The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-12
CHICAGO VIEW OF GEN. WHEELER.
interesting Sketch OF the Soldier by
James O'DonneII Rennett.

] ~N'4'-N9 - DOnneU Bennett war CORE
spondent Of the Chicago Journal, who has
Just returned from Santiago, is writing a
hishly interesting series Of articles on
what he saw in Cuba. for his pIp.r. MI
Bennett was one Of the brightest Of the
many correspondents at the front and Is
I most entertaining writer An article by
MIN giving his Impressions of Gen. Joe
Wheeler should be. therefore. Of particu-
lar interest TO Southern people.
mar. Bennett writes in the Chicago Jour
nal as follows:
Among the personalities 1 came to know
III the course of nearly three months fair
! ~ close assoc adm with The army, that
OF Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler stands out
| az the most amiabls, yet the most SOL
olefly, the most dashing ami still the least
assertVe, the most opan and az the same
time the most cautious
FROM the start he was the soldiers beau
neal, respected by the regulars, liked
Hea'Ily by the volunteers Of the North,
ana adored by those from the South. He
was more and more highly esteemed as
the campaign progressed from days of
preparation at Tampa to days of lighting
around Santiago
AT the start soldiers and civilians used
10 say OF him, Hes no hotel general"
"hIch meant a good deal, because great
--5 SNhNA dlS dt nat Tune seemed 10 De
mere potterers who ate coarse dinners and
changed their clothes and lolled In easy
cnalrs' But that wasn't so of Wheeler
NO sooner had he reached Tampa than
oroers were given for the locating of his
DIVISIONAL headquarters, his tents were up
ms cot set out and the old man was SET
tIeu down to the privations and the rack
et OF camp life after a lapse of 80 years.
once asked him how It seemed TO be
PACK an uniform again, and once more TO
DC sperFnng his days on horseback.
feeI," said he, "as If 1 had had about
,HFee weeks leave and was simply return
airy"
Much has been crowded into his life
slhce last ne had performed those duties
ana IL is significant of the great impress
army life leaves on a mans character.
that though years and years may pass,
ne swings back into the life again with
no shock of surprise and no sense of
change.
Gen. Wheeler was happier camping In
dusty field under the lea of a railroad
or in little cleared patch amid the rain
soaked forests of palms than he ever was
IN the great hotel at Tampa. to which
ne seldom went unless he had business
With some of the sleek, table d'horte war
rioFs When he waswith them he trans
octed MS affairs in a nervous hurry and
got out-asi if the company tired him.
"hlch no doubt it did.
II you sought him at his tent toward
evening When the rush of affairs slack
eheu little, he was ever cordial i'm his
welcome, but with a certain manifestation
OF Dashtuness, as though you had done
MN quite an homer by dropping in.
IN the tiresome days when the foreign
consuis at Santiago had sewed up every
thlng and were jabberine terms of sur
render first with Shafter and then with
Ioral and next among themselves. SOL
ulers used to say: Wen. if we don't
move into Santiago pretty soon, Joe
wheeler viii get Chaffee and I.awton and
me three OF them will march into town
together-surrender or no surrender"
1t was about Wheeler that in a short
time innumerabe stories began to clus-
ter. The unusual part of it was that the
stories always were to his credit one
Tor instance, telling how he had climbed
a tree 10 take an observation and had
remained there until he had finished with
a le1surely examination of the surround
ing country, then carefully wiped his
held glasses and descended. unframed by
sharpshooters and unafraid of them,
lie Is a little delicately built man, with
white, beautifully fashioned hands. and,
as far as the physical goes, does not an
swer at all to ones preconceived notions
of what a general of division should be.
In neither appearance nor bearing is he
like Sheridan, and his face is not stern
and hard like that of his great antagonist,
Sherman, 10 whom he was the source of
so many toilsome days and sleepless
nights more than a generation ago. He
hasn't a suggestion in his thin small
body of the gros3ness of Shaftert or Fitz-
hugh Lee, who are usually red-faced.
putting, perspiring.
Gen. Wheeler's voice is different from
theirs, too, not hoarse and gutteral but
very mild, though precise and clean-cut
in it's tones
Intellectually, he Is alert, tireless and
seeing, AS to his moral character. I
only know that he is a church-goer and a
man who instantly convinces even a su-
perf1cial observer that he is in the pres
ence of peculiarly pure minded and
cEean-living gentleman. Hence, one old
not hear queer stories or rowdv Talk
around his headquarters-not because the
general seemed Puritanical for no man
IS more suaVe-but because visitors had
an instant realization that here was a
guileless nature and a self-respecting, dig
nified man.
l don't think the general was offered
anything like complete opportunity in
Cuba for the expression of his genius. He
had won his fame and beaten his enemies /
as great general Of cavalry, and in CUBA |
he was still a general of cavalry, but com
manding dsmounted troops. Then too, he
could not direct the campaign independent-4
~. Immeasureably greater than the com
handing general, he yet was under MIN.
and so his energies and his talents were |
applied in circumscrlbed field.
But upon the whole army he had de- |
cided moral effect He was ever In the !
line furthest advanced. Men knew that |
between them and disaster was Wheeler, |
and the thought comforted them and gave |
them assurance.
He should have been the man of the |
hour Chance, or politics, or something |
queer, hadt relegated him to the perfor-
nance of the lesser work. That work he |
did nobly, but there was greater work |
lying to his eager hand Destiny in an |
amazing fit of plque held his arm