JOE WHEELER https://augustamagazine.com/2019/03/27/fighting-joe-wheeler/
Wheeler's
Cavalry in the Civil War,
from the July 13, 1898 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD AND WEST ALABAMIAN
"An ex-private of the Fifty-first Alabama
Cavalry" writes to Boston
Transcript as follows;
Your Listener's
letter about the two southern generals was of special interest to all
ex-Confederates, and the one about General Wheeler had a personal
interest to the writer, who was a member of the general's old command,
and is one of the few surviving privates of the "late unpleasantness."
The whirligig of time makes some wondrous changes, and I can scarcely
conceive of anything more strange than that the two men who now find
themselves called to important commands in the army of the United States
were a little over thirty years ago popular generals in the army of the
southern confederacy. I must refuse to see any politics in this, and
prefer to believe their appointment was in recognition of their
patriotism and ability, and the fact that it has made no difference that the military reputations on which their appointments were based were
made while in arms against the United States, indicates an era of good
feeling and reconciliation that ought to be gratifying to every true
lover of his country. But if all this seems strange to one of the
humblest participants in the old tragedy, what must it seem to the more
prominent actors who find themselves again before the footlights in a
new drama? In the Listener's letter about General Wheeler mention was
made that he seemed a little embarrassed at his new surroundings, and
not a little awed by being begirt with so much gold lace, epaulettes,
clanking sabres, etc. This should not be wondered at, for there is a
mighty contrast between the conditions he is at present surrounded
by and those prevailing when he was last in service. The fact that he is
now backed by one of the richest and strongest nations of the earth,
where before he was defending one of the poorest and weakest, is best
evidenced by the physical conditions existing in his new and old
commands.
His old
command was poorly clothed, poorly armed, poorly equipped; they rode
lean horses, and sometimes went hungry into battle. His present command
is well uniformed, well armed, will be well drilled and disciplined;
they will ride sleek horses, and have saddles, bridles and equipments
all alike; yea, they will have tents to shelter them, and will have
cooking utensils and maybe men detailed to cook the rations a generous
government supplies them with, and will not have to ride and sleep in
the rain nor broil their scant meat on a ramrod, for, lo, the ramrod,
too, is a thing of the past. If it is true that "youth thinks of the
future and is eager, maturity thinks of the present and is strong. old
age thinks of the past and is tender," do you not think, dear Listener,
that General Wheeler is near enough to old age to think tenderly of the
"old gang" he commanded, and who would ride with him anywhere and into
anything, and who loved him? Do you not think that when "he sits alone
in his tent at twilight" there will not rise up before him the forms of
Kelley and Martin and Morgan and Hagan, and in his dreams will there
not pass in review before him in misty ranks the gaunt horses and grim
riders of his old command? And will he have forgotten the privates who
rode the lean horses and who had as much blood to shed and as much of
life to lose as did their leaders? Though ragged, they were reckless;
though hungry and dirty, they were as often desperate, and without them
his deeds of daring raids could not have been accomplished, and the
general's reputation could not have been made. Of course the silent
grave has long since claimed a majority of them, and many of them went
down before the very eyes of their commander, and these, let us think,
were the bravest of his band. Do
you think, dear Listener, he can have forgotten them? I have no word of
disparagement for the new "Wheeler cavalry" though I hope the new
command will be called something else, leaving us the old name with
whatever of reputation, good or bad, attaches to it. No doubt his new
brigades will be composed of brave men and true, and will by their
prowess reflect credit upon themselves and their country. But they will
be different from the old, for the conditions will be different; maybe in some respects the
new will be better soldiers than the old, But for readiness of resource,
for capacity to endure hardships that to a civilian or modern soldier
would seem appalling, for rough riding and getting out of a horse all
there was in him, and last, but not least, for fighting for the pure
love of it and as a relief from harder conditions, commend me to
the old Wheeler's cavalry. And pardon the egotism of an old soldier
when I say that General Wheeler will never see their like again this
side of heaven.
