The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1906-02-02

The death of Gen joe Wheeler
at New York yesterday, removes a
man whose varied services To- the
South and To the country made him
one Of the most valuable Of our cit
liens. He follows soon after FitZ-
hugh Lee, whose career he parallel
ed IN 80 many respects and who
passed through 50 much the same
experience a. himself. Both served
the Confederacy and afterwards the
Union, III the Spanish war; both
Were cavalry commanders, both had
played a prominent part In political
as well as military life, and finally
they passed away, only fewmonths
apart, the similarity in their ca
reers being thus carried to the
grave.
OF General Whccler's success in
the field of war and politics the
country knows well; but the South
possibly does not fully realize how
much he contributed to its prosper
ity and its present political peace,
how much he did during the period
Of his military services during the
Spanish war To sweep away sectional
preJudices and give the North and
the whole country better idea OF
the earnest patriotism of the South
ern people.
He was thrice called to their ser
ice, and each time he performed his
duty well and thoroughly and faith
fully
The first call was in 1861, when,
resigning from the United States
army, he entered the Confederate
service as captain of artillery, to
rise before the end of the war To be-
Lieutenant General Of cavalry
Fighting Joe" Wheeler was one Of
the most active and persistent of
the Confederate commanders. first
in attack, last in retreat. He par
ticipated in 200 battles and 500
skirmishcs, and did not know an
idle day during the entire war.
His next service Ia the South was
in the field of politics. The South
ern armies had been defeated and
the South lay PROSTATE before the
enemy Ii required the most devo-
ted services of its SONS To relieve IL
from the suffering, poverty and mis-
cry into which war and misgovern-
ment had plunged it. Among those
who pledged themselves to this work
of regeneration was General Joe
Wheeler. He threw himself into
the political campaign with the
same dash and spirit he had dis
played in leading big cavalry charges
during the war. One Z I the Con
federatc Brigadicrs' in Congress, he
fought all hostile and sectional
measures, and helped To defeat leg
islation designed To keep the South
IN political subsection; but ii was
noted that in all these campaigns,
while asserting the rights of the
South, while protesting against I'M
friendly legislation, H. always
preached the doctrine Of a broad
American patriotism, a union of
the North and South---thcre was
never word of bitterness or see
tionalism in his speeches.
Ills third and greatest achieve
ment for the South came with the
Spanish war. lie had offered his
services and his military experience
To the United States. President
Mckinley accepted this offer when
war was declared with Spain, and
General Wheeler was made a Major
General of United volunteers. lie
was fortunately able, with his great
military experience, to prove of val
uabie assistance To our army in the
Santiago campaign. But his great
est service in this connection was in
cementing Il fraternal feeling be-
tween the North and South. No