OTTAWA — The Ottawa Avenue Cemetery Association and the Reddick Mansion Association present a weekend of events honoring the life and death of General William H.L Wallace, one of LaSalle County’s greatest Civil War heroes. Several events have been planned on April 14 and 15 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Wallace’s death.

Born in Ohio in 1821, Will Wallace moved to Illinois with his family in 1834. Twelve years later while a lawyer in Ottawa, he enlisted in and was promoted to an officer in the Mexican War. In 1851, he married Martha “Ann” Dickey, the daughter of his law partner.

Wallace enlisted for the Northern Cause for the Civil War in 1861. General W. H. L. Wallace is credited for withstanding a Confederate onslaught during the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, 1862. He was shot through the head while he stood in the saddle to get a better view of the battlefield. Wallace died on April 10, 1862, from wounds he received during the battle. His wife, Ann, was with him during the last days of his life. Will and Ann Wallace, along with their adopted daughter, are buried in a private family cemetery on Ottawa’s north bluff.