Joseph Horace Lewis

Joseph H. Lewis was born near Glasgow, Kentucky on October 29, 1824.[1] He was the son of John and Eliza Martz (Reed) Lewis.[2] His father was a volunteer in the War of 1812, serving under Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans.[2]

Lewis attained his early education in the local public schools.[1] He then matriculated to Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, graduating in 1843.[1] After graduation, he read law under Judge C. C. Thompkins.[2] He was admitted to the bar in 1845 and commenced practice in Glasgow.[1]

Lewis married Sarah Rogers, who died in 1858.[2] The couple had two children – John Lewis and Eliza (Lewis) Burnham.[2]

Lewis was elected as a Whig to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1850.[2] He was re-elected twice, serving until 1855.[2] After the collapse of the Whig Party, Lewis became a Democrat.[2] He was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1856 and 1860.[1]

In September 1861, Lewis volunteered for service in the Confederate Army and was commissioned colonel of the 6th Kentucky Infantry.[2] Following the Battle of Chickamauga, he was promoted to brigadier general for meritorious conduct.[2] He was given command of the Orphan Brigade and remained their commander until the end of the war.[2]

After the war, Lewis returned to Glasgow and resumed the practice of law.[1] He was again elected to the Kentucky House in 1868 and chaired that body's Committee on Education.[2] In 1870, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jacob S. Golladay.[1] At the next general election, he was elected to a full term.[2] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1872.[1] In all, he served from May 10, 1870, to March 3, 1873.[1]

After retiring from Congress, Lewis briefly returned to the practice of law.[1] He was elected judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1874.[1] He was re-elected to subsequent terms and served until 1898.[1] In 1883, Lewis married a widow named Cassandra F. Flournoy Johnson.[3]

After leaving the court, Lewis moved to a farm in Scott County, Kentucky near Georgetown, where he died on July 6, 1904.[1] He was interred in Glasgow Cemetery.[1]

• List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

Media related to Joseph Horace Lewis at Wikimedia Commons

• Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Chicago, Illinois: J.M. Gresham Company. 1896.

• United States Congress. "Joseph Horace Lewis (id: L000289)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
• Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.