SHERIDAN. 



491 



in West Point Military Academy, which institution 

 lie entered in 1848. Here, for the first six months, 

 he had Henry W. Slocum (afterward major-general) 

 as a room-mate, who helped him materially with his 

 initiatory studies, especially in mathematics. Young 

 Sheridan should have graduated in 1852, but au un- 

 fortunate quarrel with a fellow-cadet, who was an 

 officer in the corps, as well as his general propensity 

 for breaking rules, led to his suspension for a year. 

 In 1853 he graduated No. 84 in a class of 52 mem- 

 bers. Commissioned as brevet 2d lieutenant, he 

 reported for duty at Newport barracks, Sept. 30, and 

 was next year assigned to the First Infantry in Texas. 

 In November, 1854, he received his commission as 

 2d lieutenant in the Fourth Infantry. With this 

 regiment he served for six years in Wasliington Ter- 

 ritory and Oregon, at the time when the encroach- 

 ments of the gold-seekers had provoked the animosity 

 of the Indiaus. Against these Sheridan was almost 

 constantly engaged, for a time on detached duty in 

 scouting, and this chiefly in command of a detach- 

 ment of the First Dragoons. In April, 1856, the 

 Indians attacked the blockhouse at the Cascades on 

 the Columbia, W. T., when he at once embarked his 

 dragoonsand, after some fighting in conjunction with 

 a few companies of the Ninth Infantry, drove the 

 savages off. For gallantry in this affair he was com- 

 plimented in orders and promoted to the command 

 of the Indian Reservation. Recalled to the East in 

 September, 1861, by the progress of the civil war, 

 he expressed the modest wish that he " might get a 

 captaincy out of the thing." His aspiration was 

 gratified, June 18, when he received his commission 

 as captain in the Thirteenth Infantry, of which regi- 

 ment W. T. Sherman was colonel, and the promotion 

 took him to St. Louis. There his first duty was pre- 

 siding over a court for auditing claims. Next he was 

 appointed quartermaster and commissary on the 

 staff of Gen. S. R. Curtis, in command of the Army 

 of the Southwe-t, then concentrating in Missouri. 

 In this office he had not the fortune to satisfy his 

 commanding officer and was, in consequence, sent to 

 report to Gen. Halleck, who, after the battle of 

 Bliilon, had taken the command in the advance on 

 Corinth. On May 25, 1862, he was, on the recom- 

 mendation of Halleck who had served in California 

 and knew that Sheridan had had command of dra- 

 goons appointed to the colonelcy of the Second 

 Michigan Cavalry, then lying near Corinth. 



His active career now began. He led his regi- 

 ment to Booneville, Miss., where, after taking part 

 in several skirmishes, he was put in command of a 

 brigade composed of his own regiment and the 

 Second Iowa. In command of this he fought the 

 brilliant battle of Booneville, July 1, 1862, for which 

 he was commissioned brigadier-general of volun- 

 teers. In the following autumn Sheridan was trans- 

 ferred to the command of the Eleventh Division of 

 the Army of the Ohio (afterward known as the Army 

 of the Cumberland), under Buell, and on Oct. 8 

 took part in the battle of Perryville against Bragg, 

 whore he distinguished himself for resolution, dis- 

 creet judgment, and ability in handling troops. 

 The army now inarched to the relief of Nashville, 

 where its command was transferred to Rosecrans, 

 under whom Sheridan first gave full evidence of his 

 nliility as a commander. On Dec. 26 he marched 

 with Rosecrans from before Nashville to the desper- 

 ate contested two days' fight of Stone River (17. .). 

 Here for three hours his division of McCook's corps 

 held the key of the position, losing all its three 

 brigade commanders killed, and seventy other offi- 

 cers and nearly half its men killed and wounded. 

 His stubborn resistance on this day, coupled with 

 that of Thomas with his gallant corps in the cen- 

 tre, enabled Roxecrans to form his new line of battle 

 for next day. The fighting on the succeeding days 



' was less vigorous, and on the 3d Bragg withdrew, 

 leaving Mnrfreesboro' to Rosecrans. For his gal- 

 lantry here Sheridan was created a major-general of 

 volunteers. Next came the Tullahoma campaign, in 

 which Sheridan's division led the advance, with com- 

 bats at Fail-field, Cowan Station, and University. 

 This campaign was followed, a few months later, by 

 Rosecrans' advance on Chattanooga and the disas- 

 trous battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 19 and 20. Here 

 Sheridan's division suffered from a misunderstanding 

 of orders, and became separated from the rest of the 

 army, and, after desperate fighting, was driven from 

 the field. Sheridan's chagrin at his repulse was 

 brief. Thomas got command of the Army of the 

 Cumberland, whose retreat to Chattanooga he had 

 covered, and when Grant arrived with re-enforce- 

 ments and undertook to dislodge Bragg, Sheridan's 

 division formed the centre of the column which 

 fought in the conflicts of Lookout Mountain and 

 Missionary Ridge on Nov. 23, 24, and 25, and on the 

 last day carried Missionary Ridge, pierced the Con- 

 federate lines, and finally won the fight. His men 

 were the first to cross the crest and press the ene- 

 my's rear-guard till long after dark, capturing 

 wagons and artillery. Sheridan continued in West 

 Tennessee through the winter of 1863. 



When Grant was called to the command of the 

 Army of the Potomac, in March, 1864, he declared 

 to Pies. Lincoln the urgent need for an ener- 

 getic leader of cavalry. "I said," Grant reports, 

 "I wanted the very best man in the army for that 

 command. Halleck, who was present, spoke up, 

 saying, 'How would Sheridan do?" I replied, ' The 

 very man I want.' " Accordingly, on April 4, Sheri- 

 dan took command of the cavalry corps of the Army 

 of the Potomac, and his organizing power quickly 

 brought the corps into the best fighting trim. In 

 the battles of the Wilderness it covered the front 

 and flanks of the infantry, and on May 8 Grant di- 

 rected its commander to cut himself loose from the 

 army, attack the enemy's cavalry, cut his communi- 

 cations and line of supplies, and sweep round Lee's 

 force to Butler's position on the James at Haxall's 

 Landing. The course he took was directly on Rich- 

 mond, and involved, on the 10th, the destruction of 

 the Confederate stores at Beaver Dam and recapture 

 of 375 prisoners on their way to Libby prison ; on 

 the llth, the hottest cavalry fight in the war, name- 

 ly, that with Gen. J. E. B. Stuart at Yellow Tav- 

 ern, in which the gallant Confederate leader fell ; 

 a dash on the defences of Richmond, with the forc- 

 ing of the Chickahominy, and a fight at Meadow 

 Bridge on the 12th. On the 14th he recrossed the 

 Chickahominy and went into camp on the James, 

 where he rested three days. "Sheridan," says 

 Grant, " in this memorable raid passed entirely 

 around Lee's army, encountered his cavalry in four 

 engagements and defeated them in all, recaptured 

 400 Union prisoners, and killed and captured many 

 of the enemy, destroyed and used many supplies 

 and munitions of war, destroyed miles of railroad 

 and telegraph, and freed us from annoyances by 

 the cavalry of the enemy for more than two 

 weeks." 



Resuming the advance with Grant. Sheridan fought 

 at Hawes' Store, May 28 ; Matadequiu Creek, May 

 30; and at Cold Harbor, May 31 and June 1. 

 On the 6th of June ho was despatched to cut the 

 Virginia Central Railroad near Charlottesville, and 

 to escort the Shenandoah forces of Gen. Hunter to 

 those of Grant. In marching to execute this, his 

 advance was disputed on the llth at Trevillian Sta- 

 tion by Gen. Wade Hampton, whom, after severe 

 conflict, he succeeded in repulsing. The march, 

 however, had not been executed with Sheridan's 

 usual vigor, and on the 12th, though within 30 miles 

 of Charlottesville, he withdrew after breaking the 



