The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-05-18
WITH WHEELER.
"reminiscences of the Famous Confederate
Cavalry Leader.
". C. Dodson IN atlantic journal.

atlanta journal.
around the rear of the Federal army,
and partially third, which was not
altogether successful, as the yankees
had prepared for us, and we were re-
pulsed.
Twas also with the second raid in
which we lost some men but captured
more prisoners than at the first. L
started with the third raid but was
compelled to return on account OF a
lame horse-the third I had rode down
in that campaign, for Wheeler's "crit-
ter company" didn't know much about
walking horses in those days. a gallop
being our usual gait. On the second
raid among the prisoners was fellow
!! we had mounted on an old gray mare,
which had belonged to one of our COM
pany who had been killed in the melee.
She was very rough gated critter,
and while the other horses were in an
easy lope the old mare was in a long,
swinging trot, and the poor yankee
with his feet out Of the stirrups cling
ing for dear life to the saddle and
bouncing about 6 inches from his seat
at every jump the old mare made was
ridiculous in the extreme. [ rode up
by his side and remarked, "NIy friend,
it seems that you are not accustomed
to riding" The poor fellow replied
between gasps: "Yes-I've rode-in-
a-buggy and-in carriage-but-
never rode like this before.
1t is not safe to trust memory after
all these years, but my recollection is
that the results of this campaign Of
General Wheeler's were the destruc
tion and capture of one thousand and
ten wagons and contents, nearly a
thousand prisoners. remounting many
of his men who needed fresh horses,
and the capture and destruction Of
gun boat on the Cumberland river.
We had the whole Federal army with
out rations for nearly three days.
There is citizen of Atlanta who was
paymaster in the Federal army, and
one day he remarked to me that at the
battle of "Stone River" (that being
the name the Federals called the bat
tle) he had 100000 in his safe and
couldn't buy a pone of corn bread.
OF course I reminded him that [ was
one of the boys who had helped destroy
his rations.
AS said before 1 can tell but little
about General Wheeler's subsequent
campaigns, but the above is a fair
sample. I should scarcely have fat
tered myself that am remembered by
him, but at Nashville last summer he
assured my son that he had not for
gotten the Pelham boys and Dodson
of the Fifty-frst Alabama, and Colonel
Jack Prather of the Eighth Confede
rate. There was a slight disparity
between the positions held by General
Wheeler and myself, the one being
Major General and the other high
! private in the rear rank. But | never
met him that he did not seem to try to
show by his salutation that he re-
spected the private as much as the
private respected the General. 70 me
he was and is the ideal cavalry COM
mander, and l can not help feeling a
personal pride in the fact that my old
commander is one Of the first for
Uncle Sam to call into service. In
my youthful eyes such men as Wheel
cr, Stuart and Wade Hampton "secm-
ed giants, and manhood's more dis
eliminating gaze see them undimin-
ished.'
General Wheeler never asked his
men to go where he would not lead
and for this We loved him, and gladly
rode with him into places where VIC
knew all could not come out alive.