-
Born to David and Esther Wallace in Brookville, Indiana
-
Lew begins working as a copyist for the Marion County Clerk and begins studying the law at night.
-
Lew serves as a 2nd Lieutenant of the 1st Indiana Volunteers in Mexican-American War, but sees little action.
-
Lew passes the bar exam to get his law degree
-
Lew sets up law practice in Covington, Indiana
-
Lew marries Susan Elston, daughter of Isaac Elston.
-
Lew is elected to Indiana State Senate; Lew organizes the Montgomery Guards, a militia unit that gains him statewide notoriety.
-
Lew is appointed Adjutant General of Indiana to begin organizing Indiana’s soldiers; Lew becomes Colonel of the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
-
Lew promoted to Major General and commands troops in Tennessee battles of Forts Donelson and Henry and Shiloh; Lew organizes a successful defense of Cincinnati, Ohio, in September.
-
Lew is appointed Commander of the 8th Army Corps at Baltimore by President Lincoln; Lew leads troops in the Battle of Monocacy, which saves Washington, D.C., from Confederate assault.
-
Lew leads secret mission in Mexico to stop flow of goods into the Confederacy; Lew is appointed second in command of the Lincoln assassination trial; Lew is appointed President of the Court for the trial of Henry Wirz, the commander of Andersonville prison.
-
Lew returns to Mexico and supplies the Juaristas with arms in their successful attempt to overthrow Maximillian.
-
A marble statue of Lew placed in Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol Building in Washington; A copy of the statue is placed on the Study grounds in Crawfordsville (image at right courtesy of Architect of the Capitol).
