Joseph Wheeler
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- ''For other Joseph Wheelers, see Joseph Wheeler (musicologist) or Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler in Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Joseph Wheeler (September 10 1836 – January 25 1906) was an American military commander and politician. He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces: first as a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and later as a major general in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War. Between the wars he served as a U.S. Representative from Alabama.
Early life
Wheeler was born near Augusta, Georgia. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1859 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Dragoons. In 1860 he was transferred to the Mounted Rifles.Civil War
At the start of the war, Wheeler resigned from the U.S. Army to join the Confederate States Army in 1861, where his first command was of the 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment, which he led into battle at Shiloh in April 1862. Wheeler later transferred to the cavalry and rose to the rank of major general. Nicknamed "Fighting Joe", Wheeler was considered by General Robert E. Lee to be one of the two most outstanding Confederate cavalry leaders and saw action in many campaigns, including the opposition to William T. Sherman's advance on Atlanta.
After the war Wheeler became a planter and a lawyer. He moved to Alabama, from which he served in the United States House of Representatives during 1881–82, 1883, and 1885–1900; there he strove to heal the breach between the North and the South and championed economic policies that would help the South.
Spanish-American War
In 1898, Wheeler volunteered for the Spanish-American war, receiving an appointment to major general of volunteers by President William McKinley. He assumed command of the cavalry division and was nominally second-in-command of the V Corps. He sailed for Cuba and led his dismounted troopers to victory at the Battle of Las Guasimas, the first major engagement of the war. During the excitement of the battle Wheeler supposedly called out "Come on, we've got the damn Yankees on the run!" He fell seriously ill during the campaign and turned over command of the division to Brig. Gen. Samuel S. Sumner. He was still incapacitated when the Battle of San Juan Hill began but once he heard the sound of guns, "Fighting Joe" returned to the front despite his illness. Being the senior officer present at the front he first issued orders to the 1st Division, under Jacob F. Kent, before returning to his own command. Upon taking the heights, Wheeler assured General William R. Shafter that the position could be held against a possible counterattack. He led the division through the siege of Santiago and was a senior member of the peace commission.At the close of the fighting on Cuba, Wheeler sailed for the Philippines to fight against the insurrectionists. He commanded a brigade in General Arthur MacArthur's Division during the Philippine-American War in 1899–1900, where he was commissioned a brigadier general in the U.S. Regular Army.
Later life
Wheeler was the author of several books on military history and strategy and civil subjects. He also appeared in an early film, Surrender of General Toral (1898) with William Rufus Shafter. Wheeler died in New York City and is one of the few former Confederate officers buried in Arlington National Cemetery.In 1925, the state of Alabama donated a bronze statue of Joseph Wheeler to the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection. Additionally, several locations in Alabama are named after Wheeler including Joe Wheeler State Park, Wheeler Lake and Dam, and the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Also, Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, is named after him. During World War II, the United States Navy named a Liberty Ship in honor of Wheeler.
See also
- Slavery and State's Rights (speech by Wheeler in 1894)
External links
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