The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1906-01-31
GEN. JOE WHEELER
DIES in new YORK
Brave Old Warrior Sue
cumbS to Pneumonia.
EMINENT WAR RECORD.
Famous Confederate Cavalry Leader,
Maior-General in Spanish-Amerlcan
War and BrigadiereGen In Regular

Army.
New York, Jan. 25. General JOSEPH
Wheeler, famous Confederate Cavalry
leader and brigadier general in the
United States Army in the war with
Spain, died at 5.35 this AFTERNOON, al
the home of his sister, Mrs. Sterling
Smith, in Brooklyn. The veteran OF
two wars was 90 years old, but in spite
of his age, there was hope until yester.
day of his recovery from an attack OF
pneumonia. General Wheeler was
taken ill six days ago at his sister $
home. His immediate relatives were
all with him. The end came peace.
fully. 1t is not decided where his body
is to be buried, but probably at Airing
ton Cemetery near Washington. Cen
eral Wheeler contracted cold which
developed into pleurisy and pneumonia.
From the first the warriors 50 years
told against him, and when yesterday
the disease was found to have affected
both lungs it was feared that a fatal
termination was inevitable.
Last night DR.. A. j. McCorkle,
the attending physician, said there was
practically no hope of recovery. AT
midnight sinking spell caused the
family to be summoned to his bedside.
There were in addition to Mrs. Smith
Major Joseph Wheeler, Jr., U. 5. A,
now stationed at West Point, and four
dauphters of General Wheeler, Mrs. W.
]. Harris and Misses Anna, Lucille and
Carrie Wheeler.
The daughters had come on from the
South on Tuesday and yesterday.
Conscious, and with his mind appar-
emily active, the General seemed to
know that death was approaching and,
too weak to speak, he tried with char
acteristic fortitude to nod encourage
ment to his physicians. Drs. McCorkle
and Janeway were in constant attend
ance.
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
General Wheeler was born at Angus
ia, Ca, in 1886. He graduated at West
Point in 1859, was commissioned Sec
ond lieutenant of dragons, and served
at the cavalry school at Carlisle, Pa.
until April, 1861, when he resigned his
commission and entered the Confeder-
ate service. In the following Septem-
ber he was appointed colonel of the
Nineteeth Alabama Infantry, and was
actively engaged in the earlier cam
paipns in Kentucky and Tennessee. AT
Shiloh. in April, 1862, he commanded a
brigade and later in the year was trans.
ferred to the cavalry and participated
in the battle of Perryville and other en-
gagements of General Bragg's Ken
lucky campaign. On October 80, 1862,
he was promoted to the rank of briga-
dier general, and covered the retreat
of Bragg's army to the southwark: In
January, 1868, he was commissioned
major general He commanded the
Confederate cavalry at Chattanooga
and Chickamauga, and covered Bragg's
rear after the defeat of Lookout Noun
tain and Missionary Ridge. He ha-
rassed Sherman's flank during the
march to Atlanta. In August, 1864, he
led successful raid in Sherman's rear
northward as far as the Kentucky line.
Subsequently he opposed Sherman
advance on Savannah, and IN February,
1865, he was promoted to the. rank of
lieutenant-general and continued in
command of the cavalry division of
General Johnston's army until its sur
render.
After the war he became a lawyer
and cotton planter. In 1880 he was
elected to Congress as Democrat, and
was a member continuously until 1899.
In May, 1898, he was appointed by
President Mckinley, major-general of
volunteers, and was assigned to the
command of the cavalry division of the
Army of Santiago in the Spanish
American war. He commanded the
troops in the engagement of Las Gu
asimas, was senior field officer in the
battle of San Juan Hill, and subse-
quently was one of the American COM
missioners to arrange for the surrender
of Santiago In 1899 1900 he commanded
a brigade in the Philippine Islands. was
commissioned brigadier-general in
the Regular Army in June 1900, and re-
tired in the September following. He
published work entitled "The San
tiago Campaign, 1S98-1899."