Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-01-31
THE LATE GEN.. WHEELER.
Stories Of the Modest Old Veteran
Who Has Been Mustered Out.

General Joseph Wheeler. who died
last Thursday evening, was one of the
most modest of men. He was quiet.
reserved. unassuming. He was 5 feet
inches in height, and weighed only 110
pounds at mis- best. But as Speaker
Reed once said in the House of Repre-
sentatives, there's a fight in every
pound of the congressman from Ala
Dama." And Speaker Reed had reason
to know whereof he spoke, for General
Wheeler was one of the energetic MEM
bers of Congress from the South. he
was nothing more than bundle or
nerves and unflagging courage.
Like General Fitzhugh Lee, General
Wheeler was distinguished leader IN
the confederate army, and in all the
South there was no more intrepid lead
er or more generous foe. With the
possible exception of General JeD
Stewart, he was the greatest Of all the
cavalry leaders in the army of the con-
federacy. How it happened that ne
came out of the great conflict alive mas
always been puzzle to friend and roe
alike. for there was no peril OF battie
into which he did not rush headlong.
General Wheeler came honestly by
the title of Fighting Joe" Early III
the war he developed into cavalry
strategist, although he was wont to tell
his men that strategy was all right as
long as the lead held out. 1t was
General Wheeler who made the great
er part of the trouble General Sherman
had on historic "march to the sea-.
The little confederate leader held on to
Sherman's army with the tenacity OF
4 bulldog. His cavalrymen fell on the
fiankS and rear of the Union forces at
the most unexpected times and places
| and harassed them throughout the
campaign.
In one of the reports later General
Sherman referred to this harassing de-
| tachment of cOnfederateS as that
| batch of devils under Wheeler" But
| in the years that followed the war these
two great leaders met many times and
| q strong friendship grew up between
them.
When the break came between the
North and South Wheeler was one of
| the first southern officers in the United
States army to resign his commission
and volunteer his services to the army
of the confederacy. He entered as
colonel of the Nineteenth Alabama IN
F! fantry. At the battle of Shiloh he was
| in command of a brigade, and won high
5Taise from his superiOrs for con-
1.spicuous gallantry.
l. Soon after this historic battle Cen
eral Wheeler was transferred to the
ltavalry, and early in 1862 was placed in
| command of that arm of the service
| under General RraXtOn Bragg. in the
West. In the great confederate charge
at the battle of Chickamauga, in 1863.
| it was General Wheeler who led the
cavalry.
In the campaign against Sherman in
| Georgia. General Wheeler SO dis
| tinSuished himself that he was later
! appointed a lieutenant-general. anu at
| the close of the great conflict he was in
| command of the cavalry that was
operating with the forces of General
Joseph +. Johnston.
| General Wheeler was 62 years old in
the spring of 1898. when this country
| was making hurried preparations for
| the inevitable war with Spain. He
was a thin little man with i white
| beard and Il partly bald head. He
might easily have posed for portrait
| Of a Scottish Covenanter. But he was
| one of the first to offer his services to
| the country when it became apparent
| that Il conflict with Spain could not be
| avoided.
| General Wheelers offer was the sub
| ject of more than one official CONFER
| ence in Washington at the time. Some
| of the veterans Of the war were won-
| dering whether or not Fighting Joe"
| had been sufficiently reconstructed In
| the thirty-three years that had elapsed
since that came to an end. 1t was
| Senator CuShman *. Davis of Minne-
| sofa who first came to the front with a
| strong Endorsement of the doughty lit
| tic southerner. With several other in
| fluential men he called on President
| Mckinley.
'Why, I'm going to appoint him Il
general. of course" said the President
| the moment the delegation let their
| mission be known.
'I'm mighty glad to hear it, said
Senator Davis. "And now / want TO
tell YOU. Mr.. President. why I regard
| Joe Wheeler as one of the greatest
! generals this country has ever pro-