Union general known for his 'bravery, coolness under fire'

BY CLINT SCHEMMER

Daniel Davis Wheeler is hardly a household name. Yet he can be considered a Civil War hero--a fact that had, until recently, largely escaped public notice.

Now, if you visit Wheeler's resting place in Fredericksburg's City Cemetery, near a venerable magnolia and the brick wall along Washington Avenue, you'll spot something shiny and new.

Affixed to Wheeler's gravestone are two brass plaques. One reads "Medal of Honor." The other bears his name, unit--the 4th Vermont Infantry Regiment--and birth and death dates. Both feature the distinctive design of the medal awarded as the nation's highest military honor.

Here in Fredericksburg, Wheeler is something of an odd man out: a Union brigadier general interred in a cemetery known for its Southerners.

Nonetheless, Wheeler is of Fredericksburg. He lived his last 15 years here, having married into one of the area's most prominent families.

And when his time came, Brig. Gen. Wheeler was laid to rest by his adopted community. At his funeral on July 29, 1916, pallbearers included Fredericksburg Mayor J.P. Rowe and Charles Hurkamp, a longtime City Council member.

His grave, however, made no mention of his Civil War years, although he was involved in some of its most famous battles: Malvern Hill, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Salem Church and Cold Harbor, among others.

That disconnect has been examined by Josef Rokus of Orange County, a volunteer researcher for the National Park Service who chronicled Wheeler's life.

Rokus' profile was published in the 2009 edition of the Fredericksburg Journal of History and Biography, published by the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust.

"He had a low profile while he was here, maybe because it was Fredericksburg and he was a Northerner," Rokus said. "At that time, Northerners--particularly generals--may not have been the most welcome people in this part of the country."

Rokus' research was sparked by a tour led some years ago by John Hennessy, chief historian of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

"He pointed out Gen. Wheeler's grave, and said, in one of those casual comments, 'You might be interested in researching him, because we know very little about him,'" Rokus recalled.

Thursday, Rokus was present when John Parrish of Carroll Memorials affixed the plaques to Wheeler's gravestone, lending new luster to a 42-year military record.

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