Military officer; born in
Augusta, Ga., Sept. 10, 1836; graduated at the United States Military Academy in 1859; was assigned to the cavalry and served till 1861, when he resigned to enter the Confederate army, in which he became major-general and senior commander of cavalry.
During the
Civil War he was conspicuous as a raider.
On Oct. 2, 1863, when
Bragg's chief of cavalry, he crossed the
Tennessee River at
Bridgeport with about 4,000 mounted men, pushed up the
Sequatchie Valley, and burned a National supply-train of nearly 1,000 wagons on its way to
Chattanooga.
Just as he had finished his destructive work,
Col. E. M. McCook attacked him. The battle continued until night, when
Wheeler, discomfited, moved off in the darkness and attacked another supply-train at
McMinnville.
This was captured and destroyed, and 600 men were made prisoners.
Then, after the mischief was done, he was attacked (Oct. 4) by
Gen. George Crook, with 2,000 cavalry.
There was another sharp fight until dark, when
Wheeler withdrew and pushed on towards
Murfreesboro.
He could do nothing, and turned southward, with his relentless pursuers at his heels, doing all the mischief in his
power.
At
Farmington, below the
Duck River,
Crook struck him, cut his force in two, captured four of his guns and 1,000 small-arms, with 200 of his men, besides his wounded, and drove him in confusion into
northern Alabama.
Wheeler made his way back to
Bragg's army, with a loss of 2,000 men, but had captured nearly as many and destroyed National property of the value, probably, of $3,000,000.
Towards the close of July, 1864,
Hood, commanding the
Confederates at
Atlanta, sent
Wheeler, with the greater part of his cavalry, to capture National supplies, burn bridges, and break up railways in
Sherman's rear.
He moved swiftly, with about 8,000 horsemen.
He struck and broke the railway at
Calhoun, captured 900 horses in that vicinity, and seriously menaced
Sherman's depot of supplies at
Allatoona, in the middle of August.
This was at the time when
Sherman was about to make his movement to flank
Hood out of
Atlanta.
This movement brought
Wheeler back.
After the evacuation of
Atlanta,
Hood having crossed to the north side of the
Chattahoochee,
Wheeler swept around
Allatoona, and, appearing before
Dalton, demanded its surrender.
The little garrison held out until
Wheeler was driven away by
General Steedman, who came down from
Chattanooga.
Then he
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pushed into
east Tennessee, made a circuit around
Knoxville, by way of Strawberry Plains, crossed the
Clinch River, went over the
Cumberland Mountains, and appeared before
McMinnville,
Murfreesboro, and
Lebanon.
National cavalry, under
Rousseau,
Steedman, and
Granger, was on the alert, and soon drove the raiders into
northern Alabama, by way of
Florence.
Although
Wheeler had destroyed much property, his damage to
Sherman's communications was very slight.
After the war he engaged in law practice; was a Democratic Representative in Congress in 1881-99; commissioned major-general of volunteers, May 4, 1898; commanded the cavalry division of the Army of Santiago, taking part in the battles of Las Guasimas and
San Juan; and was senior member of the commission which negotiated the surrender of the
Spanish army and territory at
Santiago.
After a brief visit to the
United States he was assigned to command the 1st Brigade, 2d Division of the Army in the Philippines, where he served from August, 1899, till Jan. 24, 1900.
On the reorganization of the United States army he was appointed a brigadier-general (June 16, 1900), and was retired on Sept. 10 following.
