General Joseph Wheeler

Born September 10, 1836, in Augusta, Georgia, Joseph Wheeler graduated from West Point in 1859 and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army. In 1861, he resigned his commission and entered the service of the Confederate States of America. His devotion to duty and tireless efforts brought rapid promotion from 1st Lt. to Colonel of the 19th Alabama Inf., and by July 1862 he commanded the cavalry of the Army of the Mississippi with the rank of Brigadier Gen. At age 27, "Fighting Joe" Wheeler was promoted Major Gen. and given command of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of Tennessee. He was constantly engaged in battle, was wounded 3 times, and had 16 horses shot from under him. He was promoted to Lt. Gen. on February 28, 1865. After the War Between the States, Wheeler married and settled in Alabama, where the people of the Eighth District elected him to the House of Representatives 10 times and he served with distinction. Because of his allegiance to the country, his offer of military service in the war with Spain led to a commission as Major General commanding the U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, and he fought in Cuba and in the Philippines. He retired as a Brigadier Gen. of the Regular Army on September 10, 1900. Wheeler died on February 25, 1906, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was regarded by people in both North and South as a beloved symbol of the reunited country. Captain Samuel L. Freeman's Battery, commanded by Captain Amirah Huggins, served under Gen. Joseph Wheeler from late 1863 to the end of the War Between the States.

Alabama · United States