CINCINNATI
 CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE
Serving Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana Since 1956

Next Meeting: Thursday, May 16, 2013

Speaker: Gail Stephens, Monocacy National Battlefield

Topic: General Lew Wallace

General Lew Wallace, Library of Congress

For our May meeting, we welcome for the first time Gail Stephens, currently a devoted volunteer at the Monocacy National Battlefield near Frederick, Maryland. Gail is an expert on several Civil War topics, but the life of Major General Lew Wallace is one of her favorites. Gail speaks about Major General Wallace with excellent credentials. Her book, Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War (Indiana Historical Press, 2010) is a well written and handsomely illustrated volume that closely examines this complicated military figure (the book won the Civil War Forum of New York City’s William Henry Seward Award for best Civil War biography).

Gail will discuss how General Wallace in the spring of 1862 was a rising star in the Union army. At age 35, he was the youngest Major General in the ranks. But Wallace’s military career faced a dangerous setback at the 1862 Battle of Shiloh. During the first day of that battle, Wallace’s division mysteriously failed to appear where needed, though his command was only a short distance away. Later, Ulysses Grant attributed Wallace’s late arrival as a failure to obey orders, an accusation that normally would ruin many a commanding officer. But Wallace’s career continued. Gail will briefly discuss Wallace’s role as military commander of Cincinnati, and his contribution to the successful defense of the city in September 1862 against a Confederate threat. Gail will naturally pay particular focus to the Battle of Monocacy (July 1864). Given command in Maryland, Wallace used his chance to redeem himself well, holding off a superior Confederate force led by Jubal Early, evidently intent on threatening the nation’s capital. Though, in reality, Early’s attack was perhaps more an attempt to divert Union forces from the Shenandoah Campaign, nevertheless Monocacy became known as the battle “that saved Washington,” and Wallace regained much of his reputation with his performance.

After working 26 years for the Department of Defense, Gail retired in 1994 from the Department’s Senior Executive Service. She then began an earnest study of the Civil War, leading to her volunteer tenure at Monocacy and a lecture circuit on several topics, including the Battle of Monocacy, Major General Lew Wallace and the 1864 Maryland Campaign. In 2002, Gail won the National Park Service’s E.W. Peterkin award for her contributions to public understanding of Civil War history. Gail currently serves on the boards of the General Lew Wallace Study Museum and the Western Maryland Interpretive Association. In addition to her wonderful book, Gail has written articles on Lew Wallace and Jubal Early’s 1864 invasion for several Civil War publications, including the magazine, North & South.

Gail will have copies of her book, Shadow of Shiloh: General Lew Wallace in the Civil War, available for sale at the meeting. She will gladly accept a personal check or cash from you and, of course, will be happy to personally sign your copy. Publisher's link: Shadow of Shiloh