The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-02-01
PASSING OF FIGHTING JOE"
General Wheeler's Death Recalls In
stances Of His Bravery.

all his greatness, was one Of the
most modest of men. Quiet, re-
served and unassuming, he was
five feet six inches. He weighed
only no pounds at his best, but,
as Speaker Reed once said in the
House at Washington, there's a
fight in every pound of the Con
gresham from Alabama. " He
was nothing more than a bundle of
nerves and unhagging courage.
With the possible exception of
Gen. 'Jeb" Stuart, he was the
greatest of all cavalry leaders in
the army of the Confederacy. 1t
was General Wheeler who made
the greater part of the trouble
General Sherman had on his his
toric march to the sea" The
little Confederate leader held on
to Sherman's army with the tenac-
ity of bulldog. His cavalrymen
fell on the TANKS and rear of the
Union forces at the most uneXpect-
ed times and places, and harassed
them throughout the campaign.
In one of his reports later Gen
eral Sherman referred to this
harassing detachment of Confeder-
ates as "that batch of devils under
Wheeler" But in the years that
followed the war these two great
leaders met many times, and a
strong friendship grew up between
/ them.
At the battle of Shiloh his regi-
ment and its commander distln-
guished themselves. The regi-
ment was almost cut to pieces in
the battle, but, then a colonel,
Wheeler, according to the official
report of General Chalmers, his
brigade commander, "bravelv
charged at the head of the small
remnant of his regiment and the
remnant of the Mississippians,
bearing the regiment colors aloft. "
In this charge two horses were
shot under him. Before the war
was ended IS horses were shot
and killed under him in battle.
From his valor on this occasion he
received the nickname of Eight.
ing Joe" which stuck to him for
the remainder of his life.
In the warno fewer than SO oil
his staff officers were killed OF
wounded while riding beside him
in battle. General Wheeler was
wounded three times slightly and
once painfully, and his saddle
equipments and clothes were fire.
quently struck. He received his
serious wound in 1862 in an en-.
gagement near Nashville. On this
occasion his horse was torn tc
pieces by an exploding shell, his
his aide was killed beside him, and
he himself was wounded, but ht
mounted another horse, got an.
other aide and continued the fight
He was in over 500 skirmishes
and commanded in more than zoe
battles.
At the age of Fl his reckless
bravery had won for him a major
generals commission. He com
manded the Confederate cavalry al
Chattanooga and ChlChamauga
After ChiCkamauga, where, as
usual, his dash and valor were con
spicuous, he fell on General Rose
Grams line and severed it, destroy
ed 1900 wagons and damaged ma
tional property valued at $1,000,
900. His career of brilliant mis-
chief suffered check, however
and he was driven back into north
ern Alabama.
1t was due largely to Genera
Wheeler's skill and fearlessness a,
cavalry leader that the Confed
crate forces under General Braxtol
Bragg were able to retreat in gooC
order and almost unmolested afte
Missionary Ridge and Lookou
Mountain. His most famous ex
plot, perhaps, was performed il
his efforts to opposed Gen. William
7, Sherman's advance on Atlanta