The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-20


feTed heavy losses in the battle, but Col
Wheeler. according to the official report
of Gen. Chalmers, his brigade commander
''braVely charged al the head of the small
remnant of his regiment and the remnant
of the Mississippiaus, bearing the regi-
ment colors aloft." In this charge two
horses were shot under him. Wheeler's
horse always offered a better target than
the rider, and before the end of the war
sixteen had been shot and killed under
him in battle. In October. 1862, he was
made brigadier general, and in January,
1853 he was made a major general. His mil
itary record was one of the brightest He
was i'm the battles of Shiloh and Farming
ton, Miss; the fights around Corinth
Perryville. Murfreesborough Chickamau-
ga, the siege of Knoxville, Ringgoid,
Rocky Ford, Dalton, Resaca, Cassville,
New Hope, battles around Kcnesaw Noun
tain. battle of Peach Tree Creek. Decatur,
battles around Atlanta, siege Of Savannah.
battles of AverysboTough and BentonVilie.
Besides being in over 800 skirmishes, Gen.
| Wheeler commanded in more than 200 bait
| ties, many of which, considering the num-
| bers engaged, were among the most Sc
| we're and successful recorded in the history
| of cavalry.
Gen. Wheeler led the cavalry troops in
| Bragg's invasion of Kentucky, command
! ed the rear of the army when it retreated
! into Tennessee, and in contesting Rose
| Grams advance, attacking his TANKS, raid
ing in the rear and destroying trains,
proved one of the most formidable oppO-
nents to the federal forces. He led the
cavalry in Longstreets attack on Knox
Vile and during the siege, and covered
| Bragg's retreat from Missionary Ridge
and Lookout mountain. In the face of
| Sherman's march to the sea he opposed
| every movement and fought almost daily,
| hi a
in a herioc attempt under Hoods orders
| to break Shermans communications. and
| though successful i'm destroying many ma
tional supplies, bridges, and railroads
was finally driven back. On the death of
Stuart he became senior cavalry general
of the Confederate army.
During the war no fewer than thirty
two of his staff officers were killed or
wounded while riding beside him in battle
He himself did not always come off scot
/ free. He was wounded three times slight
ly and once painfully, as he puts it, and
his saddle and equipments and clothes
were frequently struck by missiles. The
painful wound was received in an en-
gagement near Nashville, Tenn, after
Bragg's retreat from Kentucky, in 1862.
On this occasion Gen. Wheler's horse was
torn to pieces by an exploding shell, his
aide was killed beside him, and himself
wounded, but he mounted another horse,
secured another aide, and continued the
fight.
After the close of the war Gen. Wheeler
studied law and set to work to restore his
shattered fortunes. He made his home
at Wheeler Lawrence county, Alabama,
and esta blished law offices at Wheeler
and CORTLAND, where he soon built up a
lucrative practice. In 1882 he was elected
a member of Congress, and has been re-
turned at each election since then. This
year he has been honored by receiving
the unanimous nominations of all factions
in the district, and will go back to Wash
ington unopposed.
Gen. Wheeler is a soldier by instinct.
education, and training He is a very
small man physically, being a little over
five feet in height and weighing less than
100 pounds, but he is a marvel Of activity.
He is always on the go, and at a very
rapid rate. He is nervous and wiry. His
hair, which was black few years ago,
! is now gray, and so is his full beard. He
, has bright black eyes and dark complex
ion. In Washington he has been con
. | spicuous figure, and is one of the busiest
men in the House. He is always dodg-
ing into the committee rooms, then out
into the corridors, talking one moment
| with a constituent and the next over in
the Supreme Court, looking after some
local interest, and then, when least ex-
pected, he will be back in his seat in the
House He does everything nervously,
and rapidly, and his speeches in the House,
! when he asks for Just one minute to
say lust one word" have become one OF
the standing jokes among his colleagues.
He talks so rapidly that no stenogra-
pher can take him down" then asks
permission to,insert in the record the rest
of his speech, which the next morning
may be found to cover several pages.
After the death of Judge Holman and
Mr.. Milliken of Maine, some of the mem
bers in the Speakers room, were talking
of the dropping out of the old members
one noticed Gen. Wheeler and remarked
well, Gen. Wheeler is still with us"
| Yes" drawled out Mr.. Reed in his
characteristic way, the Almighty could
never find Wheeler in one place long
enough to put his finger upon him."
Gen. Wheeler is eccentric. He sends out
: more matter through the mails than any
other three members He buys govern
ment seeds from congressman who repre-
sent city constituencies, and in the same
way he invests money in public documents
from the department of agriculture. These
, he distributes literally among his con
(, stituents Once Gen. Wheeler was travel
, ing In a buggy along a country road il
Alabama He overlook a mail carrier
eroaning under the weight of an ~-'HrmouS
sack of matter, and invited the man II
take a seat beside him.
! "Why don't you have a horse?" sait
the general.
+ Il have had three at different times,
! replied the carrier, but they died. Thu
: work was too heavy"
! you mean that the burden of the mails
was too great?'
Eyes, that's just il. There's a fool rep
resentative from this district who send
out such a lot of truck that the mail
are loaded all The time. This bag is full
OF such stuff-books and such"
How much money would buy you {
r horse?" asked the general, feeling ia hi
: pocket.
4 Horses are high now" answered thu
man. 81 couldn't get a good one for les
than 800"
Gen. Wheeler counted out $50, gave 1t t
the man, and drove off before the post
man had recovered from his surprise.
He was just as active in Cuba when g.
years old as he was during the civil war