Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-07-06
FIGHTING JOE WHEELER
WINS LONG DEFERRED
HONOR

erals there is no end and the lustr,
of the honor is, perhaps, therefore
dimmed, but had the elevation &C
that rank been the one prize for which
the thousands of brave men fought
in the war with Spain, President
Mckinley could not have made q
more popular choice than Joseph
Wheeler.
North, East, West and South have
sung the praises of this wonderful
fighter. Alabama claims "Fightine
Joe" Wheeler as her very own, but
he was born in Augusta, Ca, in 1886.
His ancestors were English. His ed
ucation included courses at Seabury
College, in Connecticut, and other
schools in New England and New
York, and when he went back home
he was well qualified to take the
place in the life of the South, which
the position his family entitled him
to. But he would have none of 1T.
He wanted freer life and in 1854
sought and secured the appointment
as cadet to the Military Academy at
West Point.
Like some of the other youths then
at the fountain Of war-knowledge, for
whom the era just dawning brought
fame and honor, young Wheeler did
nothing to distinguish himself but
he was graduated with a good record
and earned the respect of his supe-
riors and the love of his class mates.
He received the rank of Lieutenant
OF Cavalry and soon thereafter was
ordered to New Mexico and then to
Kansas. In both places heJlid much
hard work and saw blood spilled in
various Indian scouting engagements.
Then came the Civil War, and from
the isolated barracks on the western
plain Lieu utenant Wheeler hurried
back to Georgia. Born and bred in
the South, Wheeler did not dream of
hesitating. He acted with promptness
and was soon riding post haste for
Pensacola, Fla, first lieutenant's
commission In the Confederate army
in his pocket, the blue uniform ex-
changed for the gray.
One of his earliest fights came very
near being his last. He and his reg
iment were at Shiloh and the losses
were heavy, but according to official
report, "Colonel Wheeler bravely
charged at the head of the remnant
of his regiment and that of the Mis-
sissippians, bearing the regiment col
ors aloft." In this charge he had
two horses shot under him. Before
he got through with the battles of the
South sixteen of his chargers had been
killed while he was astride them.
In October, 1862, hewas made Bri-
gadier- General, and in January, 1868,
he was made Major-General. He
was in the battles Of Shiloh and
Pennington, Miss; the fights around
Corinth, Perryville, Murfreesboro,
Chickamauga, the siege of Knoxville,
Rlnggold, Rocky Face, Dalton, Re
SAGA, Casville, New Hope, battles
around Kenesaw Mountain, battle of
Peach Tree Greek, Decatur, battles
around Atlanta, siege of Savannah,
battles of Averysborough and Ben
tonville. Besides being in over 500
skirmishes, General Wheeler COM
manded in more than two hundred
battles.
He led the cavalry troopsin Bragg's
invasion of Kentucky, commanded
the rear of the army when it retreat
ed into Tennessee, and in contesting
Rosecrans' advance, attacking his
flanks. raiding in the rear and
destroying trains, proved one
of the most formidable oppo-
uents to the federal forces. He led
the cavalry in Longstreet's attack on
Knoxville during the siege and
covered Bragg's retreat from Mission
AIRY Ridge aud Lookout Mountain.
In the face of Sherman's s march to the
sea he opposed every movement and
fought almost daily, often with his
men dismounted. On the death of
Stuart he became senior cavalry gen.
eral of the Confederate army.
He was wounded three times slight
ly and once painfully, as he puts it,
and his saddle equipments and
clothes were frequently struck by
missiles The painful wound was
received in an engagement near
Nashville, Tenn, after Bragg's re-
treat from Kentucky in 1862. On
this occasion General Wheeler's horse
was torn to pieces by an exploding
shell. his aid was killed beside him
and himself wounded, but he mount
ed another horse, secured another aid
and continued the fight.
The Confederate Congress gave
General Wheeler a vote of thanks
for successful military operations
and for his defense of the city of
Aiken. The State of South Caro-
lima conferred q similar honor.