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Rh the wreck of the "Maine," sent word to his countrymen that public opinion should be suspended, he showed the world the quality of the officers of the American navy in a way which history will not forget. But the unflinching self-possession and readiness for emergency which he then displayed had stood him in stead once before, at a time when publicity did not spread his deed so far abroad. In the summer of 1897, soon after he had been assigned to command the "Maine," there was an incident in New York harbor that showed the stuff of which he was made. While steaming up North River, following his prescribed course, he saw just ahead a big excursion steamer, steering out of course and bearing down upon him. He signaled quickly for the excursion boat to get out of the way, but no attention was paid to his signals. A minute more, and the "Maine" would run her down, with the certain loss of scores of lives, Sigsbee had only a second in which to act; he turned the prow of the "Maine" in shore, and she went crashing into the wharf. The wharf was wrecked, and the "Maine" damaged, but no lives were lost. Sigsbee was commended by the Department. After all was over, a friend asked him what passed through his mind as he headed toward the wharf. "I thought," said Sigsbee, "that my naval career was ended."

Such are the men who command our ships at sea; and like them are the men who wage our wars on land. Carlyle described Napoleon as "a little fellow five feet two, with banged hair." Major-General Joseph Wheeler answers to this description in part. He is a little fellow, about five feet two, but his gray hair and beard are picturesquely ragged. Wheeler is nearly sixty-two years old, but he is remarkably active; he never rests. Somebody remarked to Speaker Reed that Wheeler was about the only one left of the old-time Southern commanders. "Yes," responded Reed, "he never stays still in one place long enough for the Almighty to put his finger on him." In manner Wheeler is one of the mildest and gentlest of men. He speaks with a soft Southern voice, and he is so uniformly courteous as to convey an impression of self-depreciation. He is kindly and self-sacrificing, and has been known to take infinite pains to oblige those who could in no way return his kindness. It is hard to imagine him as any other than a man of peace, and yet he was one of the most daring cavalry leaders developed by the war between the States. It used to be said of him that he was always at the point where he was needed ten minutes before anybody else had time to think about it. He served all through the war on the Confederate side, and every Union officer who served against him says that Wheeler had a marvelous facility in worrying an enemy. He had served seven terms in Congress and was entering on his eighth when the war with Spain broke out; he was almost the first to offer his services to the government which he had once tried so hard to destroy. It was General Sherman who said that if there were to be another war he would pick Forrest