Learn about the life of Civil War general and Hoosier author Lew Wallace, as portrayed by Terry Furgason.
Terry Furgason is a scholar of the American Civil War. His interest in portraying General Lew Wallace was driven by that study and his deep respect and admiration for General Wallace as a soldier, writer, and inventor. He researches and reads extensively about General Wallace to deliver an accurate persona of the General. His presentation is in first person, quoting from General Wallace’s autobiography, the statements of those who fought with him in the Civil War, and other biographical texts. He also uses articles, speeches, and letters from the General.
A member of the Vernon Greys and 6th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Mr. Furgason is a Civil War reenactor and a living historian. The Vernon Greys were a part of the 9th Regiment of the Indiana Legion (the state militia) during the Civil War. It was at Vernon that the militia reinforced by troops led by Major General Lew Wallace turned Confederate raider General John Hunt Morgan without a battle and captured some of his men.
Mr. Furgason is also a member and Past Camp Commander of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, John B. Anderson Camp #223. Likewise, he participates with the Sons of Veterans Reserve for commemoration ceremonies.
Mr. Furgason holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Secondary Education from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Education from Ball State University. A career educator who taught at the junior and senior high school levels, he recently retired as an English teacher from Jennings County High School.
He and his wife Janelle, who live in North Vernon, Indiana, have two adult sons and two grandchildren.
