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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>PHILIP HENRY SHERIDAN</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Class of 1853</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Died 1888-08-05.</strong></p>
<p>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. The circumstances of this important event in his career constitute one of the interesting traditions at West Point. It seems that he had, as usual, received nearly his full allowance of 100 demerit, and that the number had been materially increased by the vigilance of Cadet Sergeant William H.</p>
<p>Terrill, who acted as file-closer behind him, and who found it frequently his duty to speak to him and sometimes to "report him" for petty offences against discipline. Sheridan stood it as long as he could, and finally told Terrill, in violent language, that of course he could "report him," if necessary, but if he spoke to him again in ranks he would lick him. In view of the fact that Terrill was over six feet high, and strong in proportion, while Sheridan was not over five feet five and at that time slender as a girl, the fiery warning probably produced but little impression upon Terrill. At all events he took occasion at the very next drill, to speak to Sheridan again, whereupon the latter broke from ranks and started after Terrill with bayonet fixed and a deadly purpose in his eye. Terrill, a big, good-natured Virginian, who early after graduation became a distinguished artillerist, specially noted for courage and nerve, and who was killed as a Brigadier-General while gallantly leading a charge of Union troops at the Battle of Perryville, was greatly surprised at the extraordinary onset of the irate little Irishman.</p>
<p>It was not only totally unexpected, but a most outrageous violation of military law and precedent, and would of course have justified the most summary measures of repression. Terrill, however, did not think of that, but at once ran like a racer, hotly pursued by Sheridan, while the other file-closers, in turn, rushed after and captured the offender and forced him back to his place, where he remained without further hostile demonstrations till after the drill was over and the companies had returned to barracks and broken ranks. Feeling that matters could not possibly be made worse by any conduct of his own, and that he was certain to be dismissed anyhow, Sheridan now threw down his gun and flew at the big file-closer like a tiger. A sharp fight ensued, but it was of course stopped without delay. The first offence occurred September 9, 1851, and Sheridan was duly reported in the list of delinquencies for using insubordinate language to a file closer of his company at drill.</p>
<p>On the next day he was reported for violation of the 134th paragraph of the Academic Regulations, which in the edition then in force prescribed dismissal for "any cadet who should strike or in any manner offer violence to another." Captain Brewerton, who was at that time superintendent, made a special report of the case to the Secretary of War, and by direction of the latter, Cadet Sheridan was on the 13th of October "suspended from the Military Academy until the 28th of August 1852." The result of this was to turn him back into the next class, and delay his graduation for a year. In this incident the boy displayed the most marked characteristic of the man, and the one to which he was principally indebted for the high rank and great distinction which he reached in the war of the Rebellion. His most distinguished classmates at graduation were McPherson, Sill, Sooy Smith, Schofield, Vincent, Terrill and Tyler, all of whom graduated ahead of him and became brigadier or major generals in the Union Army. John B. Hood graduated ten files below him, and became a lieutenant-general in the Confederate Army. They were men of unusual abilities.</p>
<p>McPherson, Sill and Schofield were specially distinguished for their scholarly attainments and intellectual brilliancy. Sill and McPherson were killed in battle, the former at Stone River, while commanding a brigade in Sheridan's division, and the latter while in command of the Army of the Tennessee before Atlanta. Both had reached high rank and were on the broad road to enduring fame, but whether they would have surpassed their less scholarly classmate is more than doubtful, for however brilliant and accomplished they were, neither of them had developed that tremendously combative temper which became the ruling characteristic of Sheridan. Hood was also a poor scholar but a most excellent soldier. He was a more quiet and undemonstrative man than Sheridan, but none the less fierce and deadly in his aggressive and warlike disposition. It has become customary to regard him as lacking weight and judgment, and to condemn his policy as the successor of Joseph E. Johnston, but the more his campaign and battles are studied, the more certain does it become that they failed rather for lack of men and military resources than for lack of ability on the part of General Hood.</p>
<p>The fact is that the latter displayed the genius and resolution of a great Captain in his masterly movement against Sherman's communications between Atlanta and Dalton, as well as in his invasion of Tennessee. History shows that his combinations were almost faultless, and failed simply because numbers, position, distances, and resources, superadded to the genius of the peerless Thomas, were heavily against him. 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 for anything it was for good judgment, prudence and justice in the management of the Indians who came under his control on the Reservations. Of course, he was only a subaltern, but a subaltern of decided character, with favorable opportunity, generally impresses upon those about him a sense of his strength and efficiency, if he is strong and efficient.</p>
<p>Withal, it is certain that Lieutenant Sheridan of the Fourth Infantry (Grant's old regiment), had not raised himself notably above officers of the same grade up to the outbreak of the Rebellion. On the other hand, it is but just to add that he had come to be known to those serving in the same region as a good officer of sound judgment, with plenty of pluck, enterprise and resources, though not particularly given to study or reading. When the new regiments of infantry were organized, however, after the commencement of the Rebellion, Sheridan, being a comparatively old Lieutenant, was appointed a Captain in the Thirteenth Infantry-Sherman's regiment-and was ordered East by the 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, he became Chief Quartermaster and Commissary of the Army of the Southwest, on the staff of General Curtis.</p>
<p>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 Curtis's orders required that vouchers should be given for all supplies taken for the use of his Army, but in the hurry of the campaign this was found to give a good deal of trouble and to consume a good deal of time; besides, there is reason to believe that Captain Sheridan did not approve the policy anyhow. At all events, when a lot of horses were brought in which he had reason to believe had been stolen, he refused to comply with the orders, and on the theory that "war should be made to support war," he branded them U.S. and took them up on his papers as public property. In this he was ahead of the times, and when his practice became known to General Curtis he relieved the independent Chief Quartermaster and Commissary, and ordered him before a general court martial for trial.</p>
<p>Feeling that no matter what might be the issue of this trial, his usefulness was at an end in that department, he appealed to General Halleck to be relieved and ordered back to St. Louis, and this was done. The General received him kindly and sent him at once under a roving commission to the Northwest, to purchase horses for the army, and he was engaged on this service at Chicago when the Battle of Shiloh was fought. 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 Sherman, then commanding a raw division of Ohio Volunteers, his desire to have the command of troops.</p>
<p>On the promotion of Gordon Granger from the Colonelcy of the Second Michigan Cavalry to the rank of Brigadier-General, that officer, and perhaps others, recommended Captain Sheridan for the vacancy thus created, and as Halleck approved the recommendation, he was commissioned accordingly. He assumed command at once, and lost no time in convincing both officers and men that he was in every way competent to lead them, and that those who followed him closest would receive both hard knocks and glory in abundance. At this stage of his career the special benefits of the West Point method of education and the adaptability of the average American youth to the circumstances about him were demonstrated in a remarkable manner, for notwithstanding his eight years' service with the infantry, varied, to be sure, by the command of a detachment of dragoons, he vaulted at once into the trooper's saddle and assumed the command of a cavalry regiment without any other preparation than that he had received while a cadet at the Military Academy.</p>
<p>The tactics and details of administration for that arm were as familiar to him as those of the infantry, so that no time was lost in preparing for his new duties and command. He was as ready for action on the first day as if he had served with the cavalry all his life, and this would not have been possible in any other army of the world, for the unvarying custom outside of West Point is to educate the officer for that branch of the service in which he is to be commissioned. 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. He rode joyously to the field, and, almost from the start, found himself by common consent, if not by seniority, in command of a brigade. In the Battle of Booneville, 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.</p>
<p>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. And here it is but just to say, that whatever may have been the defects of character which prevented General Halleck from planning and conducting great campaigns and winning great victories, it cannot be charged that it was from failure to select able and worthy men for promotion. It is now established beyond dispute that Sheridan, as well as Grant, Sherman, Rosecrans, and Thomas, received the benefit of his support and endorsement at critical periods in their career. Cold, exacting and undemonstrative, if not selfish, and at times timid, he was invariably the friend of good and successful officers, through whom, if not directly, he rendered most invaluable services to his country.</p>
<p>We shall not follow Sheridan through the details of the operations in Tennessee and Kentucky, but hasten on to the bloody Battle of Perrysville, where he 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. They had easily overthrown the left of Buell's Army, but Sheridan was made of sterner stuff, and held his men gallantly to the deadly work till victory was indisputably theirs. He showed himself in that action not only to have an accurate military eye, but to be, what is still rarer, a cool, wary and stubborn fighter of an almost hopeless defensive battle. 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 reach, and all the time as if he meant to kill just as many of the enemy as possible.</p>
<p>About the only honors gained upon that field were gained by himself, his friend Carlin, and his classmate Terrill, the big Virginian whom he had tried to transfix with his bayonet at West Point a few years before, but who was preserved from that fate to fall by the hand of the public enemy in that bloody but disjointed battle. Ten weeks more marching and manouvering 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 McCook's corps, the two right divisions of which were swept away by Hardee's impetuous turning movement like chaff before a storm, his division stood within the edge of the cedar brake which partly masked its position, as steady as a stone wall, to receive the Rebel onset. He had again selected his ground with care, posted his three batteries in commanding positions, and made most careful arrangements for whatever might happen.</p>
<p>An open cotton field lay in his front, and as the assailants advanced across it in columns closed in mass his batteries tore them into shreds, but did not check them till their fire was supplemented by volley after volley of musketry delivered with such precision and at such close range that human nature could not withstand it. The gallant Rebels finally halted, staggered, and then broke and fled, promptly and hotly pursued by the chivalrous Sill, who drove them pell-mell back into their works, but who fell, pierced through by a bullet, at the moment of victory. The divisions to the right of Sheridan having been overthrown and driven from the field, Sheridan's position was now a perilous one.</p>
<p>He was overlapped by the length of a whole division, and the exultant Confederates, under that almost invincible leader of men, 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 rearranging his line at right angles with his old position, under the cover of a bayonet charge by Robert's brigade, he repelled onset after onset until he had gained another hour's respite for Rosecrans's hard pressed and imperilled Army. He had no thought of giving way, and took no account of the overwhelming numbers which were hurled against him; but there is a limit to human courage and human powers of resistance, and that was reached when, to the loss of three brigade commanders and sixteen hundred and thirty-three men, out of a total of four thousand one hundred and fifty-four, or one-third of the division, there was added the appalling intelligence that the last cartridge had been expended and the ammunition wagons captured.</p>
<p>At this juncture Sheridan threw one brigade forward with bayonets fixed, and availed himself of the check he thereby gave the enemy to withdraw his exhausted but undismayed division through the cedar brake to the open plain flanking the Nashville turnpike. 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's 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. Rosecrans was on the other flank of his Army, and hardly knew of the events which were taking place elsewhere, while McCook, the corps commander, had all he could do to look after his other divisions. Much of the battle field was covered with an almost impenetrable cedar brake, which concealed the enemy's movements till they were fully developed.</p>
<p>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 leader, with an overwhelming force operating upon the right flank and rear of the Union line. 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.</p>
<p>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 Reynolds, was separated from the centre and left under Thomas, and swept back in the direction of McFarland's Gap. Supposing that the enemy had penetrated between himself and Thomas, and fearing that Rossville, the most important strategic position in the field of operations and the one through which the whole army must pass in case of retreat, might fall into the enemy's hands, he determined to move to that point first, and, after assuring himself of its safety, to march thence to Thomas's assistance. This detour required a march of nearly eight miles, and it was half past five in the afternoon before it was completed.</p>
<p>It was afterward ascertained that the direct road from McFarland's Gap to Thomas's left, only two or two and one-half miles away, was open, and if Sheridan had gone promptly by that route he would have joined Thomas at a most opportune time, which might have changed the fortunes of the day. He was within sound of the battle and must have known that every man was needed there, and many of his companions upon that stricken field contend even now that he committed the mistake of his life in not going directly to their assistance, but it must not be forgotten that it was a day of great confusion. Rosecrans himself, as well McCook, commanding the right wing, had been caught in the debacle, and had hurried to Chattanooga, leaving no one but Thomas on the field to issue orders, and Thomas had all he could do to stay where he was. Detached commands were necessarily left to shift for themselves; disaster was in the air, and seemed to encompass the whole Army. Under the circumstances, it was natural for Sheridan to make sure that Rossville was safe.</p>
<p>He knew without instructions that if Thomas was overthrown, the Army must rally on and make its next stand at Missionary Ridge, in front of that place, and hence he decided to march thither with such part of his command as he could collect, and as fast as circumstances would permit. The relief of Rosecrans, the succession of Thomas to the command of that Army, the arrival of Hooker, Slocum, Howard, and Sherman with reenforcements, and, finally, the assignment of Grant to the supreme command, brought at first no change or promotion for Sheridan, but, at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, which was fought two months later, he won new laurels, and by his dashing gallantry in the wonderful assault which swept Bragg's Army from the crest of the Ridge and closed that memorable action, he attracted the attention and gained the friendship of Grant. Having leapt over the enemy's rifle pits at the foot of the Ridge, Sheridan's division, neck and neck with those of Wood, Baird and Johnson, rushed forward spontaneously and without orders to crown the top of the Ridge.</p>
<p>Seeing that nothing could restrain them and that to hesitate was more dangerous than to go on, the gallant commander drew forth his pocket flask, and, with a graceful salute to the Rebel lines on the heights above him, he cooly drank their health, and then giving spur and rein to his charger dashed to the front amid the cheers of his men and the rattle of hostile musketry. It was a cheering sight to those who witnessed it from Orchard Knob, and one which soon impelled Grant and his staff to mount and hurry in the same direction. It was a glorious day for the private soldiers, for the impulse which won the battle was theirs! They were the leaders upon that occasion, and the cheerful alacrity with which Sheridan joined in the scrambling assault won for him a warmer place, if possible, in their confidence and affection than did his stubborn courage at Stone River.</p>
<p>The coolness with which he paused, in sight of both Armies, to salute and drink to the Rebels, and the persistency with which he followed their retreating and broken battalions, giving them no rest till far into the night, received Grant's special commendation, and had a marked influence on the subsequent career of both of these illustrious soldiers, if not upon the history of their country. They had met before in the Shiloh campaign, but nothing had occurred to specially attract either to the other. Grant, of course, knew that Sheridan had belonged to his old regiment in the regular army, and that he had established for himself a reputation in the Army of the Cumberland for rare skill and courage as an infantry division commander; but he also remembered, with some feeling, that Sheridan had left him with alacrity to rejoin Buell, and therefore had not made much of him after arriving at Chattanooga. Thenceforth, however, he valued him highly, and their careers came later to be closely intermingled.</p>
<p>The defeat of Bragg was Grant's crowning victory in the West, and was followed in turn by his promotion to be Lieutenant-General and by his assignment to the command of all the Union Armies. Shortly after going East, he learned that it was necessary to find a new commander 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 Missionary Ridge, he promptly replied, "He is the very man I want," and thereupon ordered him East. In this connection it is worthy of note that the only general officers whom Grant took from the West were Rawlins, his Chief of Staff; W. F. Smith, his Chief Engineer; Wilson, formerly his Inspector-General, and Sheridan, a Division Commander; and that all except Rawlins were finally assigned to command troops in the Virginia theatre of war. Sheridan now found himself at the head of a cavalry corps of three divisions, with something over ten thousand men for duty.</p>
<p>Its organization had been shaped under Stoneman and Pleasanton, and it had done some most excellent service, but neither of its earlier officers had succeeded in impressing himself sufficiently upon the Army or its commanding Generals to secure that independent administration and care for the cavalry necessary to make it a prime factor in the campaigns which had taken place. It had the preponderence of numbers and a decided advantage in equipment, but the Confederate cavalry had a higher morale, and had so far counted for much more in the operations of the Army to which it belonged. Indeed, notwithstanding the gallant deeds of Bayard, Buford, Gregg, and of many junior officers, the Federal cavalry had become in a measure a byword and a reproach; the old joke that Hooker is said to have offered a large reward for a dead cavalryman was heard too often to be entirely pleasant. It was cruelly unjust, but nevertheless it contained a suggestion that was not altogether unmerited, and yet it is doubtless true that this was quite as much due to mismanagement at Army headquarters as to lack of capacity on the part of the cavalry commanders.</p>
<p>This is not the place to go into details, but when it is remembered that Sheridan found over half his men on picket duty, with a line of videttes covering the Army within sight of the infantry pickets, and of each other, and extending from left to right nearly fifty miles, and that such service had been exacted all winter, it will be abundantly evident that the bad conditon of the corps was not altogether the fault of its own officers. Of course Sheridan's first measure was to reduce the picket line, call in the detachments, get extra duty men returned to their regiments, secure remounts, new equipments and arms, and bend every energy to repair damages and put the command in condition to take the field with the rest of the army. In this task he was efficiently aided by the cavalry bureau in Washington, but, withal, his own exertions were at this time, of infinite value. 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 corps.</p>
<p>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 corps, 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 J. E. B. Stuart, its most competent and daring leader. Within two weeks it had clearly established its superiority to the Rebel cavalry corps, and never afterward was it discomfited, or did it fail to accomplish all that was expected of it, except when in obedience to orders from Army headquarters it was divided and compelled to operate on divergent lines. It is certain that no cavalry corps ever did more or harder work than did Sheridan's from the first of May till the end of July 1864.</p>
<p>There was scarcely a day in all that exciting period when it did not engage the enemy, and there were many days in succession when it engaged him, not only once, but many times. Indeed, it scarcely ever rested by daylight from marching or fighting, and, what is still more curious, its morale and efficiency constantly increased, till it came to regard itself as invincible. Whether by night or by day it was always ready, and responded promptly and cheerfully to every demand made upon it. There were times in the year which led up to the crowning victory over Lee, in which the infantry commanders, and especially the rank and file, became despondent, and faced the storm of battle with hopeless and dejected mien that forboded failure; but there was never a day till the war ended when the cavalry corps did not go forth cheerfully and even gayly to its appointed tasks.</p>
<p>A part of this was doubtless due to the greater freedom of action allowed to that arm of the service by General Grant, but it is simple justice to add that a much greater part of it was due to the untiring industry, the unflinching courage, the watchful care, and, above all, to the cheerful alacrity with which General Sheridan performed his own duties, and inspired every officer and man in his command to perform theirs. The benefits of this remarkable regeneration did not end with the Eastern cavalry, but spread in due time to that of the Western armies. The organization of Sheridan's corps became the model after which Wilson, one of his own division commanders, who was sent West for that purpose, built up that other famous body of horse that did so much at Franklin, Nashville, Selma, Columbus, and Macon, and in the capture of the fugitive Rebel chieftains to end the war in the Southwest, as Sheridan ended it in the East. 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 pounds, but was as hardy and wiry as a wild Indian.</p>
<p>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 and open countenance, an alert and active carriage, he appeared at all times and under all conditions a bright and cheerful figure, ready for any undertaking which might fall to his lot. He was not one of those pedantic grumbling fellows who always knew more than their commanding officer and never approved the plan they were expected to carry out. 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.</p>
<p>But as a practical soldier it may well be doubted if there was ever a better one in any army. He had a natural instinct for topography, and readily-almost instantaneously-mastered every detail of the theatre of war in which he was operating. He was a rapid gatherer of news, and never depended upon Army headquarters to tell him what the enemy was doing. He made acquaintance with the people wherever he went, and readily found a way to learn from them whatever was worth knowing. He kept his scouts constantly on watch of the enemy's camps and columns, and never at any time in his varied career was taken unawares by their movements. Other men were surprised, but he never was, and frequently when commanding a division it was his lot to warn those above or to the right or left of him to be on the look-out for trouble. He was far from being nervous or an alarmist, but he had an instinct for danger which never failed to warn him when it was near. He was an excellent provider, a most skillful forager, and at all times exceedingly watchful of the wants and requirements of his men. Whether commanding infantry or cavalry, he generally managed to get for them the best as well as an abundance of whatever there was to be had. Liking a good dinner, but in those days by no means a heavy eater, his mess was always amply provided, and frequently when others were hungering he was revelling in all that a soldier's appetite could desire; and this was due to provident foresight and care, and not in the least, as was frequently the case with others, to greed or chicanery. Upon one occasion, after the battles about Chattanooga, he exchanged honey and quails and home-made bread with a less fortunate friend for canned oysters and crackers, and thought himself the gainer by the exchange. No man in the Army understood better than he how to supply his troops, nor how to make them comfortable in camp or on the march. No man knew better than he how to move them from place to place, nor was more familiar with the tactics of battle. Withal, he was a firm though reasonable disciplinarian, who never expected impossible virtues or impossible performances. And yet he was like other men in many ways. Although generally cheerful, bright, and companionable, he was at times somewhat irritable and irascible, and when these moods came upon him the laggard who fell in his way had a rough time of it. He liked company and good cheer, and had a hearty, jolly way about him that endeared him to his officers and made him the idol of his men, but no amount of fun or frolic ever made him for a minute negligent of duty or careless of what his position required. He had strong likes and dislikes, but was easily pleased and sometimes as easily imposed upon by those who took the trouble to make themselves agreeable to him. He had no patience with the weak and unready and no use for those who lagged behind. His rule was, duty first and pleasure afterward; his motto, "Go for 'em, boys, and we'll lick the boots off of them!" Honest, fearless, generous, and untiring himself, he liked these qualities in others. He was a firm friend, constant in his attachments, implacable in his enmities; a loyal and unquestioning patriot, and a most chivalric and unconquerable soldier, who was foiled, overpowered, or driven back, it is true, upon more than one occasion, but who was never beaten or demoralized, and who never failed in a doubtful situation to contend to the utmost for victory, nor to claim it strenuously whether he had clearly won it or not.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 James W. Forsyth (known to his intimates as "Tony"), also a graduate of the Military Academy, now Brevet Brigadier-General, U.S.A., and Colonel of the Seventh cavalry.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 him to relieve the brave but superannuated Hunter, and to drive back the Rebels who were operating under Early through the valley of Virginia against Western Maryland and the National Capital in the summer of 1864. The assignment was unsolicited and unexpected, and it is certain that both Halleck and Stanton thought that Sheridan was yet too young and inexperienced to be intrusted with such grave duties and responsibilities. But Grant persisted, and the President concurring, the orders were issued.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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, and considering 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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The battle of the Opequan, which followed, although somewhat delayed by the 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 Upton, to the good management of Crook, and to the dashing gallantry of the cavalry, no less than to the generalship of Sheridan, the overthrow of the enemy was absolute and complete. The country was electrified, and the shadow of gloom which had hung over it was dispelled as if by magic. Gold took such a tumble as it had not received since the outbreak of the Rebellion, and thenceforth no man of sense doubted the ultimate triumph of our arms or the reestablishment of the Union.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The astonished 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 his 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 H. G. Wright, an able and hitherto successful General; but its flank was turned at an early hour of the morning, under cover of a dense fog, and this gave Early such a tremendous advantage that it was comparatively easy work to drive back the whole Federal line and capture most of its artillery and camps. Wright and his Generals did their best, and, thanks to the attractions of the Federal camps to the hungry and ragged Rebels, they were enabled to rally their surprised and discomfited batallions and reform their ranks on advantageous but somewhat widely separated ground, in ample time to fight another battle and retrieve the fortunes of the day.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 in a whirlwind of rage and fiery determination. He had met the usual shoals of stragglers, several miles in the rear, drifting back toward Winchester, and from their number, rather than the exaggerated stories which they told, he knew that a great misfortune had befallen his Army. Giving rein and spur to his trusty charger, he galloped to the front, 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 in soldier's English 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 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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">During his first occupancy of the Valley, Sheridan had, in pursuance of Grant's instructions, so despoiled it of forage, provisions, and animals, that it no longer offered any attractions as foraging ground for the Rebels, and their return to it was doubtless inspired by the hope that they might surprise and defeat the General who had wrested it from them. Sheridan's timely arrival at Cedar Creek, and the splendid return he made against the enemy, was one of those rare events in war which are never achieved by second-rate captains. It is not impossible that Wright, who was a gallant and accomplished General, would have gained a victory had Sheridan not appeared upon the field. Some competent officers believe that he would have done so, but it is in proof that he had not yet made the necessary arrangements for fighting a new battle, and that the coming of Sheridan relieved his Army of all doubt and hesitation, and inspired it with an enthusiasm that rendered its triumph a matter of perfect certainty.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It has fallen to the lot of no other American General to save an Army from destruction by stubborn resistance as Sheridan did-at Stone River, and to turn the defeat of another into a glorious victory by his timely arrival, fine generalship, and aggressive conduct, as he did at Cedar Creek. If these signal performances were due to simple good fortune rather that 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 them better and higher than fortune, which, in the great affairs of life, at best, brings the opportunity that only resolute and masterful men seize upon to immortalize themselves. Call that something what you will, it is glorious, and in all the subsequent emergencies of the war it never failed the gallant and invincible Sheridan.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 Johnson's Army, after which they were to march northward with their united hosts and render the destruction of Lee's Army absolutely certain. The Memoirs also tell us of Sheridan's silent but unmistakable disappointment at the idea of being again detached from the great Army which he believed could alone and unaided destroy Lee's Army whenever it went out with a firm determination to conquer, and Sheridan's own memoirs tell us how nobly Rawlins backed up his opinion that the cavalry should not be again detached, that the Army of the Potomac should not pause or turn back from its deadly work, and finally, how Grant followed him beyond the hearing of others and assured him that the orders which required him to join Sherman were put in "merely as a blind," and that "as a matter of fact" his intention was "to close the war right there." To those who have from this narrative or from personal acquaintance with Sheridan come to know what manner of man he was, it is unnecessary to add that his disappointment vanished at once with the welcome assurance he had received and that his heroic spirit brightened his face with a confident smile, brought his gloved hand with a ringing slap upon his leg and opened his lips with the manly declaration, "I am glad to hear it, General, for you can bet your life we'll do it!"</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 horsemen who knew no fear, and had outgrown the possibility of defeat, took the road by Dinwiddie Court House to Five Forks, where he fought and won, and with the help of Warren's Corps of Infantry made sure of the victory, which sealed the fate of the tottering Confederacy! The rush and sweep of his movements from the beginning of that march till the final surrender at Appomattox were superb, and although he was ably seconded by the entire Army and especially by the knightly and irresistible Humphreys, and his own gallant division commanders, he was indisputably the hero of those stirring days, and the right hand of his sturdy and unrelenting chief. Never did Paladin battle more bravely for the holy shrines than did Sheridan and his followers for the flag of their country. Marching and fighting almost without intermission for two weeks, they made good his cheering words to Grant in a manner which brought peace to the country and lasting honor to himself. The story of their deeds can never be erased from our history, but it will continue there for all time a priceless heritage to the patriotic youth of the land, and a solemn warning to such as may ever again be tempted to threaten the integrity of the Union.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 success as to settle the Indian question forever.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Almost a quarter of a century has passed since the surrender at Appomattox. The ravages of war have been forgotten, and many a hardy soldier who had not reached his prime at that period has grown gray or gone over to the majority. Even Sheridan, who was then the embodiment of health and activity, and should be with us yet in the full maturity of his powers, has been compelled to yield to the insidious attacks of luxury and ease. With the simple fare of a soldier and the exposure and excitement of an outdoor life, broken by an occasional campaign, his health would probably have continued perfect, but when the death of Grant and the retirement of Sherman brought Sheridan to Washington, with its attractions and allurements, it brought him also to his Capua and to his grave.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">His years of peace were used creditably and well. He 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 criticized 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 rallying point and support of the entire community.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">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 reflected infinite credit upon themselves when they 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.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">He acted well his part and has deserved well of the Republic. May his soul rest in peace!</p>
<p align="right" style="text-align: right;">James Harrison Wilson</p>
<p><a href="https://usmalibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/aogreunion/id/10973">AR 1889</a></p>
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