Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-28

life without first offering prayer, and had
never. arisen without thanking God for His
mercies-
One of his colleagues in Congress from
Alabama says that during one Of the po-
litical campaigns in that state the general
came to his town to make a speech and ac-
cepted an invitation to stay at his house.
A few moments after he had retired his
host carried a pitcher of cool water to his
room and entered without knocking. Find
ing the general on his knees beside the bed
he remained motiOnless until the latter had
finished his prayer AS the general rose he
began to apologize for intruding, but his
guest explained in his CHEEKY way that no
apology was necessary; that he always Of
fered prayer at night and in the morning,
and felt the better for it.
Gen. Wheeler's favorite hymn was On
ward, Christian Soldier and he seemed to
find both great inspiration and comfort in
the lines.
At West Point.
When he was nineteen years old he Sc
cured an appointment to the United States
Military Academy from an entire stranger.
Having failed to gain the favor of the rep
resentative from the district in which he
lived in Connecticut. he went to New York
and applied to Representative John Wheel
er, a hotelkeeper, who served in Congress
from 1858 to 1857, modest retiring mem
Der of Tammany Hall, who Immediately took
a fancy to the boy and appointed him Off
hand, without even inquiring into the truth
of his story. The young soldier had no let
ters of introduction or influence of any kind,
and his only reason for approaching Repre-
sentative Wheeler was that they bore the
same name. Perhaps the fact that the boy
came from the same county in Connecticut
in which Representative Wheeler was born
also had something to do with the favor in
which he was received. He was from
Chesire, New Haven county, and the con-
gresham was born in the vinage of Derby,
only few miles distant. think Represen-
tative Wheeler is still living. He was alive
three years ago. and Gen. Wheeler used to
show with great pride a letter of congratu-
lation written by his benefactor at the time
he was appointed a major general in the
regular army.
At the academy Cadet Wheeler was nick
named Point" because he had neither
length, breadth nor thickness" In stature
and weight he was the Iightest man in his
class and came just within the minimum
limit If he had been an inch shorter or
weighed few pounds less he would have
been rejected. Toward the latter end of his
course Gen. Wheeler got a new nickname.
He was called The Little Corporal" be-
cause he had attained that rank in the corps
and was always quoting Napoleon TO his
comrades.
He entered the academy in 1856 and grad
uated in 1889. Gen. Caleb H. Carlton and
Gen. Royal T. Frank, now in this city; Gen.
Martin D. Hardin of Chicago Paymaster
General Asa B. Carey and Gen. Francis B.
Guenther of the artillery, now living in Bal
timore, were his classmates, and Gems. Wes-
ley Merritt. John NJ. Wilson and Arson
Mills OF this city were in the class after
him.
A Singular Coincidence.
By a singular coincidence Gen. A. K. Ar
mold, one of his classmates. served under
him during the Spanish war as commander
of the LIST Brigade of Cavalry in the 4th
Army Corps of which Wheeler was the
o;-,. -
the irony of fate For forty years Arnold
had served through the civil war and the
Indian wars on the plains, suffering all the
hardships and privations of a regular SOL
der, living at distant posts in the desert,
without social advantages or pleasures, and
was slowly promoted from grade to grade,
until at-the outbreak of the Spanish war he
was a colonel of cavalry. He was made
brigadier general of volunteers, given COM
mand of q brigade and ordered to report to
Maj. Gen. Wheeler In the meantime the
latter, having graduated with Arnold from
the academy in 1859. was sent to the list
Dragons an additional second lieuten-
ant. He stood SO low in his class that he
did not get his commission as second lieu
tenant until more than year afterward in
September, 1850. Six months later, on April
%, 1861, when Georgia seeded from the
Union, he resigned from the army. He had
no relations in the south; he had no inter-
ests there. All his friends and relations
were in the north. where he had lived since
he was 1--WE years old, Out ne regarded MS
obligations to his state greater than those
he owed to the nation. and offered his serv-
ices to the confederacy
After the civil war was over, as I have al
ready said, he settled in the south and came
to Congress. When war with Spain was de-
clared he offered his services to President
Mckinley and was made major general of
volunteers on the 4th of May, 1893. In June
1900, he was made a brigadier general Of
the regular army and placed on the retired
list alongside of his former classmate, Gen.
Arnold The latter was retired as briga-
der general in 1899, after forty-four years
of service, and died in 1901
Gen. Wheeler in Congress.
While he was in Congress Gen. Wheeler
was the most prolific patron of the frank
ing privilege in the House of Representa-
tives. He had a list of his constituents
that included nearly every man, woman
and child in his district, and made 1t a