Wheeler, Joseph (1836-1906), was an American soldier who served in campaigns against the Indians before he joined the Confederate Army in 1861. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), he served as a cavalry general at the Battle of Shiloh and in campaigns in Tennessee and Georgia. After the war, Wheeler practiced law in Alabama and served several terms as a Democratic U.S. congressman between 1881 and 1900. He commanded U.S. forces during the Spanish-American War of 1898 and in the Philippine-American War (1899-1902).
Wheeler was born on Sept. 10, 1836, near Augusta, Georgia, and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy. He died on Jan. 25, 1906. A statue of him represents Alabama in Statuary Hall.