in person his plans for organizing a Gatling gun detachment. Gen.
Wheeler had just assumed command of all the Cavalry belonging to the
5th Army Corps. His headquarters, instead of being in a suite of rooms
in the palatial Tampa Bay Hotel, where all the other general officers
had their headquarters, were located about half a mile from the hotel
in a treeless pasture. The cavalry guidon floating from a lance-head
was the only indication of headquarters, and the half-dozen "A" tents
in an irregular line gave no sign that one of the most distinguished
generals in the world had here his headquarters in the field.

The general was easily accessible. The first thing that impressed one
of him was his extraordinary quickness. His eye seemed to take in
everything within sight of him at a single glance, and to read one's
thoughts before the tongue could give expression to them. He grasped
ideas when they were only half uttered and immediately drew deductions
from mere statements of simple facts, the result of years of careful
study. These deductions, which Gen. Wheeler drew instantly, were in
every case correct, and showed a keener and more correct appreciation
of the proper tactical employment of machine guns than was shown by
any other officer of the 5th Corps. The result of the interview with
the general was that a scheme for the organization of a tactical unit
to be composed of three Gatling guns and to be employed with the
cavalry division, was drawn up on the spot, under Gen. Wheeler's
personal direction, and was submitted by him to Gen. Shafter, with the
request that authority be granted for the organization of this command
for the purpose indicated.

In the application Gen. Wheeler stated that he believed that such a
battery of machine guns, if properly handled, could go anywhere that
cavalry could go, could take the place of infantry supports, could