Philip Sheridan

Philip Sheridan was a prominent Union Army general during the American Civil War and a key figure in the post-war Indian Wars. His aggressive tactics and relentless pursuit of Confederate forces, particularly in the Shenandoah Valley, earned him fame and the trust of General Ulysses S. Grant. Following the war, he commanded forces during the contentious Reconstruction era and oversaw military operations on the Great Plains, shaping the final decades of conflict with Native Americans in the United States.

Early life and education

Born in Albany, New York, to Irish immigrant parents, he spent much of his youth in Somerset, Ohio. Securing an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, his academic career was interrupted by a suspension following a quarrel with a fellow cadet, delaying his graduation from the class of 1852 by one year. Commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant, his early service included postings with the 1st U.S. Infantry in Texas and the 4th U.S. Infantry in the Pacific Northwest, where he participated in the Yakima War and the Coquille War.

Civil War service

Initially serving as a quartermaster in the Western Theater, his combat leadership began in earnest at the Battle of Booneville in 1862. His performance caught the attention of generals like Henry Halleck and William S. Rosecrans, leading to command of an infantry division in the Army of the Cumberland. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Perryville and the Battle of Stones River, earning promotion to major general. Transferred to the Eastern Theater in 1864, he was given command of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac by General Grant. His most famous campaign was the Valley Campaigns of 1864, where he commanded the Army of the Shenandoah and defeated Confederate General Jubal Early at the Battle of Cedar Creek. His forces also carried out the widespread destruction of the valley's resources, a strategy known as "The Burning." He played a crucial role in the final weeks of the war, cutting off Robert E. Lee's retreat at the Battle of Five Forks and effectively forcing the surrender at Appomattox Court House.

Postbellum military career

After the war, he commanded the Military Division of the Gulf during the early Reconstruction era, enforcing federal policy in Texas and Louisiana with a heavy hand, which led to his removal by President Andrew Johnson. In 1867, he was appointed to command the Department of the Missouri and later the vast Military Division of the Missouri. In this role, he oversaw the Indian Wars on the Great Plains, advocating for a policy of total war against resisting tribes. He supported the strategies of subordinates like George Armstrong Custer and was a key architect of the Winter Campaign of 1868–69 against the Cheyenne and Arapaho. His orders were central to the Red River War and the conflicts following the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, which culminated in the Great Sioux War of 1876 and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Later life and death

Promoted to General of the Army in 1883 following the retirement of General William Tecumseh Sherman, he succeeded Sherman as commanding general of the United States Army in 1884. His later years were spent in Washington, D.C., where he was a prominent social figure. He suffered a series of heart attacks in 1888 and died at his summer cottage in Nonquitt, Massachusetts. His body was transported to Washington, D.C. and he was interred with high military honors on a hillside in Arlington National Cemetery.

Legacy and historical assessment

Sheridan remains a complex and controversial figure in American history. Celebrated in the North as a hero of the Union and the "Savior of the Shenandoah," his legacy in the South is defined by the scorched-earth tactics of his Shenandoah Valley campaign. His post-war career is inextricably linked to the subjugation of Plains Indians tribes, with strategies that targeted their food supplies and villages. Numerous military installations, including Fort Sheridan in Illinois, were named for him, as were the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) tank "Sherman" and the M551 Sheridan armored reconnaissance vehicle. His memoirs, Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, provide a detailed, if subjective, account of his military campaigns. Historians continue to debate the morality and effectiveness of his harsh methods in both the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.

Category:United States Army generals Category:Union Army generals Category:American Civil War