capitol was never taken by the Confederate Army.

A Civil War general led a much different life than a general in the U.S. Army today. The soldiers all wore wool coats and pants. Can you imagine wearing a wool coat, which is as heavy as your winter jacket, in July? You can see Lew Wallace's uniforms on display at the Museum.

Soldiers usually traveled on foot, while the generals rode horseback. Soldiers sometimes had to walk for many days just to reach a battle site. When they were lucky, the soldiers would travel by train. In today's battles, soldiers can be transported halfway around the world in a few hours.

Soldiers suffered horrible diseases on the battlefields. The food they ate often had germs in it that made them sick. Antibiotics had not been invented and anesthetics (medicine to numb pain) were not very good. Many soldiers died on the battlefield from wounds. Today, wounded soldiers are taken to military field hospitals in helicopters.

Lew Wallace did his best to provide doctors, good food and clothing, and trains to ride in for his men.

Interesting Links:

The Generals of the American Civil War

Civil War Uniforms

National Museum of Civil War Medicine