The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-30
STORIES OF Joe" WHEELER
ISnaDDy Movements a Characteristic.
Climbed q Treesat Santiago.


thin, wiry man, weighing only about
lilo pounds, his movements were quick
land "snappy," even in his SEVENTEEN
Iyear.a and made him a remarkable exani-
Iple of the principle that one is only
as old as one feels. The late Speak
Ter Reed, Of Maine, when discussing
with some of his colleagues the raw
ages death was making in the olde..
membership of Congress. once sail:
Now, there's Wheeler citing Won
der. He's getting old, but the AL
mighty could never find him in one
place long enough to put His finger
upon him"
This tells the story Of General
wheeler. He was constantly on the
Jump; dld every thing neryously and
,rapidiy. When he t o speak in
[.ne House, where he served as a meni-
per from Alabama, he invariably slid:
l arise Tor a moment just to say che
word" 1t always brought forth a
from his colleagues.
General Wheeler was sixty-two years
old in the spring of 1898, when this
country was making hurried prepara-
tons for the inevitable war with
Spain. He was a thin little man with
a white beard and a partly bald head.
might easily have posed for a por-
trait of a Scottish Covenanter. BUT
he was one of the first to offer his
services to the country when it became
apparent that a conflict with Spain
could not be avoided.
Genera Wheeler's offer was the sub
ject of more than one official confer
ence in Washington at the time. Some
of the veterans of the wal were won
dering whether Or not Fighting joe
had been sufficiently reconstructed in
the thirty-three years that had eiaps-
ed since that war came to an end. It
was Senator Cushman K. Davis, of
Minneapolis, who first came to the
front with a strong endorsement Ct
the doughty little southerner. With
several other influential men he called
President Mckinley.
"Why, I'm going to appoint him q
general, of course" said the Presi-
dent the moment the delegation let
their mission be known.
I'm mighty glad to hear it." said
Senator Davis. "And O I want to
tell you, Mr.. President, why 1 regard
Joe Wheeler as n of the greatest
generals this country has ever produc-
ed. He gave me more trouble during
the war than any dozen other men and
scared me so that I think it must
have stunted my growth.
Incidentally" continued the Sena-
tor from Minnesota, eff you want any
Testimony as to Joe Wheeler's grit 1
can furnish plenty of it for you. Be-
fore that wal ended I found thai he
had chased me pretty much all over
seven states, and guess if Lee hadn't
surrendered Joe would have taken my
scalp, for he was getting closer to it
all the time"
General Wheeler was one OF the
fore most American leaders in the cam
'paign at Santiago. When Shafter
came to the conclusion, after about
days of intermittent fighting along
the lines of the Spanish earthworks,
that a retreat might be necessary, it
was General Wheeler who stood out
against it. He was for sailing into
the Spaniards with every available
maj, and his plan prevailed.
General Wheeler was we'll out in the
front, where he could see what was 60
ing on and direct the fire Of his divi-
sion to the best effect. At last he
saw the thin line of the enemy begin
Ito waver. The art of making war was
not new to him, and letting out a
whoop that could be heard even above
the din of battle. he started toward
that weakening point. The brave ;nen
charged up a hill, firing at random.
There was no stopping that fierce
charge and the rain of bullets that
'poured in on the foe.
That was the first real taste of bat
tile that General Wheeler had had SINCE
THE days of the rebellion, and in the
excitement Of it he must have forgot
ten just where he was. Once more he
was leading his Confederate ~daredevils
Ito the charge. He saw the wavering
lime of the enemy break Waving the
lold cavalry saber he had used in
scores of battles, he yelled:
"Now at 'em, boys! Give 'em hell!
We've got the damned Yankees on the
run, and we must get every last one
iof 'em. Follow me-"
The boys did follow the hatless and
,coatless leader and the battle "a won.
He became the idol of the men who
fought under him, and it vas n OF
the %privates who stuck cloS5 to his
heels in that victorious charge who
told him a day or two later about The
strange error ne had made in his COM
mand for a charge up that hill. Gen
,eral Wheeler laughed as heartily as
any one at it and said:
why, that is funny, indeed. must
have forgotten just where | was"
General Wheeler was then a major
general, and yet no III would have
suspected it from his equipment. His
campaign outfit consisted of an old
SLOUGH hat that had seen years of har.
service. a blue flannel shirt, a pair
of khaki trousers that had seen bet
tier days. There was not a single in
Isignia of his rank. A story came back
from the front, while the American
army was investing Santiago, telling
how the then Colonel Roosevelt, COM
,mander of the Rough Riders, went to