El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-09-03

training; . personihcation of mental
aud physical activity and nervous en-
ergy, and one OF the most curious and
inquisitive OF men. That be should
climb . tree on the picket line at the
age OF sixty-two, with field glass
slung to his shoulders, in order To OBJ
serve the position and movements of
the enemy, was rs natural md charac-
teristic Of him as that he should strive
and wiu in footrace against bicycle
across tbs capitol plszs in Washington
q few months ago Nearly forty years
ago he was light dragon 10 the I'm
tied States army-in fact, weighing
little more than hundred pounds
aud he Is light dragon yet in the
same sense. for he does not tip the
scale when IL Is weighed with more
than q hundred and twenty pounds.
Young Wheeler was u born cavalry
man, and when he resigned his second
lieutenant's commission in the 5th
Dragons in 1861. in order to serve the
confederacy, it was with some reluct-
ance that he accepted first lieuten-
ants commission in the artillery and
an assignment to garrison duty at Pen
sacolA. A few =onths later he re-
ceived Q colonel's commission in an
Alabama infantry regiment. At tue
battle of Shiloh the regiment and it's
commander distinguished themselves.
The former suffered heavy losses in
the battle, but Colonel Wheeler, &C
cording to the official report of Gener-
al Chalmers, his brigade commander,
"bravely charged at the head of the
small remnant of his regiment and the
remnant of Mississippians, bearing the
regimental colors aloft." In this
charge two horses were shot under
him. Wheeler's horse always offered q
better target than his rider, and before
the war ended sixteen had been sho,
and killed under him in bat
tie, "besides great number
WAS always in the thick OF the fight,
even after he rose to the command of q
division and corps, and duty on his
staff was by no means merely orns-
mental or q sinecure. From first tC
last no fewer than thirty-two of his
staff officers were killed or wounded
while riding besides him in battle. he
himself did not always come off SEQ:
free. BE was three times slightly
wounded, and once painfully" as he
expressed 10, and his saddle equip
ments and clothes were also frequently
struck by the missiles OF the enemy
The painful" wound was received IL
an engagement near Nashville, Tenn,
after Bragg's retreat from Kentucky
In 1862. On this occasion General
wheeler's horse Twas torn in piece:
by an exploding she'll. his aid was kill
ed beside him, aud himself painful y
wounded" but he mounted another
horse, secured another side-de-camI
aud continued the fight.
LEADING a FoRLoRN HOPE.
What took place on another occasion
when Wheeler was covering the re
treat OF the Confederate forces-a duty
which be was frequently required tC
perform in the course Of mis- career;
thus described:
at was now shutdown; everything
was across Duck River in security, an6
he was about to make another charge
when staff officer caught him and
pointed to the rear, where the enemy
had again surrounded him with an
other column. Wheeling quickly, he
charged through IL and plunged head
long into the river, then swollen to 9
mighty torrent, and amid storm oil
bullets, making the water fairly foam,
he climbed up the opposite bank. Oh