Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-22
GEN. Lew WALLACE STATUE
COMMISSION ON DESIGN AP-
POINTED BY GOVERNOR.
Capt John P. Megrew of This City a
Member-A Bit of
History.

Capt. John 7. Megrew, chief of the cap
itoI police force. today received from the
governor of Indiana notice of his appoint
ment as member of the Cen Lew wal
lace statue commission. Connected with
this appointment is. interesting story
concerning the selection of Gen. Wallace as
one of the representatives of 'the Hoosier
state in the collection of representations of
great Americans in Statuary Hall at the
United States Capitol.
Capt. Megrew served in the civil war as
a member Of Gen. Lew Wa1lace's regiment
the 18th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Dur
ing the four years and three months of
such service he filed every grade from
private to captain. The regiment was or
ganized and taken to the front by Gen.
Wallace, and was with him in nearly all
his campaigns. So when the matter came
up OF selecting son of Indiana whose
statue should be placed in Statuary Hall
with that of Oliver p. Morton. Capt Me-
grew. II Is said was one of the first to set
iorth the claims of Gen. Wallace for that
honor.
There were certain Indianians who claim
eu mat the statue of the late President
BENJAMIN Harrison should be decided upon
while leading Indiana democrats set forth
the claim that the late Thomas A. Hen
bricks should be honored While this con-
troVersy was pending Capt. Megrew went
10 work in the interest of his old wartime
commander. Gen. Wallace He prepared a
memorial to the Legislature of Indiana to
winch he secured the signatures of nine of
the thirteen Indiana members of the House
oi Representatives. as we'll the names oil
several hundred prominent Hoosiers mem
perS Oh the Indiana colony in Washington.
Petition Was Decisive
When this reached the legislature, it is
said, it turned the balance in favor of Gen
Wallace. The memorial requested the leg
islature TO authorize the placing of the
statue in Statuary Hall in the United States
Capitol as ladianas greatest soldier son."
and that a sufficient sum for that purpose
be appropriated.
There was not much oppoSftion to Wal
lace developed in the state senate but the
contest in the house of delegates between
the champions of Wallace. Hendricks and
Harrison waXed warm. When vote was
finally taken on the statue proposition by
the republican caucus it was found tie
legislators had decided in favor of Gen.
Wallaces statue by only two three ma
jority.
Capt Megrew maintains that there has
been much unjust criticism of the military
career of Gen. Lew Wallace, but he believes
history is righting wrong thus done him.
and the fact that his statue is to be placed
in the nations capital the foremost In
diana soldier will do much toward his COM
plete vindication.
1t is the belief of many that Gen. Wal
lace'S fight with Gen. Early at Monocacy
while the latter was advancing with his
army on Washington. was the only thing
that saved the capital from capture. AL
though defeated by Gen. Earlys forces. it
is claimed the men in gray were delayed by
Wallace's attacks sufficiently long to allow
the 9th Corps to reach Fort Stevens and
turn the southerners back
In Other Engagements.
In his fight at Monocacy Gen. Wallace
had with him one division of the 9th Corps
(Ricketts), the only trained troops In his
command. The others were raw levies,
home guards or militia, hastily collected
near Baltimore.
Prior to this affair Gen. Wallace COM
manded a division of the 18th Corps in the
Army of the Tennessee. and participated in
the sanguinary battle of Shiloh. At that
time he was of superior rank to Gen. Sher-
man, who gained laurels al Shiloh, his first
ba tile
Gen. Wallace a soldier in the war
with Mexico was afterward minister to
Turkey and held other responsible public
positions.