W.H.L. Wallace
Encyclopedia
William Hervey Lamme Wallace (July 8, 1821 – April 10, 1862), more commonly known as W.H.L. Wallace, was a lawyer and a Union
general in the American Civil War
, considered by Ulysses S. Grant
to be one of the Union's greatest generals.
, the son of John Wallace and Mary Lamme Wallace. In 1836, he was educated at Rock River Seminary in Mount Morris, Illinois
. Although he planned to study law with Abraham Lincoln
in Springfield
, he joined Theophilus Lyle Dickey
's practice in Ottawa, Illinois
, instead. (Dickey was a friend of Lincoln's and would eventually be a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court.) In 1851 he married Dickey's daughter, Martha Ann. Wallace became licensed in law in 1846 and that same year he joined the 1st Illinois Infantry as a private. He rose to the rank second lieutenant and adjutant and participated in the Battle of Buena Vista
along with a few other minor engagements. After this brief experience in the Mexican-American War he became district attorney in 1853.
. He was then elected the unit's colonel. He rose up the ranks and commanded a brigade of Brig. Gen. John A. McClernand's division of Grant's Army of the Tennessee
at the Battle of Fort Donelson
in 1862. During the battle much of McClernand's division had been driven back with heavy losses and Wallace's coolness under fire was especially noted. Brig. Gen. Lew Wallace
described the colonel as looking like a "farmer coming from a hard day's plowing". After this first time meeting upon the Fort Donelson battlefield, the two quickly learned each possessed the same surname
and had commanded their respective states' 11th regiments, prompting Lew Wallace to muse the coincidence must have caused "great profanity in the army post office".
For his service at Fort Donelson Colonel Wallace was appointed a brigadier general
of volunteers. During the expedition to Savannah, Tennessee
Maj. Gen. Charles Ferguson Smith
injured his leg and was forced to turn over command of his division
to General Wallace. At the Battle of Shiloh
, Wallace was a new division commander, yet he managed to withstand six hours of assaults by the Confederates
, directly next to the famous Hornet's Nest, or Sunken Road. When his division was finally surrounded, he ordered a withdrawal and many escaped, but he was mortally wounded and only later found barely alive on the battlefield by his troops. They carried him to his wife, who helped tend to him on the way back to General Grant's headquarters in the Cherry Mansion in Savannah, Tennessee
. He died three days later in his wife's arms; his last words were "We meet in heaven." He is buried in LaSalle County, Illinois, in Ottawa. His war horse, Prince, is buried next to the General he carried into battle at Shiloh.
Wallace County, Kansas
, was named in his honor in 1868.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
general in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, considered by Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
to be one of the Union's greatest generals.
Early life and career
Wallace was born in Urbana, OhioUrbana, Ohio
Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army. Urbana was named after the town of Urbanna, Virginia. It is the burial-place of the Indian fighter...
, the son of John Wallace and Mary Lamme Wallace. In 1836, he was educated at Rock River Seminary in Mount Morris, Illinois
Mount Morris, Illinois
Mount Morris is a village in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census, down from 3,013 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mount Morris is located at ....
. Although he planned to study law with Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, he joined Theophilus Lyle Dickey
Theophilus Lyle Dickey
Theophilus Lyle Dickey was an Illinois jurist and military leader.-Pre-war life:Born in Paris, Kentucky, Colonel Dickey moved to Macomb, Illinois in 1834 to study law under Cyrus Walker and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1835...
's practice in Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
, instead. (Dickey was a friend of Lincoln's and would eventually be a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court.) In 1851 he married Dickey's daughter, Martha Ann. Wallace became licensed in law in 1846 and that same year he joined the 1st Illinois Infantry as a private. He rose to the rank second lieutenant and adjutant and participated in the Battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...
along with a few other minor engagements. After this brief experience in the Mexican-American War he became district attorney in 1853.
Civil War service
At the start of the Civil War, Wallace volunteered as a private with the 11th Illinois, which was assembled in SpringfieldSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
. He was then elected the unit's colonel. He rose up the ranks and commanded a brigade of Brig. Gen. John A. McClernand's division of Grant's Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
at the Battle of Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
in 1862. During the battle much of McClernand's division had been driven back with heavy losses and Wallace's coolness under fire was especially noted. Brig. Gen. Lew Wallace
Lew Wallace
Lewis "Lew" Wallace was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician and author...
described the colonel as looking like a "farmer coming from a hard day's plowing". After this first time meeting upon the Fort Donelson battlefield, the two quickly learned each possessed the same surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
and had commanded their respective states' 11th regiments, prompting Lew Wallace to muse the coincidence must have caused "great profanity in the army post office".
For his service at Fort Donelson Colonel Wallace was appointed a brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of volunteers. During the expedition to Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah is a city in Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,917 at the 2000 census and the 2007 population estimate was 7,262. It is the county seat of Hardin County. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996-2007. Savannah is home to...
Maj. Gen. Charles Ferguson Smith
Charles Ferguson Smith
Charles Ferguson Smith was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War and as a Union General in the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
injured his leg and was forced to turn over command of his division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
to General Wallace. At the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, Wallace was a new division commander, yet he managed to withstand six hours of assaults by the Confederates
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
, directly next to the famous Hornet's Nest, or Sunken Road. When his division was finally surrounded, he ordered a withdrawal and many escaped, but he was mortally wounded and only later found barely alive on the battlefield by his troops. They carried him to his wife, who helped tend to him on the way back to General Grant's headquarters in the Cherry Mansion in Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah is a city in Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,917 at the 2000 census and the 2007 population estimate was 7,262. It is the county seat of Hardin County. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996-2007. Savannah is home to...
. He died three days later in his wife's arms; his last words were "We meet in heaven." He is buried in LaSalle County, Illinois, in Ottawa. His war horse, Prince, is buried next to the General he carried into battle at Shiloh.
Wallace County, Kansas
Wallace County, Kansas
Wallace County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 1,485. It has the second lowest population of any county in Kansas. Greeley County has the lowest. Its county seat is Sharon Springs. It was created in 1868 and named in honor of...
, was named in his honor in 1868.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
Further reading
- Huffstodt, Jim, Hard Dying Men: the story of General W. H. L. Wallace, General T. E. G. Ransom, and their 'Old Eleventh' Illinois Infantry in the American Civil War (1861–1865), Heritage Press, Bowie, MD, 1991.
External links
- Biography of W.H.L. Wallace
- Ottawa Visitors Center Ottawa, IllinoisOttawa, IllinoisOttawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...