Scores
of Federal officers were awarded post-war brevets as brigadier generals. Some
of the men who received the strictly honorary title had long and distinguished
records; others knew how to pull political strings.
Because
he was not among those to whom: “honorary and temporary promotions” were given,
the name of Col. Eli Lilly does not appear in standard Civil War dictionaries
and encyclopedias. In postwar years, however, the man who was bypassed when
congressmen and senators handed out large numbers of brevets headed an
Indianapolis pharmaceutical firm. Because his corporation was a pioneer in
making and distributing insulin and other life-saving medications, the name of
Eli Lilly is now familiar around the world.
