Senior moments in history

From The Boys of '98 by Dale L. Walker. While the Spanish-American War was some thirty-three years out from the Civil War, there were still officers in the Army who had fought on either side in the Civil War. Major General Joseph Wheeler was one such officer. He saw extensive service in the Civil War as an officer in the Confederate States Army rising from Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant General. He was wounded three times and had a total of sixteen horses shot from under him. He returned home to Alabama as a planter after the war and held a number of elected positions over the years. When the Spanish American War came up, at 61 years of age, he volunteered to serve.

As the Rough Riders pushed from their landing place towards their goal of Santiago, their first engagement with the Spanish Army was at Las Guasimas. After a hot engagement, the Spanish soldiers finally broke and retreated towards Santiago.

Major Beach, standing next to [General] Joe Wheeler, watched the departure and Wheeler, forgetting in the heat of the moment which war he was fighting, said, "We've got the damn Yankees on the run!"