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Publishing Lew and Susan Wallace in the Twenty-first Century
THOMAS A. MASON, MARCIA R. CAUDELL, SUZANNE S. BELLAMY, AND RAY E. BOOMHOWER
| Lew Wallace's importance as a subject for serious historical investigation does not rest on his having held high office or on his accomplishments in a single discipline or field. Rather it derives from his exceptional achievements in a wide range of endeavors during the years between the Civil War and the Progressive Era. He served in the Civil War as a colonel of the 11th Indiana, as a brigadier general, and then, to great controversy, as a major general commanding the 3rd division of the Army of the Tennessee at the battle of Shiloh. After the war, he wrote Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which Emelyn Eldredge Story considered "the book of books of this age." Published in 1880, the book is an important document for the cultural and intellectual history of late nineteenth-century America.1 |
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It is also significant that Wallace, as a writer, diplomat, and speaker, enjoyed such high standing within the Republican Party and the nation. The success of Ben-Hur, and the public approval it received, considerably enhanced his influence within the GOP. In fact, President James A. Garfield decided to appoint him minister to the Ottoman Empire, rather than chargé d'affaires to Paraguay and Bolivia, after he read the book. Wallace was even able to exert influence on the floor of the Republican National Convention in 1888, which to his delight nominated his longtime friend Benjamin Harrison for the presidency. His rapidly written campaign biography of Harrison helped to achieve the Hoosier's victory.2 |
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Lew Wallace's friendships with and access to prominent politicians, presidents, and military leaders (which even a well-placed observer like Henry Adams must have envied), and his active participation in, or close observance of, key events and trends make him an ideal subject for documentary treatment. Because his assembled papers accurately mirror his experiences, and because his honesty and sensibilities united to produce a valuable commentary, The Papers of Lew and Susan Wallace documentary edition will serve as an enduring research collection for scholars and researchers in several historical fields. Additionally, Wallace's ability to speak meaningfully to the serious-minded popular audience of the Civil War generation and to give expression to its ideals, fears, and anxieties makes him a key figure for broad historical investigations and reassessments of the postwar era or Gilded Age—thus it seems certain that the publication of The Papers of Lew and Susan Wallace will have continuing effects on the interpretation and reinterpretation of late nineteenth-century American culture.3 |
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Susan Wallace was one of many women to enjoy her own career as a popular writer in the late nineteenth century. This fact alone makes her papers significant for women's history and the history of post–Civil War popular culture, but since her life was closely tied to her husband's, her correspondence and work also complement his. Her letters to mutual friends often related anecdotes and inside accounts of his official activities, while providing a valuable perspective on their social and domestic life and circle of official and personal acquaintances. This perspective is particularly important for the Wallaces' periods in New Mexico and Turkey. Since most of Susan's letters to Lew were either destroyed or lost, her letters to third parties frequently provide information about him not found elsewhere—and his responses to her and his other correspondents also serve to re-create her documentary record. For these reasons, Susan Wallace's papers properly and usefully belong in this comprehensive collected edition. |
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