The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
GEN. WHEATON is A FIGHTER.
TIE PHILIPPINE COMMANDER
JUST NOW TALKED ABOUT.
Qualities In the Field shown In skirmishes
with the F1iipinos - Tropical Side Of
Hts Manners Contempt for the FIJI
pinos His Notable Voice.

Hts Manners Contempt for the Fti-
pinos = His Notable Voice.
The recent discussion OF Gen. Lloyd
Wheaton, caused by his alleged criticism
Of the action Of some Of the Senator'S, failed
TO bring out some of the most interesting
characteristics of that able soldier.
First, last and all the time. Wheaton Is q
fighter. He has had a good deal Of his kind
of work TO do In the Philippines. He Is a
tall. spare man. with a long black beard.
There Ia a general feeling in the army
that the beard and it's blackness are mat
ters OF his special concern. 1t Is on record
that on one occasion, now two years ago or
more, a Captain who had served with him
some years before. but had not seen him
for a long time. met him in Manila with the
remark:
why, General. 1t seems to me the last
time ! saw you your whiskers were gray.
Something happened just then that in
terrupted the flow of the conversation
The Captain said afterward that he thought
the ice machine broke.
The most distinctive characteristic OF
the tall General is his voice. II is very
deep Of pitch and of tremendous carrying
quality. He can shout an order on the
field that can be heard by a whole brigade,
no matter how m the battle is aging
on one oNtdSlOn tdTly III lut lurAIiVt'iOu
Wheaton commanded the first brigade OF
Lawton's division in a campaign in Cavite
province below Manila. Lawton. as usual.
was riding at the head Of the column with
only his p%ersonal guard. ] troop OF the
Fourth Cavalry. ahead Of him.
They crossed n small stream and came
out on an open level little field. At the
right. some two hundred and fifty or three
hundred yards away. was a line OF trees,
indicating the presence Of another stream.
49, H. -Is ~ LNa
from whose windows white flags were
fying. Lawton turned TO one OF his staf
and said:
You'll find no insurgents here. They
never dare TO put out the white flags while
their soldiers are around
just then the Insurgents. concealed In a
trench under the trees, blazed away with a
pretty substantial volley, followed by a
brisk general fire. Wheaton was just at
the ford with part Of the Ninth Infantry
at the head of his brigade.
He swung o battalion OF the Ninth around
to face the Filipinos and began firing bat
talon volleys. The 400 guns going OF to-
gether mad a roar like a i2-ino rife.
At the same time Wheaton sent six COM
panies Of the Colorado Volunteers across
the ford and out into the open plain, where
the cavalrymen. who had already dis
mounted, were scattered about, replying
as best they could TO the Filipino fire.
Wheaton sat on his horse watching the
Colorado men running as hard as they could
go to get into position, and, apparently un-
mindful of the row the volleys of the Ninth
were making behind him, shouted to the
Colorados in a voice that must have carried
clear into the insurgent lines:
Fire like hell! Fire like hell l want
TO hear runs 20 on
There is no milder-mannered man in
the army when skies are ar sweet as a
psalm But when there is trouble or work
to be done the language Of the General is
apt TO be- as tropical as the climate where
he is serving. II the regulations were
enforced and he were fned 81 for every
one Of the large DIS he has used, 1t would
ave cost him a lot some years.
They tell a story in Manila OF the time
an outpost on the railroad north Of town
was attacked. early in the fighting days.
The man who was on guard was not pleased
AZ being a target Of even such poor marks
men as the FilipinoS, and he ran in and
reported to the officer in command Of the
post that he had been attacked by over
whelming numbers.
Word went mp the line TO Gen. Wheaton,
who started down al once in the armored
car. This was a fiat car. with pieces of
boiler iron sci on edge around II. Six
FOUNDER guns were mounted at each end.
IL was propelled by men who walked along
the track, their heads and bodies protected
by the boiler iron, but their legs exposed
10 the inclemency of the weather. whatever
the Filipinos could make il.
The General came down The line shooting
the night full Of s!X-poundcr holes on all
sides and filling the Filipino world with
the roar Of his rage. He got TO the post
whore the alleged attack had been made
and demanded to see the man who had
brought in the report.
Tho mar was sent for. The instant he
entered the room where the General was,
Wheaton, who had been sitting in one
corner. leaped out Of his chair and half
across the room toward the frightened
"Blink blank il! show me a soldier. |
don't want to see a
An expedition which Wheaton som
manded was moving along a road south
of Manila, when II came TO a place where
a ditch crossed the way and made IL i'm
possible 10 get anything on wheels. guns
or ambulances. across. 1t was a case for
the engineers.
The General looked around and failed
To see the engineer officer attached TO his
stan, who had dropped down the road TO
see something.
Capt. Rowland said the General to
one of his aides. where are the on gineers?"
ih'h I Nv sFA : Nv NhHNdils
Down the road somewhere, | p
I'll 60 down and see
The General gave a snort OF displeasure
and turned to another Of his aides.
Capt. Webster" he said, where are
the engineersF
Il dom know, General replied the
Captain. Down the road somewhere, /
suppose. III 20 down and see"
"Humph!' CALCULATED the Genera. as the
second aide rode away. Down the road
somewhere. ! suppose, sprinkling cologne
water
Wheaton's contempt for the fighting
qualities OF the enemy wa proverbial.
He had no respect whatever for the Fill
pinos az soldiers.
A discussion arose N his mess one even
ing in which some OF the newspaper men
who were following the campaign took
part. II had 10 do with the general char
acter of the Filipinos and the General ex-
pressed himself with hi customary vigor.
A. last, one of the correspondents, think
ing that The discussion was getting rather
warmer thar IL should, vcntured a sugges-
tior which he Intended to I've of a concilia-
tory nature.
well, General" he said, you'll al least
admit thai the FiliDinOs are brave