Birthplace of General Joseph Wheeler
Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Birthplace of General Joseph Wheeler. A short distance north of this place, General Joseph Wheeler was born on Sept. 10, 1836. He graduated from West Point in 1859 and held the rank of 2nd lieutenant when the Civil War broke out. Resigning his commission in the Mounted Rifles, U.S.A., to join the Confederate Army, Wheeler was promoted within twenty-one months to major general in charge of all cavalry of the Army of Tenn. In Feb. 1865, he was commissioned lieutenant general. Wounded three times, Wheeler played prominent parts in Bragg's invasion of Ky., and the campaigns of Chattanooga, Atlanta, Savannah, and the Carolinas. Criticized for lack of discipline among his troops, Wheeler was superseded by Lieutenant General Wade Hampton as chief of cavalry. After the war, Wheeler lived in the town of Wheeler, Ala., which was named for him. He studied law and was admitted to the Ala. bar. Elected to Congress in 1881, he served almost continuously until his resignation in 1900. As a major general of the U.S. Volunteers in the Spanish-American War, Wheeler fought at San Juan Hill, as well as in the Philippines. He retired from the U.S. Regular Army in 1900 with the rank of brigadier general. General Wheeler died in 1906 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery. 121-43 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1963
Erected by Georgia Historical Commission
The Story
Joseph Wheeler was born near Augusta in 1836 and, after West Point, resigned his U.S. commission to ride for the Confederacy, rising within two years to command all the cavalry of the Army of Tennessee. "Fighting Joe" harried Union forces from Kentucky to the Carolinas and was wounded three times. In a rare second act, he returned to U.S. uniform as a general in the Spanish-American War, fighting at San Juan Hill before his burial at Arlington.
Why it matters
Wheeler's career bridged a divided nation—Confederate cavalryman turned U.S. general—symbolizing the sectional reconciliation that followed the war with Spain.
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Related people
- · Joseph Wheeler
- · Wade Hampton
- · Braxton Bragg
Related events
- · Battle of San Juan Hill
Themes & tags
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