The Morris County chronicle., 1906-01-30
GEN. I JOE WHsE FER DEAD
Veteran Of the Civil and Spanish
Wars Ends His Career


New York City Brigadier General
Joseph Wheeler. t. s A., retired, and
one of the last of the famous Generals
Of the Confederacy. died at half-past
o'clock in the afternoon in the home
of bis sister. Mrs. Sterling Smith, No
17S Columbia Heights, Brooklyn. Sur
rounded by bis children, he made
brave fight for life to the end. but
there was no hope that he would re-
cover when a cold he contracted de-
veloped pneumonia
Although he was so weak he could
not talk, the aged General recognized
his children as they entered his room.
DR.. John Al McCorlxIe never left his
bedside all day, and DR.. %. G. Jane
way was with him the greater part Of
the time.
Just before S O'Clock gr was seen
that the end was at hand, and the Cen
erals children were sent for They
were all there. Major Joseph Wheeler,
Jr.; Mrs. w J. Harris and the Misses
Anna, Lucille and Carrie Wheeler, and
as they gathered about the bedside he
smiled at them, and with that smile on
his face he seemed to pass into peace
full sleep, from which he was never to
awaken
General Joseph Wheeler was the
most interesting personality Of the war
with Spain His services under the
flag which he had fought against In
/ the Civil War did more perhaps than
any other one thing to make the cur
rent Of National war spirit run from
the Great Lakes to the Gulf without
single break or tremOr at Mason and
Dixon's line.
From his birth he possessed great
energy and power OF initiative, which
led him when boy TO leave his birth
place, Augusta, Ga, where he was un-
able to obtain an appointment to West
Point In New York he met Repre-
sentative named Wheeler, whom he
asked for d designation to the Military
Academy. 1t was granted and he was
graduated from the academy In 1859.
being Immediately commissioned o
lieutenant Of cavalry and sent to serve
ON the frontier Of New Mexico.
Like many OF his brother officers, he
resigned in 1881 and cast his fortunes
with the COnfederacy, receiving to be-
gin with commission as lieutenant of
artillery. This was followed by sue
cessive promotions to the command of
a regiment, brigade and division. When
only twenty six years old General
Wheeler was assigned to the command
Of the corps of cavalry Of the. Western
Army of the Confederacy, and there he
achieved a reputation as daring,
s!eepless commander, which placed him
in the hearts OF Southerners in a.
niche beside those occupied by Gen
eral ]. e. B. Stuart and Fitzhugk Lee.
The end Of hostilities meant the end of
the war for him.
Law. politics and cotton planting at
tracted General Wheelers efforts
thenceforward To represent the
Huntsville (Aia.) district be was elect
ed to Congress in 1884 and served in
each succeeding session until 1893.
Few members kept more closely in
touch with their constituents.
When the war spirit swept over the
country President McKinIey's most
popular act was the appointment OF
General Wheeler and General Fitz-
hugh Lee to be major-generals Of vol
unteers
With a force of 900 men General
Wheeler defeated the Spanish General
Linares, atlI.os GHasiEnas, with more
than 2000. Spanish regulars He wound
up his service In Cuba as the senior
member of the commission which me-
gOtiated the surrender of Santiago
After commanding the American
forces at Montauk, Il. l., General
Wheeler obtained permission to go to
the Philippines, and crossed the Pa
cific with q foreboding that he would
never return alive, but happy in the
thought that he would meet death in
active service. In half O dozen con-
diets the enemy gave him taste OF
ight in the tropics, and then he was
ordered to make report upon the
Island Of Guam, OF which the Wash
lngt0n Government knew practically
nothing. TO this task he carried the
equipment not only OF a soldier, but Of
lawyer and author, His report was a
model of conciseness,
Upon his return to the States he was
appointed Commander Of the Depart
ments Of the Lakes Of the Regular
Army. which post he held until the
fall of 1900