RECOLLECTIONS OF SHERIDAN. PHILIP be looked upon as one of the miracles of war-not so much from the result as the manner of his achievements. If he were neither a great strategist, like Sherman, nor a great tac would still be a successful leader. We have seen in former articles that the LieutenantGeneral is, as a military leader, complete in himself, possessing all the attributes of general ship; while Sherman, embodying nervous in-country in a more populous, thriving, educated, tellectual force, and Thomas, representing phys- and free district, Ohio, were enabled to offer their ical power, are constituted by nature, as well as son better educational advantages than were by the choice of Grant, to be his chief subordi- those of Jackson and Johnson, who had settled nate commanders. Sheridan, in character, is in the less civilized district of North Carolina; like neither of the others, but is an original and hence young Sheridan became possessed of genius, and a leader not unworthy to rank a good common school education in his native with Sherman and Thomas, or to hold posi- place, Perry County, Ohio, where he was born tion as the third subordinate commander of in 1831. From fourteen to fifteen he is rememGeneral Grant. He may be said to be an In-bered as a quick but careless student and rather spiration rather than a General, accomplishing his work as much, not to say more, by the inspiring force of his courage and example as by the rules of war. He supplies to the army the passion and fire which is smothered in Grant and Thomas, and imperfectly developed in Sherman. He renders an army invincible more by the impartation to it of his own courage and fire than by any system of organization; and appears to accomplish by this imparted enthusiasm all that results under the leadership of the others from discipline. When the historian sums up his character, with all the facts now hidden laid profusely before him, he will hardly rank Sheridan with those who have carefully and wisely planned. He belongs rather to that class of our officers whose strong arms have boldly and brilliantly executed, and who have won the distinctive classification of "fighting generals," The writer can find among all his recollections of Sheridan's career no development of any brilliant strategic ability, while in every battle in which he has been prominently engaged he has given brilliant examples of his courage, vigor, and skill, and as a quick, dashing, stubborn fighter. Stone River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Cedar Run, and Five Forks are examples which illustrate the position which is taken in representing Sheridan as a representative "fighting general." It is in the light of the more familiar scenes of Cedar Run and Five Forks that the public have formed their idea of Sheridan, without knowing that in the other battles named he has displayed the same characteristics, while his entire career in private and public has shown him to be impetuous, passionate, bold, and stubborn. He was born a belligerent. His natural element is amidst the smoke, his natural position in the front line of battle. He fights vigorously and roughly, and when the tide of battle flows and ebbs most doubtingly he holds on most grimly. In private life his great energy is a little curt, and his fiery temper a little too quick, but his abruptness and belligerency are too honest and natural to excite condemnation; while his manner, when not excited or opposed, is distinguished by great courtesy, modesty, and pleasantry. sketch of his life which, while illustrating these qualities and characteristics, gives an insight into his early career, will not be without inter est. A Sheridan is descended from the same class of the north of Ireland emigrants which produced Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson. His parents, having settled on their arrival in this wild and belligerent youth, fond of a frolic and a trick, sometimes thoughtless in wounding the feelings of others, but quick to generously heal when in fault. The necessities of his family early forced him to manual labor, and his seventeenth year beheld him employed in the town of Zanesville, Ohio, in driving a watercart, and in sprinkling the dusty streets of that old town. Before the year was finished, however, he resigned this "command" to enter West Point, having been unexpectedly appointed a cadet to that institution through the recommendation of the then Congressman of the district. The characteristics which had distinguished him at the humble school in his native town soon made him noted at West Point as the "best-natured and most belligerent cadet" in the Academy. He has often declared since his late successes that he had passed through West Point only by the "skin of his teeth." In fact his belligerent disposition retarded his advancement in youth and as a cadet as much as it has since advanced him. He fought so much at West Point, was so unruly and "so full of deviltry," that, despite his fine scholarly attainments, he graduated so low down in his class that he could only be commissioned in the lowest arm of the service. He required at the time of his graduation only "five points" more to his number of "black marks" to exclude him from the honors of graduation; and if he had not toward the close of the session, by skillful management and unusual control over his quick temper, won the good opinion of one or two of his tutors the future Major-General would have been forced to leave the Academy as he had entered it instead of Second Lieutenant of Infantry by Brevet. One of his instructors, who had admired his generous character, employed the argument that a belligerent temperament was not a fault in a soldier, and this is said to have secured him the needed approval of the West Point staff of instructors and the honors of graduation. The argument was too powerful to be resisted by educated soldiers, and Sheridan was consequently sent forth fully authorized to be as great a belligerent in time of war as he desired. Eight years of almost profound peace followed his graduation, and little opportunity was of fered for advancement. In May and June, 1855, Lieutenant Sheridan was in command of Fort Wood, New York Harbor, but in the July following he was ordered to San Francisco in charge of a body of recruits. On arriving there he was detailed to command an escort of cavalry intended for the protection and assistance of Lieutenant Williamson and the party engaged in the survey of the proposed branch of the Pacific Railroad from San Francisco to Columbia River, Oregon. An opportunity offering soon after for a fight Sheridan succeeded in getting himself detached from this command and ordered to join a battalion of dragoons under Major Raine, of the Fourth Infantry, then on an expedition against the Yakima Indians. In this expedition he distinguished himself by gallantry at the "Battle of the Cascades," of the Columbia River (April 28, 1856). Although his action on the occasion is not described, it is not difficult to imagine it as of the same character as the later deeds of daring which have distinguished him. He was rewarded for his gallantry by being placed in command of the Indian Reservation of the Coast Range. Here he was engaged for a year in keeping the Conquillo Indians on Yakima Bay in proper subjection, and in building the military post and fort at Yamhill. From this distant post he was recalled in 1861 to find himself promoted, by the resignation of large numbers of the Southern officers of the army, to a captaincy in what was then Sherman's regiment, the Thirteenth Infantry. He was ordered to join his regiment at Jefferson Barracks, and thus became attached to the Trans-Mississippi or Army of the Southwest, in which he saw his first service in the present war. Although this army had gone through a campaign under Lyon, and the preparations for another under Frémont, and was then under command of Halleck, it was so far from being organized that Sheridan could find no active duty, and was placed upon a military commission to inquire into certain alleged irregularities of the Frémont administration of Missouri affairs. About the time that Curtis, who had assumed command of the troops in the field, was ready to begin an active campaign Sheridan was appointed Acting Chief Quarter-master, with which the duties of Commissary were at that time blended. He was out of place, and his success as a quarter-master was very indifferent indeed. He used to laugh and say, many months after, when located at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that providing "hard tack and sow-belly" wasn't in his line, and was very fond of relating, in connection with the remark, his first experience in restricting the contraband traffic in salt with the rebels. gust, an immense quantity of salt. He ever afterward professed himself disgusted with his quarter-mastership, and fortunately soon after got himself under arrest and sent to the rear. Officers generally look upon arrests as misfortunes. Sheridan's arrest was the turningpoint in his fortunes, since it placed him, after a brief delay, on the staff of a rising Major-General and in the line of promotion. The circumstances of his arrest are not without interest, as showing one or two of his characteristics. Like many regular officers of the army, as organized in 1862, Sheridan was in favor of carrying on the war by striking hard blows at the organized armies of the rebels, and generously protecting the people who, while remaining at home under United States protection, furnished the men and material to the rebels. He has overcome this too delicate and nice consideration for the interests of rebel aiders and abettors, and, like the country, has been educated by war in the belief that treason is to be fought with fire. Feeling thus during the Pea Ridge campaign, and being a great stickler for military regularity and routine, Sheridan was particularly disgusted with the ravages committed by the regiment of Kansas Jay-Hawkers, and used often to denounce them in unmeasured terms. He was so much embittered against the regiment and opposed to their style of warfare, that, when General Blunt ordered him to impress a large amount of provender from the citizens, he replied in any thing but decorous terms, declining to execute the order, and intimated in conclusion that "He'd be damned if he was a Jay-Hawker." Blunt, of course, relieved him. Sheridan reported to Halleck. The letter was forwarded as evidence against him, and fell into Halleck's hands. That officer, having a just appreciation of a good joke, laughed heartily over the letter; and, sharing Sheridan's prejudices against "JayHawking" and "bummers," he caused the charges to be withdrawn, and in May, 1862, ordered him to duty on his own staff as Acting Chief Quarter-master. Halleck was then before Corinth, and thither Sheridan repaired to find himself suddenly and unexpectedly transferred from the regular to the volunteer service, as Colonel of the Second Michigan cavalry. Halleck had, with that wise appreciation which he has displayed in organizing the United States armies, noticed Sheridan's qualities, and placed him in the branch of the service for which he was best qualified. But As Chief Quarter-master it was his duty to take even Halleck did not fully appreciate the adsuch steps as would not only provide for his own mirable qualities of his young protégé, and failtroops but deprive the rebels of contraband sup-ed, when intrusted shortly after with the absolute plies. Hearing that Price, then at Springfield, was suffering for salt, he employed every means to stop the export of that article beyond our lines; and, congratulating himself on his success, used often to say, with a chuckle, that "the rebels were actually starving for salt." When the advance of the army took place, and Price was hastily driven out of Springfield, the only article left behind was, much to Sheridan's dis organization of the armies, to advance him to the position for which the quicker appreciation of Grant subsequently singled him out after observing his conduct in one battle only. His promotion to Colonel aroused the ambition of Sheridan, who had before modestly hoped to eventually become a Major. He now had opportunities to distinguish himself, and immediately went to work to improve the opportunity, determined to win rank and fame before the close of the war, which having now changed its character also gave promise of being long and adventurous, and full of occasions for one in his arm of the service. from that direction, while Sheridan, attacking from the front, succeeded in defeating the rebels and driving them from the field in confusion. It was this success which made Sheridan a Brigadier-General. It has always been an unfortunate feature of our army organization that there is no provision for the promotion of the deserving in the branch of the service in which they have won distinction, and for which they have evinced high qualifications. A colonel of cavalry shows himself eminently deserving of promotion by his services in that branch, and he is promoted to be brigadier-general of infantry, and not only taken from the line of the service for which he is best fitted, but, though promoted in rank, is sent to command an inferior arm of the service. By this fault of organization not only does the army lose the service of the person thus promoted out of his sphere, but often the promotion becomes the ruin of the recipient, who may be totally unfitted for this new line of duty. There are numerous exam His regiment was brigaded with that of Colonel Elliott, who as the ranking officer became brigade commander, and under his leadership Sheridan made his first campaign. It was the famous raid around Corinth and upon Beauregard's communications at Boonesville, which was noted at the time as one of the first and most successful adventures of our then rapidly improving cavalry, and won for its leader a reputation for dash that the loyal press, with very bad taste, continually compared to the daring of Stuart and Morgan in their bloodless raids against weak outposts and unguarded rear-lines. This irregular warfare of the rebel cavalry had not up to that time partaken of the bloody character which has since been given the cavalry encounters of the war; and Sheridan was one of the first to expose the fallibility and weak-ples of this. Among several of these failures, ness of the boasted rebel cavalry when vigorously opposed. which have resulted from this cause, the writer can recall that of a captain of artillery who The opportunity was offered him in July, gained a great reputation for his successful 1862, at Boonesville, by an old class-mate at handling of a number of massed batteries, and West Point, and one who subsequently won, who was promoted to be a brigadier-general under Bragg and Forrest, a character for bel- of infantry, to utterly fail and throw away his ligerency similar to that now enjoyed by Sheri-young life in his chagrin and desperation. A dan. The rebel J. H. Chalmers has at all young staff-officer, who had graduated at the times been as ready to fight as Sheridan; but head of his class, and who had distinguished he has neither the perseverance nor personal himself as an engineer, was promoted rapidly daring of Sheridan. His complete readiness to from captain to corps commander, to find himfight was evinced to Sheridan's satisfaction on self totally unfitted for such duty, and in time the occasion alluded to, and Sheridan's supe- to waste, by his inadaptation to infantry and a rior endurance and enterprise were made ap- lack of decision, the rich fruits of a successful parent to the rebel at the same time. This en- strategic march. gagement, although of a minor character, served to illustrate his characteristics as a quick, dashing, stubborn fighter, as more brilliantly developed in Sheridan at the more important engagements already alluded to in this connection. Chalmers attacked his single regiment with a whole brigade of cavalry, evidently expecting little resistance. Sheridan was not required, by the importance of the post he commanded nor the position of the army whose front he covered, to hold his ground, and could have with propriety declined battle, and fallen back on the infantry line; but it was not in the heart of the "belligerent cadet" to slight his old class-mate by refusing to meet him-nor, indeed, to decline an invitation to battle from any gentleman. He drew up his regiment in line, and received the attack in handsome style. Chalmers's first repulse taught him that he should have to proceed with his attack more systematically, and heities of the "little cadet” found illustrations as brought up his line for a more regular and gen- brilliant but not so familiar as that of Cedar eral assault. While he was thus engaged Sher- Creek. idan, with perhaps more enterprise than sound discretion, in view of the insignificance of the stake for which he contended, sent a detachment on a detour to the rear of the rebel position. These, by strenuous exertions, succeeded in effecting this purpose, and made an attack Sheridan's fate was not exactly the reverse of this; but when taken from the cavalry, for which he was eminently fitted, and made Brigadier-General of infantry, his success at first was not encouraging. He was placed in command in Kentucky of a division of raw troops, for the organization of which he was not so well fitted as for fighting them. The command was under General Nelson. Shortly afterward Nelson was killed, and the reorganization of his army and its incorporation with that of General Buell placed Sheridan in command of a division of partly disciplined and veteran troops. A short time subsequently the army was again reorganized by Rosecrans, and Sheridan was given a division and assigned to the corps of General A. M'D. M'Cook. Sheridan's Division suffered disaster at Stone River and Chickamauga. But amidst that disaster and defeat the fighting qual Stone River was a battle in which the endurance of the soldiers rather than the generalship of their leaders gave us possession of a field in which the enemy all the time retained the tactical and strategic advantage. Each corps, and even each division, "fought on its own hook." "I knew it was hell in there before I got in, but I was convinced of it when I saw Phil Sheridan, with hat in one hand and sword in the other, damning and swearing as if he were the devil incarnate, or had had a fresh indulgence from Father Tracy every five minutes." (Father Tracy was Rosecrans's chaplain, and often officiated at Sheridan's head-quarters. Sheridan is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.) Sheridan's Division was posted at the left of M'Cook's Corps, which, being struck in flank and rear, was very quickly and unexpectedly doubled up and thrown back upon Sheridan's Division, which was thus forced while fighting a division in its front to turn and form a defensive crotchet to the whole army, and thus was compelled to expose one or the other of its flanks. It was forced back by superior numbers until its line of battle described three sides "The history of the combat in those dark of a square; and these being broken after a ter- cedars," wrote the only historian who has truly rible resistance, it was forced to retreat through written of Stone River, Mr. W. S. Furay, of the a dense forest of cedars, in which artillery could Cincinnati Gazette, "will never be known. No not be moved, to the line formed by the reserves. man could see even the whole of his own regiWhile the rest of the corps had been rapidly ment, and no one will ever be able to tell who driven Sheridan's Division fought for hours des- they were that fought bravest or they who proved perately, losing all the brigade commanders, sev-recreant to their trust. It was left to Sheridan enty other officers, and nearly one half his men to stay the successful onset of the foe. Never killed and wounded. The other divisions were did a man labor more faithfully than he to pernever rallied until they reached Nashville. Sher-form his task, and never was leader seconded by idan's fell back upon the line of reserves and more gallant soldiers." When Sheridan had exfought for three days afterward. This result tricated his command from the forest and got in was entirely owing to the personal exertions, line with the reserves he rode up to Rosecrans daring, and skill of Sheridan; and his conflict and, pointing to the remnant of his division, formed such a brilliant episode of that badly- said, managed battle, and his abilities shone so prominently in contrast with the delinquencies of others, that he was at once made a Major-Gen-are empty." eral. "Here is all that is left of us, General. Our cartridge-boxes contain nothing, and our guns The Tullahoma campaign, which followed that of Stone River, offered few opportunities for the display of any other quality of the soldier in Sheridan than that of energy. The pursuit of Bragg, which formed the main feature of that campaign, required rapid marching but no fighting. After the expulsion of the rebels from Tullahoma and Winchester the general pursuit was abandoned, as the enemy had reach ed the mountains, and only Sheridan's Division and Stanley's cavalry received orders to pursue the enemy across the mountains to the Tennessee. Sheridan moved with great alacrity, hoping to reach the bridge over the Tennessee at Bridgeport in time to save it from destruction. He moved so rapidly that he reached the river before Stanley's cavalry did, and saved the Chickamauga was only a repetition of this. The same corps, consisting then of Davis's, Sheridan's, and Negley's divisions, was again defeated. General Negley, very unfortunately for that gallant officer and gentleman, was taken from his division in the heat of battle and ordered to the command of a number of batteries, and the division suffered badly, while the other division, under General Jefferson C. Davis, was scattered in every direction. Sheridan, who had formed the extreme right, had a desperate fight, but, after being separated from the rest of the army, eventually cut his own way out, brought in his division about half organized, and took his place in the line to which Thomas fell back to Rossville. On these two occasions Sheridan was a sub-greater part of the bridge. He used to tell with ordinate. The disaster to his division was general to his corps, and resulted from the failure of others and not his own bad management. He was powerless to avert, he could only partly retrieve the disaster. On both occasions he did so with a skillful hand, by the most strenuous exertions, and at great personal risk. In the dark cedars at Stone River and the narrow defiles of Chickamauga he kept his men together, when almost surrounded or entirely cut off, only by being at all times along the front line of battle with them; by well-directed encouragement to the deserving, and the blackest reproaches to the delinquents; by alternate appeals and curses, the latter being loud and deep and far more plentiful than the first. Rousseau, who commanded the reserves, and who pushed forward into the cedars at Stone River to cover the retreat of Sheridan and Negley through them, once said, great glee that on reaching Bridgeport he found members of the rear-guard of Bragg's army sitting on the end of the bridge and asking his advance if "they were part of Stanley's cavalry." The infantry had moved so rapidly in pursuit that the enemy had all the while mistaken them for cavalry. Sheridan has since displayed the same energy in moving, with better effect. The surrender of Lee was, without doubt, the effect of the admirable and vigorous execution by Sheridan of Grant's plan of operations from Five Forks to Burksville Junction. It will be remembered that Sheridan, by rapid movements, placed his forces at Jettersville before Lee had reached Amelia Court House, and thus cut off all retreat to Danville. His dispatches relating to those operations partake of the vigor of the actual movements, and handsomely illustrate his en ergy. |