Mower County transcript., 1892-08-10

AehSoACVS OuO AOI Ol0 IcttSOu UIlHU he COu
keep out Of q fuss" and lived in an era
full OF provocation to lively minded young
fellows wearied with humdrum: and then
ne was minister's son, born to the vice of
erraticism, if not to that of genius Wheat
was Christian, man of culture and sen,
tlment, with an abundance of pride and
jealous self respect thrownin. The Tigers
were tOughs from the toughest of all rem
dezvouses for hard characters, the New
Orleans levees. How the Tigers and the
is strange story.
COL Chatham Roberdeau Wheat was
born Virginia cavalier, an F. +. V, of
Huguenot blood, and was bred to manhood
In that nursery ground of soldiers, the state
OF Tennessee. His grandfather on his
mothers side was that Gen. Robertleau, of
Philadelphia, who footed Continental bills
to the tune of thousands, raised troops and
led them, built forts and defended them,
opened lead mines to manufacture bullets
and put in good work generally in aid of
revolution.
that fell to Bob took fire when the Mexi-
can war broke out, aud he was the first re-
cruit on the roll at Memphis, where he was
a law student just out of his teens
Wheat's father was responsible for the
milder elements of the young mans ma
ture. He was rector of Christ church at
Nashville, and within a few hours after
the call to arms reached the Mississippi
valley, two war letters were travelling in
opposite directions over the stage route
between Memphis and Nashville. One let
ter was from the peace loving rector to the
1oy oxy{vr oTco
son, don't be carried off your feet by the
are really needed, and think it your duty
to volunteer, you may go. But gird your
loins in patience until that hour comes,
This was the letter that passed the
other on its way to the rectory in Nash
vile: 'Dear Pa-'A chip Of the old block ,
l knew you would be ashamed of me if I
did not volunteer as soon as the call came.
My name I am proud to say is the very
first on the list l have been unanimously
elected second lieutenant of a company Of
cavalry. Please send Jim by some careful
hand"
blooded horse, the pride and pet Of the
family, and he was soon making PAGES to.
ward Memphis on the way to the Rio
NAebAOC. " uCttV SCA SCu III Vuc 1cuLCSScC
Mounted volunteers in Gen. Taylor's bat
ties and afterward organized and led Gen.
Scott's bodyguard. His men were we'll
mounted. elaborately uniformed and
equipped and well up in the ornamental
work of headquarters nonsense, and per-
haps the young soldier lived too much
amid wars dazzling splendor and thought
that was the whole of It.
The ~ ha
peace was declared landed hosts of them
in New Orleans, where the uJingo" spirit
was always up against our southern neigh.
bors. Wheat settled there and quickly
made fame as criminal lawyer. He was
in politics, and was success as a stump
orator, but yet he was not happy. At any
rate he couldn't see war flag floating on
the broad surface of the earth but he must
get behind or in front of it.
His first adventure as a foreign com.
batant was with the Spanish American
patriot, Lopez, in the Cuban invasion OF
1850. Lopez was an exiled Spaniard,
whom the Cuban revolutionists had won
to their cause, and raised two expeditions
in the United States to invade the little
island and stand by the insurgent natives.
Wheat was leader of the New Orleans
contingent and sailed from that port with
several hundred men. He had secret
orders from Lopez, and on opening them
at sea found directions to meet Lopez at q
certain point and proceed to Cuba
Wheat summoned his men, and in stir:
ring speech told them that they must at
once throw off all disguise, haul down the
stars and stripes, and like Hagar in the
wilderness, when cast off from the protec-
tion of Abraham, call upon the Almighty
to deliver them from peril and distress.
While the flag was lowered he hailed the
crowd as Soldiers of the liberating army
of Cuba" closing with the challenge:
'Does any one doubt the propriety Of our
undertaking' Does any one fear to go for
A&&