In short, an innocent accident destroys Ben Hur’s life and he is betrayed by an old friend. Because of this accident, Ben Hur’s childhood friend and now military officer, Messala, condemns Ben Hur to the galleys while his wife and sister are imprisoned. The tile startles the governor’s horses and Gratus is nearly trampled. In the epic, a tile falls off the roof of the main character’s house when the new governor, Gratus, is passing by. His work knocked Uncle Tom’s Cabin from its top spot, and surpassed Gone With the Wind when Charlton Heston brought it to the big screen.īut where did a Civil War general get the idea for a formative novel about ancient Rome and the story of Jesus? We might have Ulysses S. Lew not only fought in the Civil War, but authored the novel that is one of the best selling in American history. But what you should be thinking of is Union General Lewis Wallace’s impressive goatee. When you think of Ben Hur, your mind probably goes to Charlton Heston riding a chariot around (and around) an arena in the 1959 classic.
Union General Lewis Wallace and his bodacious goatee (Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 111-B-4095) Place of Publication New York, New York, U.S.A.Today’s post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty.Such a man was General Lewis Wallace ("Lew" Wallace by popular agreement with his own wish), whose life would have provided almost as many episodes for stage, screen, or story as the one close-packed and fast-moving story by which, since he wrote it in 1880, he has been known around the world. Occasionally, however, a man whose life is filled with action and public acclaim is able to direct his energy into the writing of at least one book that makes a public appeal, during and after his lifetime, that is equal to the impact of his personality and achievement on the time and places in which he moved.
Lives of authors are usually among the dullest and men of action have little time, and often little gift, for writing. "Real life" and the life of the imagination tend to crowd each other out. Of a man of varied accomplishments who has led a life full of interest and adventure, it is often said, "He could write a book." Usually this is one of the few things that such a man could not do, if only for lack of time. New York, New York, U.S.A.: Airmont Pub Co, 1965.
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