The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-28
Cavalry lieutenant Generals.

Editor Advertiser:
 Inotice in a Birmingham afternoon paper Washington special purporting to give the rank of some Confederate cavalry commanders as by information from General Marcus J. Wright. com General Wright is made to say that. Forrest was the only Lieutenant Gem eral of Cavalry in the Confederate ser vice"
 The Records compiled by General Wright abound in evidences of the fact that Hampton was commissioned Lieu tenant General of Cavalry, two weeks prior to the date of Forests commits sion. Readers of General Johnstop's Narrative" are familiar with his use of Hampton's name and rank, of Lieu tenant General, as under him from February, 1865, to the end of the war, in North Carolina.
 Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee, in which Wheeler and Apr Ss fss5 'naf Geensboro serVfNS NcrfR Carolina. The terms left him in com mand. in order to secure an orderly and practicable return of his troops to their homes. On the next day, April dispatches to army headquarters, Hampton signing himself Lieutenant Generai;% Wheeler signing, himself both officers answers, and to each ap- piled the titles respectively given here.
 Wheeler was promoted Major General in January. 1883, at the time Congress his services of most remarkable char acter. in the Murfreesboro campaign. General Wright is made to give tho date of his promotion to Major General, February 1884 When he was com pafatively idle at Dalton, Ga. and thir- teen months after the date of his conn
 Hampton was promoted Major Gener- al in August, 1883, supposed to be re- ward for his gallant conduct at Gettys- burg, where he was severely wounded and disabled for many months.
 Thus when Hampton and Wheeler met In South Carolina, In the W inter of 1865. opposing sherman. Wheeler was the ranking officer by eight months old General Wright's War Records show that in the correspondence of Hampton with Wheeler, in South Carolina, he never gave him an order. He always wrote: T am requested by General Beauregard to say" etc.
 But after the cavalry left Columbia for North Carolina, Hampton as Lieu tenant General took command and gave the necessary orders to Major General Wheeler because he had by that time received his commission to the higher rank from Richmond.
 Hampton was very careful not 10 take active command over Wheeler ttIe never did go into a fight commanding Wheeler. In fact. Hampton went to south OdTOllNd dI llt lllSldilC6 OI 1I6S- ident Davis. trying to exert a personal influence by hia presence. It was nat urally supposed that the bestowal on him of higher rank in the cavalry than any other officer then held. would te~d to strengthen that influence of pc. sonaI nature. Some of the accounts of historians. Mir. Davis, for instance. speak of "Hamptons" fight of March 10th. near Fayetteville, with Kilpat- rick very brilliant affair indeed. But this use of Hampton's name only was intended to mean that he was. the rank ing officer of cavalry and it was a cavalry fight. have the most direct knowledge that it was Wheeler's fight and that General Hampton purposely kept away from the field that Wheeler might command. Indeed General Hamp- ton at all times did everything that a ranking officer, who was first a gen of authority over General Wheeler. which he we'll knew was unnecessary to the public good or to the military emergency.
 Lieutenant Generals in the Confederate Cavalry, the former the ranking officer of that grade in that arm.
 J. w D.