Brookville, In. — On Sunday, May 19 the statue of Lew Wallace was dedicated on the Franklin County Courthouse lawn in Brookville. Wallace was born in Brookville in 1827 and is credited with helping to defend the city of Cincinnati during the Civil War.
The project was funded by a grant received by the Franklin County Historical Society and managed by Wayne Bauer. The ceremony was highlighted by the 11th Indiana Infantry Company D, Civil War re-enactors.
In 1846 he was a member of Zachary Taylor’s Army, he mustered out in 1847 as a first lieutenant and did not see combat. After law school, he served as a prosecuting attorney in Indiana’s first congressional district and also served in the Indiana Senate as a Democrat.
Wallace returned to the military following the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. He participated in the battle at Shiloh and in 1862 successfully repelled an attack on Cincinnati by “Braxton Bragg’s Incursion.” Wallace also participated in the defense against John Hunt Morgan’s raid into southern Indiana.
He was a diplomat, author and inventor later in life. He died at the age of 77 in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
His maternal grandfather, John Test was a circuit court judge and U.S. Congressman and his father was a graduate of the United States Military Academy, served in the Indiana General Assembly, Indiana Lt. Governor and Governor.
