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Life and Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace
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Life and Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace Paperback - 2000

by Isabel Wallace; Foreword by John Y. Simon


From the publisher

Originally published in 1909, this biography by Isabel Wallace recounts the life of her adoptive father, the little-recognized William Hervy Lamme Wallace, the highest-ranking Union officer to fall at the battle of Shiloh.

Born in 1821 in Ohio, Wallace and his family moved to Illinois in 1834, where he was educated at Rock Springs Seminary in Mount Morris. On his way to study law with Abraham Lincoln in Springfield in 1844, Wallace was persuaded by local attorney T. Lyle Dickey, a close friend of Lincoln, to join his practice in Ottawa instead. Wallace eventually married Dickey's daughter, Martha Ann, in 1851.

When the Civil War broke out, both Wallace and Dickey immediately volunteered for service with the Eleventh Illinois, which assembled in Springfield. Wallace was elected as the unit's colonel; a successful lawyer, a friend of President Lincoln, a generation older than most privates, and an officer with Mexican War experience, he was entirely suited for such command. Wallace was appointed brigadier general for his performance at Fort Donelson, the first notable Union victory in the Civil War. Wallace's troops had saved the day, although the Eleventh Illinois had lost nearly two-thirds of its men. He then moved with his troops to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, where Confederates launched a surprise attack on the forces of Major General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh Church on Sunday, April 6, 1862. Wallace, who held only temporary command of one of Grant's six divisions, fought bravely but was mortally wounded as he began to withdraw his men on the afternoon of the battle. His wife, who had arrived at Pittsburg Landing by steamer on the day of the battle, was at his side when he died three days later. Grant praised Wallace in 1868 as "the equal of the best, if not the very best, of the Volunteer Generals with me at the date of his death."

Isabel Wallace traces her father's life from his upbringing in Ottawa through his education, his service in the Mexican War, his law practice, his courtship of and marriage to her mother, and his service in the Eleventh Illinois until his mortal injury at Shiloh. She also details his funeral and her and her mother's life in the postwar years. Based on the copious letters and family papers of the general and his wife, the biography also provides historical information on federal politics of the period, including commentary on Lincoln's campaign and election and on state politics, especially regarding T. Lyle Dickey, Wallace's father-in-law and law partner, prominent Illinois politician, and associate of Lincoln. It is illustrated with fifteen black-and-white halftones.

Details

  • Title Life and Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace
  • Author Isabel Wallace; Foreword by John Y. Simon
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 264
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale
  • Date 2000-09
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780809323487 / 0809323486
  • Weight 0.71 lbs (0.32 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.77 x 5.53 x 0.82 in (19.74 x 14.05 x 2.08 cm)
  • Reading level 1280
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1851-1899
    • Topical: Civil War
  • Library of Congress subjects United States, United States - History - Civil War,
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 00038784
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About the author

Isabel Wallace was only four years old when her father fell at Shiloh. She lived at The Oaks, the family home in Ottawa, Illinois, until her death in 1933.

John Y. Simon is a professor of history at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is the editor of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, published by Southern Illinois University Press.

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Life and Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace
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Life and Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace

by Wallace, Isabel

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Life & Letters of General W.H. Wallace. (Reprint of 1909 first edition)
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Life & Letters of General W.H. Wallace. (Reprint of 1909 first edition)

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Life & Letters of General W.H. Wallace. (Reprint of 1909 first edition)
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Life & Letters of General W.H. Wallace. (Reprint of 1909 first edition)

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Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000. Reprint of 1909 Edition. Paperback. Near Fine. Recounts the life of the little-recognized William Hervey Lamme Wallace, the hightest-ranking Union officer to fall at the battle of Shiloh." 231 pages; 5 1/2 x 8
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Life and Letters of Gen W. H. L. Wallace (Shawnee Classics)
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Life and Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace
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Life and Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace (Shawnee Classics)
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Life & Letters Of General W.H.L. Wallace
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Life & Letters Of General W.H.L. Wallace

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