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Vol. II |
(Born N. Y.) |
Philip H. Sheridan |
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Philip Henry Sheridan: Born Mar. 6, 1831, Albany, NY. Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1848, to July 1, 1853, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to Bvt. Second Lieut. of Infantry, July 1, 1853. Served: in garrison at Newport Barracks, Ky., 1853; on frontier duty at Ft. Duncan, Tex., 1854, — La Peña, Tex., 1854, — Turkey Creek, (Second Lieut., 4th Infantry, Nov. 22, 1854) Tex., 1854, — and Ft. Duncan, Tex., 1854‑55; in garrison at Ft. Columbus, N. Y., 1855; and on frontier duty, escorting Topographical party from Sacramento Valley, Cal., to Columbia River, Or., 1855, — Yakima Expedition, 1855, — Ft. Vancouver, Wash., 1855‑56, — Scouting, 1856, being engaged in Defense of the Cascades, Apr. 28, 1856, — Grande Ronde Reservation, 1856, — Ft. Hoskins, Or., 1856‑58, — and Ft. Yamhill, Or., 1859‑61. First Lieut., 4th Infantry, Mar. 1, 1861. p551 Served during the Rebellion of the Seceding States, 1861‑66: as (Captain, 13th Infantry, May 14, 1861)
President of Board for auditing claims, at St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 18 to Dec. 26, 1861; as Chief Quartermaster and Commissary of the Army of Southwest Missouri, Dec. 26, 1861, to Mar. 12, 1862; in the Mississippi Campaign, Apr. to Sep., 1862, being engaged as Quartermaster of Major-General (Colonel, 2d Michigan Cavalry Volunteers, May 25, 1862) May 28, 1862, — Pursuit of Rebels from Corinth to Baldwin, Mis., May 30 to June 10, 1862, participating in Skirmishes at Boonville, Blackland, Donaldson Cross-roads, and Baldwin, June, 1862, — and Action of Boonville, July 1, 1862; in command of 11th Division (Army of (Brig.‑General, U. S. Volunteers, July 1, 1862) the Ohio), Oct. 1 to Nov. 2, 1862, on the Advance into Kentucky, being engaged in the Battle of Perryville, Oct. 8, 1862, — and March to the relief of Nashville, Ten., Oct. to Nov., 1862; in command of Division (Army of the Cumberland), in the Tennessee Campaign, Nov., 1862, to Sep., 1863, being engaged in the Battle of Stone River, Dec. 31, 1862, to (Major-General, U. S. Volunteers, Dec. 31, 1862, to Nov. 8, 1864)
Jan. 3, 1863, — Pursuit of Rebels under (Brig.‑General, U. S. Army, Sep. 20, 1864) in the Battle of Opequan, Sep. 19, 1864, — Battle of Fisher's Hill, Sep. 22, 1864, — Battle of Cedar Creek,1 Oct. 19, 1864, — Action of (Major-General, U. S. Army, Nov. 8, 1864)
Middletown, Nov. 12, 1864, — Raid from Winchester to Petersburg, Feb. 27 to Mar. 24, 1865, destroying the James River and Kanawha Canal, and cutting the Gordonsville and Lynchburg, Virginia Central, and Richmond and Fredericksburg Railroads, — Combat of Waynesborough, Mar. 2, 1865, — Actions of North Anna and Ashland, Mar. 14‑15,
p552 1865, — and numerous minor Actions and Skirmishes; in the Richmond Campaign, Mar. 25 to Apr. 9, 1865, being engaged in command at the Battle of Dinwiddie C. H., Mar. 31, 1865, — Battle of Five Forks, Apr. 1, 1865, — Battle of Sailor's Creek, Apr. 6, 1865, — Action of Appomattox Station, Apr. 8, 1865, — several minor Cavalry Engagements in Pursuit of the enemy, Apr. 2‑9, 1865, — and Capitulation at Appomattox C. H., of the insurgent army under General Served: in command of the Military Division of the Southwest, June 3 to July 17, 1865, — of the Military Division of the Gulf, July 17, 1865, to Aug. 15, 1866, — of the Department of the Gulf, Aug. 15, 1866, to Mar. 11, 1867, — and of the Fifth Military District (Louisiana and Texas), Mar. 11 to Sep. 5, 1867, — of the Department of Missouri, headquarters Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., Sep. 12, 1867, to Mar. 16, 1869, being engaged in conducting Winter Campaign of 1868‑69 against hostile Indians, resulting in their defeat and surrender, — of the Division of (Lieut.‑General, U. S. Army, Mar. 4, 1869) the Missouri, headquarters Chicago, Ill., Mar. 16, 1869, to Nov. 1, 1883, — and of the U. S. Army, headquarters, Washington, D. C., to Aug. 5, 1888. General, U. S. Army, June 1, 1888. Civil History. — Degree of LL. D. conferred by Vermont University, 1869, and by Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., 1871. Died, Aug. 5, 1888, at Nonquitt, Mas.: Aged 58. Buried, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. Biographical Sketch.
General Philip Henry Sheridan was born, Mar. 6, 1831, at Albany, N. Y., and died, Aug. 5, 1888, at Nonquitt, Mas., at the early age of 57. For the following brilliant sketch of his life and services, I am greatly indebted to Major-General "When Sheridan graduated thirty-fourth in a class of fifty-two, at West Point, in June, 1853, there was no one who dreamed of predicting for him the glorious career which has so recently been closed by death. The son of poor Irish parents, who had been able to give him none of the advantages which lead to high scholarship, under the fierce competition which prevails at the Military Academy; small in person, and of only medium quickness at his studies; careless and unsteady in his bearing, and perhaps lacking any well-defined ambition, — his graduating position was barely respectable. It is not generally known that he was five years in getting through the four years' course of studies then assigned to Cadets. But, having been turned back a year for a grave infraction of discipline, he was enabled without great effort to secure a much better place in his new class than he had attained in his old one. "Sheridan's career from graduation till the outbreak of the Rebellion was comparatively uneventful. It was passed partly in Texas, but mostly in the Columbia River country, and was occasionally diversified by an Indian campaign, in which he displayed activity, energy, and skill, but of no such order as to mark him as a great leader of men. If he was specially distinguished at all, it was for good judgment, prudence, and justice in the management of the Indians who came under his control on the Reservations.
"When the new regiments of infantry were organized, however, after
p553 the commencement of the Rebellion, Sheridan, being a comparatively old Lieutenant, was appointed a Captain in the Thirteenth Infantry, and was ordered East by way of Panama, to assist in organizing it. His first appearance in the war was at St. Louis, where he served for about a month as President of a Board for auditing claims against the Government, after which, thanks to the appreciation of General Halleck and the officers of his Staff, he became Chief Quartermaster and Commissary of the Army of the Southwest. That was in the earlier days of the Rebellion, when the non-combatants of the regions in hostility to the Government were treated with tenderness and consideration; when forage and bacon were paid for, and horses and mules were regarded as somewhat sacred. General
"Shortly afterwards he appears attached to the Staff of General Halleck as Quartermaster of his headquarters during the Corinth campaign, but his duties were neither highly responsible nor important; and it is known that he not only chafed at the inconspicuous part he was playing, but early in the campaign, seeing with what little skill the practical operations of war were carried on about him, signified to General "This active command brought him the opportunity for which he had been waiting, and right gallantly did he avail himself of it. It was the tide in his affairs which, taken at the flood, led on to fortune. In the Battle of Boonville he gained a signal victory over a much larger force under Chalmers; and in the pursuit of the Confederate Army from Corinth to Baldwin, he displayed that activity, untiring industry, and aggressive temper which brought him almost constantly in contact with the enemy, and, what was still better, made him constantly victorious. In exactly thirty-five days he won his Brigadier-General's stars, and shortly afterwards was placed in command of the Eleventh (Infantry) Division of the Army of the Ohio. Of course this was largely due not only to his own enterprise, but to the appreciation of those above him, and especially of General Halleck, who again recommended him for promotion.
"At the bloody Battle of Perryville, Sheridan first showed his quality as an infantry division commander. Keeping his troops well in hand, and selecting for them a position admirable for defense, he successfully resisted attack after attack, till his assailants, worn out with fighting, abandoned the field in despair. He showed himself in that action not only to
p554 have an accurate military eye, but to be, what is still rarer, a cool, wary, and stubborn fighter. He had but little supervision and less help from those in authority over him, but, knowing that men go to war for the purpose of fighting, he fought everybody that came within his reach, and all the time as if he meant to kill just as many of the enemy as possible. About the only honors gained upon that field were gained by himself, his friend
"Ten weeks' more marching and manoeuvring brought the two armies in contact again at the still more bloody field of Stone River, and here Sheridan covered himself with glory. Forming the left of
"The troops to the right of him having been overthrown and driven from the field, Sheridan's position was now a perilous one. He was overlapped by the length of a whole division, and the exultant Confederates, under that almost invincible leader, Pat Cleburne, also an Irishman, were bearing down upon him with the absolute certainty of sweeping him from the field; but, hastily reforming his right flank and re-arranging his line at right angles with his old position, under the cover of a bayonet charge by Roberts' brigade, he repelled onset after onset until he had gained another hour's respite for "It is not too much to say that the time gained by the desperate fighting and skillful manoeuvring of Sheridan upon this occasion saved Rosecrans' army, for it delayed the Rebel advance full three hours, and enabled the Union commander to reform his line of battle upon ground from which his opponent found it utterly impossible to drive him. In this desperate contest Sheridan was necessarily, for much of the time, left almost entirely to his own resources. Much of the battlefield was covered with an almost impenetrable cedar brake, which concealed the enemy's movements till they were fully developed. His plan of attack was cleverly conceived and boldly executed under the immediate supervision of Hardee, an accomplished tactician, and a most hardy and aggressive p555 leader. Two strong divisions had been driven with severe fighting from the field, but Sheridan stood his ground undaunted and unshaken; he neither asked nor waited for orders, but being there it never occurred to him to do anything but fight, and he fought with that cool and desperate courage which took no account of numbers or consequences, which defied defeat, and which certified him to every man and officer of that army as the peer of the best soldier in it! His fortitude, his presence of mind, his tactical skill, and his readiness to meet emergencies, had all been tested in the white heat of a most desperate conflict. The men and officers of his own division sounded his praises in no uncertain tones. By common consent he had richly won his double stars, and the Government at Washington made haste to send him the commission of Major-General, to date from the battle in which he had taken so conspicuous a part.
"During the next six months Sheridan did his full part of the marching and manoeuvring, and added to his reputation by the industry and enterprise displayed by his scouts in gathering information, and by the care which he took of his men; but it was his misfortune that the right wing of the Army, to which he was attached at the Battle of Chickamauga, was again, early on the second day, outflanked and overwhelmed. His division, lying to the right of the gap made by the withdrawal of Wood's division, in its effort to close in upon
"At the Battle of Missionary Ridge, which was fought two months later, Sheridan won new laurels, and by his dashing gallantry in the wonderful assault which swept "Shortly after Grant's assignment to the command of all the Union armies, he learned that it was necessary to find a new leader for the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, and when Halleck asked him how Sheridan would do, remembering the gallant behavior of the latter at p556 Missionary Ridge, he promptly replied, 'He is the very man I want,' and thereupon ordered him East.
"Sheridan now found himself at the head of a Cavalry Corps of three divisions, with something over ten thousand men for duty. Its organization had been shaped under
"Sheridan hastened to reduce the picket line, call in the detachments, get extra duty men returned to their regiments, secure remounts, new equipments and arms, and generally to put the Corps in condition to take the field with the rest of the Army. In just one month from the day he took command, the Army crossed the Rapidan, and from that time onward there was never a word of censure for the cavalry. It covered the Army's front, flank, and rear, wherever and whenever it moved, but it was no longer broken up into detachments, or strung out on useless picket lines. It became at once a compact fighting mass, and as such inflicted constant and irreparable injury upon the enemy. Fighting on foot, it assaulted and carried the enemy's intrenched positions, or held its own whenever occasion required it. Mounted and moving rapidly, it seized strategic positions, or threw itself upon the enemy's flanks and rear, broke his communications, destroyed his transportation, burned his supplies, threatened his capital, and finally, at Yellow Tavern, met and overthrew his cavalry, and killed "Sheridan was, at the time he commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac, in his thirty-third year. He weighed about 120 p557 pounds, but was as hardy and wiry as a wild Indian. Always neatly but never foppishly dressed, indeed, scarcely ever dressed in the regulation uniform of his rank, he was as natty and attractive a figure as could be found in the whole Army. With a clear and flashing eye, a bronzed yet cheerful countenance, an alert and active carriage, he appeared at all times and under all conditions a bright and reassuring figure, ready for any undertaking which might fall to his lot. He was the prince of subordinate commanders, and by his unfailing alacrity won his way straight to the confidence of those in authority over him. It cannot be claimed that he was then or that he ever became a great theoretical student of the military art in its higher branches, or that he knew much of grand tactics or strategy, or of military precept and history. If the truth must be confessed, he was never much of a lover of books, nor yet was he altogether neglectful of them. There were a few with which he was familiar, and Shakespeare stood at the head of the list. But as a practical soldier it may well be doubted if there was ever a better one in any army.
"In all the practical and laborious duties of administration and command, he was most ably and efficiently seconded by his 'dear friend' and chief of staff, the clear-headed, methodical, and accomplished
"With qualities such as these, and successes such as he had gained during his three months' command of the Cavalry Corps, it was but natural that Grant should select Sheridan to drive back the Rebels who were operating under "Sheridan went at once to the new theatre of operations, taking with him one of his old divisions of cavalry, and shortly afterward calling for another, which was sent him by General Grant. With these and the troops he found in the valley, he took the field, feeling his way cautiously and carefully at first, studying the lay of the country, its roads, streams, and mountains, with an intensity which showed that he fully understood how fatal it had been to the fortunes of his predecessors, and how dangerous it might become to himself. This necessarily took time, but time which the sequel showed had been well spent. "The Government was filled with apprehension, the country was alarmed, not only at the deadlock which existed on the James, but at the danger which was now clearly menacing the National Capital. The newspapers became impatient, and asked with significant intensity, 'Why doesn't Sheridan do something?' Stocks began to decline, and gold, already alarmingly high, to rise still higher, which showed with unmistakable certainty how anxiously the business men of the country had come to regard the situation of military affairs. There was marching and countermarching, an advance and a counter-advance, then a demonstration and a retreat from Winchester to Harper's Ferry, followed by louder mutterings of discontent, and a still higher rise in the price of gold. The President became uneasy, and wrote one of his wisest letters to Grant, who in turn began to doubt, and, when he could stand it no longer, he left the Army of the Potomac in its impregnable position facing Petersburg, and hurried through Washington to Harper's Ferry to see for himself why his lieutenant did not advance, and, if need be, to give him a plan of operations, and to stay with him till it was in a fair way of execution. It was believed then, and it afterward became certain, that Sheridan's army outnumbered that of his wily antagonist, and was far p558 better clad, armed, and supplied, and so men wondered why the dashing cavalryman had grown so cautious, and the croakers went so far as to declare that Grant had made a grave mistake in putting him in command of an army. "Thus six weeks of gloom and unhappiness passed over the country, but they were also six weeks of vigilance, careful study, and preparation, and when Grant, arriving on the ground, had considered the plan, which he found to his joy the gallant Sheridan had matured, he stamped it with his approval in that laconic but all-sufficient order, "Go in!" There was no more deliberation or delay. Every detail had been worked out, every contingency had been prepared for, and the hour of action and of victory was at hand.
"The Battle of the Opequan which followed, although somewhat delayed by accidents of ground, by the slowness of the reserves, and by the faulty tactics of certain subordinate commanders, was fought with great determination and spirit. It was the first time in the war when cavalry, artillery, and infantry were all used concurrently and to the best possible advantage, each according to its own nature and traditions. Thanks to the promptitude and courage of the lamented
"Early was defeated again, in a few days, at Fisher's Hill, and then driven rapidly out of the valley, but the Rebel authorities at Richmond could not realize the magnitude of the disaster. They had become so accustomed to triumph in that chosen region, to gather in its abundant crops, and to equip their men with arms, clothing, and military munitions captured there from their antagonists, that they accused Early of having been stampeded, and sent him back with reinforcements to try the issue over again. This time it so happened that Sheridan had been called to Washington for consultation, and during his absence Early, who was an able and a shifty commander, and a tough and persistent fighter, fell upon the Army at Cedar Creek, and came near destroying it entirely. It was temporarily in command of "Chagrined and astonished at what had happened, both officers and men were easily brought to assume the offensive, when Sheridan, who had finished his business at Washington, and was hurrying back, rode on the field. He had met the usual shoals of stragglers, several miles in the rear, drifting back towards Winchester, and from their number, rather than the exaggerated stories which they told, he knew that a great misfortune had befallen the army. Galloping to the front, he found General Wright wounded, but ready for action, received a hurried account of what had happened, rode the lines rapidly, and gave everybody to understand that Early must be beaten before night, no matter at what cost! This was not later than half-past ten, and by half past three or four he had formed a new and advanced line of battle, and got everybody ready to p559 assume the offensive. Right gallantly did officers and men respond to the inspiring call that he made upon them. Infantry vied with cavalry in spirit and enthusiasm, and nothing could check or withstand their gallant onset. In almost as short a time as they had lost them, they recaptured their guns and camps, and drove the enemy in disorder from the field. The victory was signal and complete, and it was followed up with relentless and untiring energy until the Valley of Virginia was again left in the possession of the Union forces, never again to be relinquished. Even the Rebel Government was finally convinced that it was hopelessly lost, and that the first stampede which had taken place was the legitimate result of the National victory. "It has fallen to the lot of no other American general to turn the defeat of an army into a glorious victory by his timely arrival, fine generalship, and aggressive conduct, as Sheridan did at Cedar Creek. If this signal performance was due to simple good fortune rather than to a real genius for war, then it may be truthfully said that Sheridan was the most fortunate of men. But there was evidently something in it better and higher than fortune, which, in the great affairs of life, at the best, brings the opportunity that only resolute and masterful men seize upon to immortalize themselves. Call that what you will, it is glorious, and in all the subsequent emergencies of the war it never failed the gallant and invincible Sheridan.
"The page of every history of the Great Rebellion shines with the story of Sheridan's hurrying and destructive march from the Valley of Virginia, across mountain and stream, and through the unravaged and fruitful fields of the Old Dominion, to a junction with the Army of the Potomac in front of Petersburg. Grant tells us in the Memoirs how he had made up his mind to end the struggle by one supreme effort; how he sent for Sheridan and told him of his plans, and ordered him to resume command of his gallant horsemen, and go forth with them to find and fight the enemy, and in case of failure to march onward till he had joined Sherman in North Carolina, and helped him to destroy
"From that time forth there was no hesitation or doubt; a feeling of confidence inspired and cheered him wherever he went, and, what was better and of infinite worth, he made it manifest to all with whom he came in contact. The arrangements were rapidly completed for the final move, and at last the gallant leader, with ten thousand invincible horsemen, took the road by Dinwiddie Court House to Five Forks, where he fought and won, and with the help of "Before the Great Review in Washington preceding the disbandment of the Army, Sheridan was ordered to the Texas frontier, to close up the Rebellion in that quarter, and to make good the demand of our Government that Maximilian and his European allies should evacuate Mexico. This service was wisely and discreetly performed, and was followed by a series of campaigns against the hostile Indians, extending over the entire frontier, covering a period of years, and conducted with such energy and succeed as to settle the Indian question forever. "In 1871 he visited Europe, and accompanied the headquarters of King William throughout the wonderful campaign which ended in the destruction of the French Army and in the capture of Paris. "During the years of peace which followed, Sheridan discharged every duty loyally and faithfully, if not to the satisfaction of all parties and to the entire country. It is true that he was criticised severely for his conduct while in command of the Department of Louisiana during the days of reconstruction, but it is now conceded by all that he meant no injustice to any one, and least of all did he mean to violate that fundamental principle of American polity which subordinates the military to the civil power. His countrymen should remember always that he was essentially a soldier who showed best in the heat of battle, and not a statesman, and that he resolutely put aside every suggestion which promised him political honors. And above all, they should set over against his political mistake, if mistake it was, in Louisiana, his heroic and resolute behavior during the great fire, and subsequently during the Anarchist riots at Chicago, when by precept and example, by act and deed, he became the support of the entire community. "It must be said in conclusion that Sheridan was one of the ablest and most impartial administrators the American Army ever had. In recognition of this, no less than of his conspicuous services in the field, Congress and the President bestowed upon him, before his eyes were closed in death, the exalted rank of General, as had already been done in turn to his illustrious predecessors, Grant and Sherman." |
1 The thanks of Congress were tendered, Feb. 9, 1865, to General Sheridan, for "the gallantry, military skill, and courage displayed in the brilliant series of victories achieved by his army in the valley of the Shenandoah, especially at Cedar Run."
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