{⋆★⋆} MG Wheeler, Joseph

Joseph Wheeler

:CSA1stNat:
General Wheeler Civil War.jpg


Born: September 10, 1836

Birthplace: Augusta, Georgia

Father: Joseph Wheeler Sr. 1787 – 1866

Mother: Julia Knox Hull 1799 – 1842

Wife: Daniella Ellen Jones 1841 – 1896
(Buried: Wheeler Cemetery, Wheeler, Alabama)​

Married: February 8, 1866 in New Orleans, Louisiana

Children:


Lucy Louise Wheeler 1866 – 1924​
(Buried: Wheeler Cemetery, Wheeler, Alabama)​
Annie Earl Wheeler 1868 – 1955​
(Buried: Wheeler Cemetery, Wheeler, Alabama)​
Ella Wheeler 1869 – 1871​
(Buried: Wheeler Cemetery, Wheeler, Alabama)​
Julia Knox Wheeler Harris 1870 – 1959​
(Buried: Greenwood Cemetery Cedartown Georgia)​
Colonel Joseph “Joe” Wheeler Jr. 1872 – 1938​
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​
Caroline Peyton Wheeler Buck 1877 – 1953​
(Buried: Wheeler Cemetery, Wheeler, Alabama)​
Thomas Harrison Wheeler 1881 – 1898​
(Buried: Wheeler Cemetery, Wheeler, Alabama)​

Education:

1859: Graduated from West Point Military Academy (19th in class)​

Occupation:

1859 – 1860: Brevet 2nd Lt. in United States Army, Dragoons​
1859 – 1860: Attended School of Practice at Carlisle, Pennsylvania​
1860: Transferred to United States Army, Mounted Riflemen​
1860 – 1861: 2nd Lt. United States Army, Mounted Riflemen
Congressman Wheeler.jpg
1860 – 1861: Leave of Absence from United States Army​
1861: Resigned from United States Army on April 22nd

Civil War Career:

1861 – 1862: Colonel of 19th Alabama Infantry Regiment​
1862: Participated in the Battle of Shiloh​
1862: Participated in the Battle of Perryville​
1862 – 1863: Brigadier General of Confederate Army, Cavalry​
1863 – 1865: Major General of Confederate Army, Cavalry​
1863: Participated in Battle of Chickamauga​
1863: Participated in the Knoxville Campaign​
1864: Participated in the Atlanta Campaign​
1864: Unsuccessful in Jonesborough, and made to evacuate Atlanta
After War.jpg
1864: Only force to oppose Sherman's March to the sea in Georgia​
1865: Participated in the Carolina's Campaign​
Author of Books on Military History & Strategy​

Occupation after War:

1866 – 1868: Commission Merchant in New Orleans, Louisiana​
1868 – 1881: Planter and Lawyer in Courtland, Alabama​
1881 – 1883: United States Congressman from Alabama​
1885 – 1900: United States Congressman from Alabama​
1898: Appeared in the Film Surrender of General Toral
1899 – 1900: Served in United States Army, rising to Brigadier General​

Died: January 25, 1906

Place of Death: New York City, New York

Cause of Death: Brief Illness

Age at time of Death: 69 years old

Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Joseph Wheeler.JPG
Joseph Wheeler (2).JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
One of my sources state that Wheeler was promoted to Lt. General on Feb. 28, 1865 then went on to command a Corps under Wade Hampton.

Apparently, his promotion to lieutenant general was never confirmed by the Confederate Congress and thus was not official.

Ryan
 
Wheeler to me is the reason why the Confederate Cavalry in the West deteriorates in quality. His performance in brigade commands and his positive relations with Bragg resulted in him being appointed to command the main cavalry corps of the AoT in 1863, which gets trounced by David Stanley's Union cav at Shelbyville, and fails numerous times throughout the Chickamauga Campaign. His performance in Georgia is a mix, occasionally outdoing the (poorly organized) Union cav here and there, but at the same time his men's discipline starts collapsing, to the point where they're doing more damage to Georgia towns than Sherman's army did.
He should have remained at brigade or division command, way too young and inexperienced for Corps command.
 
Great stuff here. Just finished Edward Longacre’s book on him, “A Soldier To the Last”. The final chapter on his command during the Spanish American War was fascinating.
On a somewhat tacky note, I wonder why his life size statue , with the blatant CSA buckle, was overlooked by the Jan.6 “visitors” at the Capitol...😎😎

https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/joseph-wheeler
A966D42F-4CF3-478F-BBBE-2DE270FFCE2C.jpeg
 
He ran against incumbent William M. Lowe of the Greenback Party in 1880. It seemed Wheeler had won but a long drawn out court battle declared Lowe the winner. Lowe took the seat but died of Tuberculosis 4 months later.Wheeler won the special election and served out the term.He skipped the next term but was elected again in 1884 and then again 6 more times before resigning in 1900.
 
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