New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-17

make another charge when staff officer c.M.S@
him and pointed to the rear where tha sausat
had again surrounded him with another os,neny
| Wheeling quickly. he charged through !. .umn
plunged headlong into the river. then swoii.ss oa
| a mighty torrent, and amid storm ~ h,',,
making the water fairly FOAM he cIirS.aeH
"fororn hope" only thirteen escaped. ana .t .ae
of these were badly wounded. S"N
On the third day Of Brasgs retreat a,ta,
battle Of Missionary Ridge General Wheo,.-s
cavalry. as usual, was covering the retrea, :,
became necessary to make a stand for a..
time. and General Pat" Cleburne with nj. -
vision of infantry. was detailed to strepe,,.S
the cavalry OF course Wheeler was in the ,h,.a
Of the fight which followed. and Ibis ba, ,..
pierced with Mimic bullet and his foot A..
fused by a fragment Of shell"
General Wheeler was sent soon afterward v,,,
| his cavalry to cooperate with Longstreet !,
the operations against Burnside In East n,
nessec On December % 1863 the former A..
| tackled n supply train with small force an,
was repulsed. but he checked the charge q N.
| Yankee cavalry by a counter-charge with II.
| staff and escort" During the melee which .,
sued General Wheeler was entirely envelopea \,
the enemy" but he managed 10 escape this tim.
| with whole skin.
WIIEELERS CAVALRY RAIDS
Some of General Wheeler's most daring and
successful exploits during the war were his cay
| airy raids and counter-raids. He was a Con-
slant and terrible menace to the Union line,
| and means Of communication and transports
ton. Railway locomotives and cars were q.
! stroyed and bridges burned by the HUNDRED.
| hundreds IF wagons and thousands OF mules
| were captured and carried off or burned and
killed. and millions Of dollars worth Of quarter.
masters. commssary. ordnance and medical
stores shared a like fate Thousands OF UniO,
soldiers lived on half or quarter rations, and
hundreds of Army horses and mules starved 70,
want OF forage or account Of the operations
Wheelers cavalry.
In January 1869; in 4 raid On General Rose.
crans's line Of communication, General Wheele,.
with brigade Of cavalry, attacked andvd.
stroyed nine river transports Loaded with ArmJ
supplies. and also captured;and buried tha.ta.
| clad" gunboat Sedelle In his account Of thu
exploit General Wheeler said: Alongside tn
blazing and cracking transports she became,
cinder upon the waters. which only an hour b.
fore she had walked 80 proudly like a thing 4
| life"
1
gunboats by cavalry was 50 unusual an occu,
renee that the young major general probaH!
| thought the account Of it would bear aiorr.
ment. But other accounts written or dictates
| by him Of his military achievements indlca.
| the existence OF q strong vein Of poetry in h.
mental composition. For example. his accour.
II raid into the SeIuatchie Valley In the az
tumn Of 1863 contains the following passage:
AS jocund day began to stand tiptoe on Ia
| mountain tops on either side and the sunbeam
| - cast their golden radiance upon the ields
| that fertile valley as If to cheer the weary 80,
diers for the brilliant achievements before then
a column OF the enemy was encountered, and [.
sooner seen than the notes OF the generals
bugie sounded the charge and each hOrsemaa
| instinct with new life. rushed forward to Ia
attack.
The Southern Confeierlcy was in its dyia
throes. and General Wheeler realized Il and hx
4 dolefu tale 10 tell when he was summoneds
NEE, Jefferson Davis at Charlotte. y. c., late
April. 1864. The capture OF both followed soa
afterward. but at different places. althouc
Wheeler stood by his fallen chief until the tina
came when everybody must look out for III
own safety. They were companions In captivity
for a short time and Il was characteristic d
the cavalry leader that he should twice suggest
plans for the rescue or light OF Presided!
Davis" both OF which abandoned at tho
instance Of the latter After 4 short term u
confinement in Fort Delaware as a prisoner q
war. General Wheeler released parole
not again to bear arms against the United
States
He WAS the first cx-Confederate - offer hi
services - the Government as a soldier in the
existing war. ana when he again took up armi
gray uniform. and went forth 10 batue under
the Stars and Striuas