Conversation so far:
What was Lew Wallace's early life like as a child?
In 1832 the family moved to Covington, Indiana, where Lew's mother died from tuberculosis on July 14, 1834.
What happened to him after she died?
Lew began his formal education at the age of six at a public school in Covington, but he much preferred the outdoors.
Did he finish public school?
Sixteen-year-old Lew went out to earn his own wages in 1842, after his father refused to pay for more schooling.
What did he do to earn more wages?
Wallace found a job copying records at the Marion County clerk's office and lived in an Indianapolis boardinghouse.

Question: When did he join the military?
Self-contained rewrite: When did Lew Wallace join the military?