Joseph Horace Lewis (October 29, 1824 – July 6, 1904) was an American lawyer, military leader and politician. He served as a brigadier general in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and later a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and justice of the

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illino ...

, the

court of last resort In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in Kentucky at the time.

Early life and family

Joseph H. Lewis was born near

Glasgow, Kentucky Glasgow is a home rule-class city in Barren County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. Glasgow is the principal city of the Glasgow micropolitan area, which comprises Barren and Metcalfe counties. The population was 15,01 ...

on October 29, 1824."Lewis, Joseph Horace". ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' He was the son of John and Eliza Martz (Reed) Lewis.''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 157 His father was a volunteer in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, serving under

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. Lewis attained his early education in the local public schools. He then matriculated to

Centre College Centre College, formally Centre College of Kentucky, is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, United States. Chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819, the col ...

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micr ...

, graduating in 1843. After graduation, he

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

under Judge C. C. Thompkins. He was admitted to the bar in 1845 and commenced practice in Glasgow. Lewis married Sarah Rogers, who died in 1858. The couple had two children – John Lewis and Eliza (Lewis) Burnham.

Political career

Lewis was elected as a Whig to the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

in 1850. He was re-elected twice, serving until 1855. After the collapse of the Whig Party, Lewis became a Democrat. He was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

in 1856 and 1860. In September 1861, Lewis volunteered for service in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

and was commissioned

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the 6th Kentucky Infantry. Following the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

, he was promoted to brigadier general for meritorious conduct. He was given command of the

Orphan Brigade The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The brigade was the largest Confederate unit to be ...

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

in 1874. He was re-elected to subsequent terms and served until 1898. In 1883, Lewis married a widow named Cassandra F. Flournoy Johnson.''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 158 After leaving the court, Lewis moved to a farm in

Scott County, Kentucky Scott County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,155. Scott County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and ...

near Georgetown, where he died on July 6, 1904. He was interred in Glasgow Cemetery.

Notes

References

* * Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Joseph Horace 1824 births 1904 deaths Centre College alumni Confederate States Army brigadier generals Judges of the Kentucky Court of Appeals Kentucky lawyers Kentucky Whigs Whig Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People of Kentucky in the American Civil War People from Barren County, Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century Kentucky state court judges 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly

Early life and family

Political career

See also

Notes

References