Politician in Uniform: General Lew Wallace and the Civil War by Christopher R. Mortenson (review)

Christopher R. Mortenson’s Politician in Uniform: General Lew Wallace and the Civil War argues that political general Lew Wallace made important political and military contributions to the Union war effort. According to Mortenson, Wallace was a “temperamental officer” who vehemently longed to see military action and be remembered as a war hero (p. xi). Despite having early success, by the war’s end Wallace had failed to attain the glory he desired. Mortenson attributes Wallace’s failure to his inability to respect authority, follow orders, get along with professionally trained officers, and keep his personal ambitions in check. Wallace’s ambition led to his removal from the battlefield and placement “on the shelf” for a more political role (p. 97). Despite partially redeeming his military reputation at the battle of Monocacy in 1864, he was never able to fully mend the bad relationships he formed with Edwin M. Stanton, Henry W. Halleck, and Ulysses S. Grant. Nevertheless, Wallace’s political work helped him win favor with the Abraham Lincoln administration. For the rest of his life, Wallace held a grudge against West Point–trained officers because he “believe[d] that some sort of West Point conspiracy led by Henry Halleck had derailed his military career” (p. 198). As a result, Wallace died without recognizing his faults and understanding how his own ambition led to the end of his military career.

As a boy, Wallace frequently rebelled against his father’s authority. Mortenson attributes Wallace’s rebellious spirit to losing his mother at the early age of seven. In the nineteenth century, mothers were responsible for helping boys “bridge the gap” to manhood (p. 10). As Mortenson sees it, the absence of Wallace’s mother contributed to Wallace’s aggressive nature as an adult. Even though his father quickly remarried, Wallace rejected his stepmother. As a result, Wallace “grew to embrace notions of manhood that seemed more martial or rough, rather than restrained or gentlemanly” (p. 10). Although his father wanted him to become a lawyer, Wallace wanted a life of adventure and glory. In fact, one wonders if Wallace’s disdain for West Point officers stems from his relationship with his father, who was a West Point graduate.

Like the men Carol Reardon writes about in With a Sword in One Hand and Jomini in the Other: The Problem of Military Thought in the Civil War North (Chapel Hill, 2012), Wallace thought that he was just as qualified for military service and leadership positions as the professionally trained officers from West Point, even though he obtained his commission through political means. A veteran with modest experience in the U.S.-Mexican War, Wallace demanded that his superiors treat him as an equal. Yet Wallace’s strong desire for glory, fame, and honor naturally put him at odds with the West Point–trained officers who emphasized respect for authority, discipline, and order. Mortenson argues that Wallace’s “attitude problem” is best explained through a gendered lens. He applies Amy S. Greenberg’s definitions of “restrained” and “martial” masculinities and Lorien Foote’s conception of “gentlemen” and “roughs” to show that Wallace’s understanding of what it meant to be a man put him at odds with the manhood taught at West Point (p. 6). While West Pointers “embraced a more restrained, gentlemanly, and communal manhood,” Wallace leaned “toward the martial and rough notions” of masculinity (pp. 7, 191).

While there have been several Lew Wallace biographies published recently, Mortenson’s contribution is the most comprehensive: it addresses Wallace’s upbringing, military career, successful recruiting, aborted peace mission in Texas, role in the case of the Abraham Lincoln assassination conspirators, and service as the court president of the military commission conducting Andersonville prison commandant Henry Wirz’s trial. Overall, Mortenson’s biography provides a clear examination of Wallace’s actions, decisions, and contributions on and off the battlefield...