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 Book- £ ,V 4 .&^ 
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 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
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the boys' life of 
 General Sheridan 
 
 BY 
 
 WARREN LEE GOSS 
 
 AUTHOR OF "LIFE OF GRANT," "jED," " TOM CLIFTON," 
 "jack ALDEN," "in THE NAVY," ETC. 
 
 "A brief life has been allotted to us by nature; but the 
 memory of a well-spent life is imperishable. "—Cicero. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
Copyright, 1913, 
 By THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY. 
 
 DCI.A35 08 35 
 *4t 
 
J 
 
 DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF 
 
 MY WIFE 
 

 ./ 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The battle of Booneville, in which Philip Sheridan, 
 as colonel of the Second Michigan Cavalry, won the 
 first of those brilliant victories that thrilled the nation 
 and made his name immortal, was fought just fifty-one 
 years ago this July. The author's main purpose in 
 preparing this work has been to commemorate by 
 means of it the life and career of the skillful soldier 
 and great general whose series of military triumphs 
 began on that comparatively unknown field. 
 
 Not only does the history of such a life, so signally 
 devoted to patriotic service in the way of leadership on 
 the great battlefields of our Civil War, serve as an in- 
 spiration for every American boy and girl, but it sup- 
 plies a noble example of the opportunities offered to 
 poor boys under a government of the people. In re- 
 calling Sheridan's early years, one is again struck by 
 the fact that Providence, in selecting the great leaders 
 for establishing more firmly a government of the peo- 
 ple, did not seek them among the rich and powerful, 
 but among the poor and humble. It took Lincoln, the 
 son of an illiterate backwoodsman; Grant, the son of 
 a tanner; Sherman, the poor orphan lad; and Sheri- 
 dan, the son of an Irish immigrant laborer, to lead the 
 hosts of the people to victory and to establish liberty 
 on broader foundations. 
 
vi PREFACE 
 
 In the preparation of the material for this book tfie 
 author has consulted among other authorities : " The 
 History of the Civil War in America," by Comte de 
 Paris; Swinton's "Army of the Potomac"; "The 
 Shenandoah Valley," by George E. Pond; " Personal 
 Memoirs of Philip Henry Sheridan " ; " Battles and 
 Leaders of the Civil War"; and "The Story of the 
 Soldier " and " Thrilling Days of Army Life," by Gen- 
 eral George E. Forsyth. Of greatest help in securing 
 vivid impressions of the events described have been 
 the personal recollections of comrades who served 
 under Sheridan and participated in his victories. It 
 is the author's sincere hope that he has succeeded in 
 bringing before his readers' mental vision a realistic 
 view of the various scenes in which this leader of con- 
 quering armies had a part in the drama of the War 
 for the Union. 
 
 W. L. G. 
 
 New York City, 
 July 1, 1913. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I. In School and at Work . . 
 II. Fighting the Indians . . . 
 
 III. A Talk about War .... 
 
 IV. Sheridan at the Opening of the 
 
 Civil War 
 
 V. The Battle of Perryville . 
 
 VI. The Battle of Stone River . 
 
 VII. Drilling and Campaigning . 
 
 VIII. The Battle of Chickamauga 
 
 IX. Sheridan at Chattanooga . 
 
 X. The Relief of Knoxville . 
 
 XI. Sheridan Made Commander of 
 
 Cavalry in the Army of the 
 
 Potomac 
 
 XII. Fighting in the Wilderness . . 
 
 XIII. Sheridan's Raid around Lee . 
 
 XIV. The Fight for Cold Harbor . 
 XV. Breaking Lee's Communications 
 
 XVI. Sheridan Leads an Army into the 
 
 Shenandoah Valley . . 
 
 XVII. Sending the Enemy Whirling 
 
 XVIII. The Battle of Fisher's Hill 
 
 XIX. Laying Waste the Valley . 
 
 XX. The Battle of Cedar Creek and 
 
 Sheridan's Ride 
 
 i 
 14 
 30 
 
 40 
 
 53 
 62 
 
 74 
 
 84 
 
 95 
 
 109 
 
 118 
 130 
 
 140 
 152 
 159 
 
 170 
 182 
 192 
 203 
 
 212 
 
Vlll 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 XXI. Sheridan Rejoins Grant . . 
 XXII. The Battle of Five Forks . 
 
 XXIII. The Battle of Sailor's Creek 
 
 XXIV. The End of the Confederacy 
 XXV. Sheridan vs. Louis Napoleon 
 
 XXVI. Sheridan and Reconstruction 
 XXVII. Campaigning against the Indians 
 XXVIII. Sheridan Views the Franco-Prus- 
 sian War 
 
 XXIX. Sheridan's Busy Life in Time of 
 
 Peace 
 
 XXX. The General Receives Final 
 Marching Orders 
 
 PAGE 
 225 
 232 
 244 
 
 251 
 259 
 265 
 274 
 
 288 
 
 300 
 
 3IO 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 General Philip H. Sheridan . . . Frontispiece " 
 
 OPPOSITE PAGE 
 
 General Lyon at the Battle of Wilson's 
 
 Creek 28 
 
 Field of Operations of Army of the West 
 
 (Map) 42 
 
 Getting behind the Enemy 50 
 
 The Theater of War in Kentucky and Ten- 
 nessee (Map) 56 - 
 
 The Battle of Stone River 70 > 
 
 The Battle of Chickamauga 90 v 
 
 Fighting in the Wilderness 136 ^ 
 
 Death of General Stuart 144 / 
 
 Sheridan's Cavalry before Richmond . . . 148 
 
 Behind the Entrenchments, Cold Harbor . 156 
 
 The Shenandoah Valley (Map) . . . . 170 v 
 
 Plan of Battle of the Opequan (Map) . . 184 S 
 
 Plan of Battle of Fisher's Hill (Map) . . 192 "^ 
 
 The Assault on Flint Hill 196 * 
 
 Plan of Battle of Cedar Creek (Map) . . 220 »/ 
 
 Sheridan as a Major-General 224 v 
 
 Sheridan at Five Forks 242 v 
 
 Custer Charging the Enemy 252 
 
 The Pony Express 280^' 
 
 A Sioux War-Party 308 
 
 A Memorable Gathering of Army Officers . 314 
 
 ix 
 
The Boys' Life of General 
 Sheridan 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 IN SCHOOL AND AT WORK 
 
 Philip Henry Sheridan, who became one of the 
 greatest generals in the War for the Union, was the 
 son of John Sheridan, an Irish immigrant, who early 
 in life had married a beautiful and capable girl of 
 the County of Cavan, where they were both born. 
 John Sheridan was a farmer and held a small lease- 
 hold, which he sold to obtain the money with which to 
 seek a new home in the promised land to which so 
 many of his countrymen had preceded him. Before 
 leaving Ireland the Sheridans had two children, a son 
 Patrick, and a daughter who died on shipboard dur- 
 ing their passage to Quebec, Canada. 
 
 The Sheridan family arrived at Quebec in 1829, 
 and from there went to St. John, New Brunswick; 
 then to Portland, Maine; and thence to Albany, N. Y., 
 where a Mr. Gainor, an uncle of John Sheridan, was 
 living, and where they hoped for greater prosperity 
 than they had hitherto been able to find. It was in 
 
 1 
 
2 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Albany, March 6, 1831, that Philip Sheridan, the 
 future general, was born. 
 
 The prospect of obtaining a living in Albany not 
 proving as encouraging as he had expected, John 
 Sheridan with his little family moved to Ohio, where 
 plenty of land was to be had at a low price. He settled 
 in the town of Somerset, Perry County, where Mrs. 
 Sheridan had relatives. Here Philip was reared and 
 lived until he went to the Military Academy at West 
 Point. Here, also, three more children were born to 
 the Irish couple : a daughter Mary, and two sons, 
 John L. and M. V. Sheridan, the latter a captain in the 
 Union army during the Civil War. 
 
 Ohio was then the " Far West," a wilderness broken 
 only here and there by an occasional settlement. The 
 vast country beyond the Alleghanies was just being 
 opened to emigration. The condition of the little Irish 
 family was rough, as was also the condition of most 
 of the people there, though the Sheridans, being late 
 comers and very poor, had a little rougher time than 
 their neighbors. But these primitive conditions de- 
 veloped brawn and manhood, stimulated the energies 
 of the settlers and their children, and helped to make 
 Ohio fruitful in great men, like Grant, Sherman, and 
 Sheridan. It is not luxury and wealth that develop 
 mind or body, and those who have them are not the 
 quickest to seize great opportunities. Comparative 
 poverty with a fair field for effort and ambition makes 
 the bravest men and women. Ambition, like appetite, 
 is stimulated by sparseness, not by luxury; great op- 
 portunities are often neglected by those who have 
 
IN SCHOOL AND AT WORK 3 
 
 many advantages, while those who have few hungrily 
 seize them. 
 
 Somerset was then, and still is, a quaint little town 
 with a square, around which are stores and shops and 
 from which four roads stretch out into the country, 
 with houses scattered here and there. The march of 
 improvements in these days seems to have missed 
 Somerset, leaving it in its primitive quaintness. Old 
 landmarks that were there when young Sheridan went 
 to school still stand in all their old simplicity. The 
 weather-beaten Court House — for at that time it 
 was the county seat — still bears the touch of the 
 early Irish settlers in an inscripion over its portals, 
 which reads : " Let Justice be done if the Heavens 
 fall," — which comes pretty near being an Irish 
 bull. 
 
 The home of the Sheridans was that of a laboring 
 man. The main building consisted of three rooms 
 and was about half a mile from the village, on what 
 was known as Happy Alley, where a few other small 
 houses were scattered. There was an open prospect 
 of fields and woods, and half a mile away on the left, 
 over an orchard, could be seen St. Mary's Female 
 Academy, established in 1830 by a bishop of the 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 John Sheridan, though not well-to-do, was able by 
 economy and industry to give his children most of the 
 advantages of that country and time. While at work 
 on the Cumberland or National Road, then being 
 built, he was encouraged to put in a bid for a contract. 
 As this was successful, it led to his making other bids 
 
4 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 and finally to his taking up contracting as a business, 
 which he followed for several years. 
 
 The mother was regarded by all her neighbors as a 
 remarkable woman. She had excellent common sense, 
 and was clear-headed, resourceful, honest, and in- 
 dustrious. She taught her children to work, and they 
 were as well dressed and as well mannered as those 
 of any of her neighbors. As the business of the father 
 called him away from home much of the time, the 
 management and training of the children fell upon 
 her. It was generally agreed by Mrs. Sheridan's 
 neighbors that from her Philip derived those forceful 
 and remarkable qualities that made him one of the 
 greatest soldiers of his time. 
 
 When old enough Philip was sent to school. There 
 were then no such common schools as boys and girls 
 who read this book attend. The one to which young 
 Sheridan went was taught by an itinerant Irish school- 
 master named McNally, who received about three 
 dollars a term for each pupil, and the additional com- 
 pensation of " boarding round " among the families 
 of his pupils, changing his boarding-place whenever 
 it suited his fancy or convenience to do so. McNally, 
 like most of the schoolmasters of the period, held 
 strongly to the belief and practice that the rod was a 
 very important aid and supplement to learning. It 
 was said that when he was unable to detect the 
 offender in any breach of school discipline, he reached 
 the culprit by whipping the whole school. This Irish 
 pedagogue was as capricious in his manner as he was 
 unique in his methods. At one time he might be 
 
IN SCHOOL AND AT WORK 5 
 
 stormy, scolding and whipping without much provoca- 
 tion, and at another all smiles and sweetness, tolerant 
 of any mischief. It was said that Phil caught the 
 extremes of both moods; for as the master was very 
 fond of the lad, he treated him to both sweet and 
 bitter as his moods changed. 
 
 One of the advantages which the master had in 
 boarding around, and especially of coming unex- 
 pectedly to the new place, was in often learning things 
 that his pupils would gladly have concealed. At one 
 time, when he unexpectedly came to board at the 
 Sheridans', he anxiously inquired, " How is Phil get- 
 ting on, Mrs. Sheridan?" 
 
 " And why should you ask, Mr. McNally, when he 
 has been in your school every day." 
 
 " But Phil hasn't been to school for two or three 
 days and I surely was told, as coming from you, that 
 he was sick in bed." 
 
 Thus was revealed the fact that while Mrs. Sheridan 
 thought her boy was engaged in devouring " book 
 learning," and the master thought he was at home 
 sick, Phil, playing truant, was off fishing and swim- 
 ming, or some other vagrant mischief. For this Phil 
 received an extra dose of whippings, one from his 
 mother and another from his teacher; and they were 
 richly deserved, however unpleasant to the little 
 fellow. 
 
 While his teacher had a kindly feeling for the little 
 Irish lad, for in the main he was a good boy and 
 learned his lessons, he had other favorites. One of 
 these was a boy named Home, with whom — for some 
 
6 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 cause, possibly from jealousy of the master's greater 
 favor, Phil had quarreled. It was during recess when 
 the quarrel came to a climax in a pugilistic encounter, 
 in which young Sheridan gave his antagonist a severe 
 beating. With tearful face and bloody nose young 
 Home went with angry complaint to the master. 
 Seizing one of the biggest of his collection of sticks, 
 McNally sallied forth to punish Phil. The young 
 culprit was seated on the top of a fence when he saw 
 the master coming, and more than mistrusting that 
 trouble was impending, fled as fast as his legs could 
 carry him, the master in hot and close pursuit. 
 
 " Come back, you rascal ! " cried the master. But 
 Phil, never heeding, with many twists and turns led 
 the chase into the heart of the village, among the shops 
 and stores. His pursuer was close upon him, when the 
 fugitive rushed through the open door of the tin shop 
 of his friend, Sam Cassell. 
 
 " Hide me, Sam," he cried, " the master is after 
 me ! " Sam was working on a big copper kettle, and 
 this he quickly lifted and the boy darted under it. 
 When McNally rushed in, Sam was pounding at the 
 rivets as coolly as though there was no boy under the 
 kettle. 
 
 " Where's that rogue of a boy ? " breathlessly cried 
 the master. Sam made a motion with his hand to- 
 ward another door, and went calmly on pounding at 
 the rivets. The master searched in vain and had to 
 go back to school without seizing the offender. 
 
 When Phil thought the master had had time to cool 
 off, he walked into the school-room and went to his 
 
IN SCHOOL AND AT WORK 7 
 
 desk, and the master never mentioned the chase or the 
 threatened punishment. This shows that young Sher- 
 idan, at even that early age, knew when to advance 
 as well as when to beat a retreat. 
 
 Under this capricious master, and another named 
 Thorn, the boy studied arithmetic, grammar, history, 
 geography, reading, and writing, and had no other 
 schooling until just before entering the West Point 
 Military Academy. 
 
 Those who knew the boy at that time agree that 
 though perfectly fearless, he was not quarrelsome; 
 but it made no difference how big the boy, or man, 
 who attempted to impose upon him, or his friends, 
 he at once got into trouble, and this disposition led the 
 future general into many a fight. But fist fights, 
 even among grown men and in public places, were a 
 very common thing in those pioneer times. We take 
 our justice and our exercise separately in these days. 
 
 Phil was an odd-looking boy, having a large head 
 covered with a crop of brown hair, a long body, short 
 bow legs, and long arms. When other boys made fun 
 of his odd looks, the high-spirited lad would resent 
 the impertinence with his fists. This led to so many 
 encounters that it is said he whipped every boy of his 
 size in town, and some few larger than himself. The 
 townspeople of Somerset were afterwards fond of 
 talking about the prowess of their hero, when he be- 
 came famous, and maybe they exaggerated a bit. 
 
 At an early age young Sheridan showed his desire 
 to be a soldier. Supplied with a bright tin sword by 
 his friend, Sam Casell, he organized the boys into a 
 
8 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 company and trained them in crude boy manner. But 
 the company usually broke up in mutiny, because all 
 of the other boys wanted to be captain too, and this 
 did not suit the little fellow who wanted to command 
 them. 
 
 At fourteen years of age Phil left school and went 
 to work dealing out sugar, flour, and calico in the store 
 of a Mr. John Talbert, who for this service was to pay 
 him twenty-four dollars a year, with the privilege of 
 sleeping under the counter, as was the custom with 
 clerks of Somerset. Here he made such a reputation 
 for energy and exactness that at the expiration of his 
 year he was offered a position at sixty dollars a year 
 in the country store of David Whitehead. Before his 
 year was up, the enterprising firm of Fink and Dittoe, 
 drygoods merchants, made him an offer of one hun- 
 dred and twenty dollars a year for his services. With 
 the consent and advice of Mr. Whitehead he accepted 
 the position. In those days and at that place, this 
 was a large salary for a boy, though measured by the 
 standards of to-day it was a small one. 
 
 The principal duties of his new position were keep- 
 ing the books of the firm, which was no small task 
 where the business was conducted on the credit system ; 
 for the farmers, who were the principal customers, 
 paid for their purchases only when their crops were 
 harvested and sold, and even then often settled by 
 giving a note. This shows that young Sheridan was 
 exact and honest and had gained a reputation for 
 honesty and intelligence. 
 
 The stores of Somerset, especially during the even- 
 
IN SCHOOL AND AT WORK 9 
 
 ings, were gathering places for the men. Seated on 
 the counters and boxes they debated public questions, 
 and not only the affairs of the neighborhood, but 
 those of the State and Nation, were criticised and, in 
 the minds of the debaters, settled. Young Sheridan 
 had employed his leisure with such good results that he 
 was an authority in statistics and history, and was 
 chosen to arbitrate the disputes that arose in these 
 rural congresses. 
 
 At that time the Mexican War was being fought 
 and its battles and marches were a never ceasing theme 
 of talk and discussion. This so increased young Sher- 
 idan's desire to be a soldier that he would have enlisted 
 had he been old enough. When he learned about the 
 Military Academy at West Point, it became the height 
 of his ambition to go there. Among those who some- 
 times came to the store was Mr. Thomas Ritchey, the 
 Representative to Congress from that district, and 
 Phil made his acquaintance. It did not seem possible 
 to the young book-keeper that he could ever go to 
 West Point; but when he learned that the boy who 
 had been appointed from that district had failed in 
 his examinations, he at once resolved to try for it. 
 He wrote to Mr. Ritchey asking for the appointment. 
 Without doubt the Representative had received other 
 applications, backed by strong influences, for such 
 appointments do not go begging in Ohio. But the 
 letter of the little Irish boy was so well written and 
 so manly that it appealed to Mr. Ritchey, and so, 
 though not accompanied with any recommendations, 
 he determined to appoint the writer. Fearing that 
 
io BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 pressure would be put upon him to cause him to change 
 his mind, he went that day to the War Department 
 and had the warrant made out, and sent to young 
 Sheridan the appointment for the class of 1849. 
 
 Upon receiving this warrant Sheridan set resolutely 
 at work to prepare for the preliminary examination 
 that precedes admission, under the direction of a Mr. 
 Clark as his tutor; for his old teacher had departed to 
 other fields, after the manner of itinerant teachers of 
 that time. The months of preparation quickly passed. 
 Sheridan had studied hard and was encouraged to be- 
 lieve that he could pass his examination for admission, 
 though that which was to follow gave him much 
 anxiety and many sleepless nights. Among the quali- 
 fications specified was the possession, by the candidate, 
 of a pair of Munroe shoes, and no one in Somerset 
 seemed to know what kind of shoes they were. 
 Finally, to his relief, he learned that those shoes were 
 a common pattern with a new or unfamiliar name. 
 
 On his way to West Point Sheridan stopped over 
 at Albany to visit his father's uncle, and from there 
 went down the Hudson River to the Military 
 Academy. In a few days the examinations began, 
 and to his joy he passed without serious difficulty; 
 though he came near being rejected on account of his 
 peculiar physical make-up, of which I have previously 
 spoken. Considering his early lack of opportunities 
 for education, he had reason to be proud of his success. 
 There were many bright boys in his class, and among 
 them several, including Slocumb, Stanley, and Crook, 
 who became generals during the Civil War. As a new 
 
IN SCHOOL AND AT WORK n 
 
 cadet he had to pass through a vexatious course of 
 hazing, to which newcomers are subjected by usage 
 handed down from class to class. He took the ordeal 
 without undue injury, though it must have been try- 
 ing to his hot temper. 
 
 Though he had come through the preliminary ex- 
 aminations with fair success, he knew that the coming 
 January examinations would be so much more severe 
 that he trembled lest he might fail in them. He knew 
 but little algebra and nothing of the other higher 
 branches of mathematics. He resolved, however, with 
 his usual stubborn pluck, to wrestle as hard as he 
 could, and if he failed it should not be for lack of 
 effort. 
 
 He was fortunate in having for his room-mate 
 Henry W. Slocumb, one of the brightest boys of his 
 class, and afterwards distinguished as a general. 
 After " taps," when lights were supposed to be ex- 
 tinguished, he would darken the windows of his room 
 with a blanket and, under the guidance of his room- 
 mate, continue his studies far into the night. When 
 the time came he went before the Board and passed 
 the examination, which shows what pluck and in- 
 dustry can do. This success gave him confidence that 
 he would be able to graduate with tolerable credit. 
 
 Cadet Sheridan passed through his first two years 
 successfully, and then came his furlough, or vaca- 
 tion, when he went home to Somerset, taking with 
 him two classmates, one of whom, Crook, afterwards 
 served under him as a general during the War. Of 
 course he was the hero of the little village for a time, 
 
12 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 and there are many traditions there of him during his 
 vacation summer. It is said that he thrashed a local 
 lawyer, twice as large as himself, for making unpleas- 
 ant remarks about his father and mother. 
 
 He returned to the Military Academy with the ex- 
 pectation of graduating with the class of 1852, but fate, 
 or the boy's peppery temper, set him back a year. In 
 September, 1851, while his company was forming for 
 drill, Cadet Tirrell had ordered him, in such an insult- 
 ing manner, to " dress " that Sheridan's Irish temper 
 got the best of his discretion, and he started with low- 
 ered bayonet to prod the offender, but recovered his 
 senses in time to save himself from an unpardonable 
 breach of military discipline. A cadet at West Point 
 is, to all intents, a soldier, and must obey the order of 
 his superior, no matter how it is given. Tirrell re- 
 ported young Sheridan, at which, he, still more indig- 
 nant, again attacked Tirrell with his fists, in front of 
 the barracks, and if all reports are true gave him a 
 good beating. 
 
 At that time the boys from the South were the rul- 
 ing element in the Academy, and no doubt their 
 superior airs and manners had, before this occurrence, 
 offended the more democratic Irish lad, reared in a 
 different social atmosphere. An officer of the 
 Academy parted the contestants while fighting. Each 
 of them handed in an explanation, but as Phil admitted 
 that he was the attacking party he was suspended for a 
 year by the Secretary of War. He would have been 
 disgracefully discharged, but that the Superintendent, 
 on account of his previous good record recommended 
 
IN SCHOOL AND AT WORK 13 
 
 otherwise. So, while there was no doubt about 
 Tirrell's insulting manner, it was not for a cadet to 
 punish him for it. 
 
 Very much crestfallen and humbled, Phil Sheridan 
 returned to his home. His humiliation would have 
 been still harder to bear but for the fact that his 
 former employers, Fink and Dittoe, were glad to 
 secure his services as a book-keeper during the year 
 of his disgrace. 
 
 In August, 1852, he joined the graduating class at 
 the Academy, taking his place at the foot of his class 
 and graduating with it in the following June. His 
 standing was thirty- four in a class of fifty-two mem- 
 bers, among whom were the brilliant James B. 
 McPherson, who, as a major-general, was killed be- 
 fore Atlanta; John M. Schofield, afterwards a dis- 
 tinguished general during that war; and John B. 
 Hood, who commanded the Confederate army at 
 Atlanta during Sherman's campaign before it, and 
 other distinguished soldiers. So, considering his dis- 
 advantages of early education, he did pretty well in 
 competition with such brilliant students. 
 
 At the close of his final examination Sheridan was 
 appointed a brevet second lieutenant of the First 
 Infantry and received his commission in July, 1853. 
 He was well pleased to graduate, and set his face 
 resolutely to the future; and though he had no sus- 
 picion of the high destinies that fate had reserved for 
 him, he looked forward to military life with pleasant 
 anticipations. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 FIGHTING THE INDIANS 
 
 We have seen how well young Philip Sheridan 
 used his opportunities to secure an education, and we 
 know what a great general he became later; but most 
 men have to serve a kind of apprenticeship in obscure 
 work to show whether they are fit for great places. 
 And now comes such a period in the life of our hero. 
 
 The young people of this generation know little of 
 war except as they read of it; but the books tell you 
 that from the earliest settlement until very recently 
 there was never a generation that did not see real war. 
 Our fathers could only protect their rights by fighting 
 the French on the north, the Spanish on the south, the 
 English from over-seas, and the Indians all the time 
 and everywhere. As the white man's frontier pushed 
 westward, it was always against hostile Indians. 
 After the discovery of gold in California there were 
 two frontiers pressing in on the Indians, until they 
 made their last stand among the fastnesses of the 
 Rocky Mountains. 
 
 Sheridan was too young to have taken any part in 
 the Mexican War, where so many officers of the 
 Civil War got their military experience; but he was 1 
 in time for what was nearly the last Indian wars, 
 and it was with the aboriginal people, making almost 
 
 14 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS 15 
 
 their last stand on their native soil, that he got his 
 chance to show his mettle. 
 
 Our people have always objected to a large standing 
 army, and the few regiments we had, before the Civil 
 War, were scattered far and wide over the country, 
 some doing. garrison duty at the various forts and 
 some out on the plains guarding the frontiers from 
 Indian attacks. When young Cadet Sheridan of the 
 Military Academy became Lieutenant Sheridan of the 
 regular army he, with his love of adventure, probably 
 thanked his stars that he was detailed to duty on the 
 frontiers rather than at some peaceful Eastern 
 garrison. 
 
 If you wish to follow him to his first post of duty, 
 you would better get out your maps, for it is a 
 roundabout course to follow. Bear in mind that this 
 was before the days of transcontinental railways, and 
 a person going from the eastern to the western sea- 
 board either crawled over the desert and mountains 
 for months in an ox-cart, or went slowly down to the 
 Isthmus of Panama and up the Pacific coast in a 
 sailing vessel. If on land, he stopped when he was 
 hungry, kindled a fire, and cooked his own meals. 
 When night came he slept in the cart or on the ground. 
 But this rough life was probably just what a handy 
 fellow like young Sheridan would like. 
 
 After a furlough of three months at home, he 
 started to join his company at Fort Duncan on the 
 river Rio Grande, in Texas. He journeyed down the 
 Ohio and Mississippi rivers, across the Gulf of 
 Mexico by steamer, and then by an inland route to 
 
16 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Corpus Christi, the heaquarters of the Department of 
 Texas. Here he met several of his West Point 
 acquaintances, among them Jerome Napoleon Bon- 
 aparte, who afterwards accepted a commission in the 
 Imperial Army of France. Here he took an army 
 wagon train to Laredo, one hundred and sixty miles 
 from Corpus Christi, enjoying by the way the novelty 
 of seeing huge flocks of geese and ducks, herds of 
 antelopes, wild mules, horses with waving manes, and 
 some with tails that almost swept the ground. At 
 night he spread his blanket on the grass, and slept 
 beneath the stars as only tired boys can sleep. From 
 Laredo a six-mule team took him to Fort Duncan, 
 which he reached March, 1854. 
 
 This fort was intended as a protection against 
 Indians, and shortly after his arrival Sheridan was 
 sent on scouting duty against them. On these tours 
 of duty he made surveys and maps of the country, 
 and picked up a little Spanish from his Mexican guide. 
 From one of his soldiers who was an accomplished 
 hunter he learned to approach game, which was 
 abundant, and to dress and care for it. He soon be- 
 came so skilled in hunting that he was able to supply 
 the garrison so abundantly with wild turkey, geese, 
 antelope, and deer, that the beef contractor became 
 angry because there was no demand for his meat. 
 At one time, while out hunting, he located by a column 
 of smoke some hostile Indians of whom a company, 
 commanded by Captain Van Buren, was in pursuit. 
 That officer, thus set upon the lost trail, pursued the 
 Indians until they, exhausted, halted on the open plain 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS 17 
 
 and gave battle. Both Van Buren and the Indian 
 chief were killed in the battle and the rest of the 
 savages ran away. 
 
 When the time came to go into winter quarters, the 
 officers, living in tents, were made uncomfortable by 
 the cold winds, called " Northers." Our young 
 lieutenant made himself more comfortable by building 
 himself a hut of poles set into the ground around a 
 small square, over which he pitched a roof, of poles 
 thatched with prairie grass. The ground inside was 
 leveled for a floor, and a fireplace of stone cemented 
 with mud was built in one corner. The furniture con- 
 sisted of a bureau, a chair, and a few camp stools, 
 and a washstand made by setting four sticks into the 
 ground and nailing a piece of board on top of them. 
 This top cost him more than all the rest of the 
 furniture, since the only board to be had was from 
 boxes in which their bacon came, and these were 
 reserved to make coffins for the dead. In this rude 
 hut he spent a comfortable winter and no doubt 
 enjoyed it more than he did the most luxurious 
 quarters afterwards. 
 
 During the winter their recreations were dancing, 
 and horse-back riding, varied by an occasional swoop 
 around their garrison of the Indians. During one of 
 these raids the Indians killed a boy who had formerly 
 been a drummer but who, at his discharge, had turned 
 herdsman. They found him filled with arrows, but 
 he had made a brave fight before being overcome; 
 for near him were two Indians whom he had killed, 
 and it was afterwards learned that he killed and 
 
18 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 wounded others before he fell. These Indians were 
 pursued, but they fled across the river and could not 
 be taken there, as it was on Mexican territory. Such 
 were the scenes on the frontiers where our young 
 officer began his career as a soldier. 
 
 In November Sheridan was transferred to the 
 Fourth Infantry, then scattered among various stations 
 in California and Oregon. Returning to New York, 
 he joined a few recruits that had been gathered on 
 Bedloe's Island, where the Statue of Liberty now 
 stands at the entrance of the harbor. He then made 
 the voyage to San Francisco, by the way of Panama, 
 and joined his company at Fort Reading, California. 
 Here he was ordered to relieve Lieutenant Hood 
 (afterwards a Confederate general), who had already 
 started ahead as an escort of Lieutenant Wilkinson, 
 who was surveying a route for a railroad to connect 
 the Sacremento Valley with the Columbia River in 
 Oregon. 
 
 The country to be traversed was infested by Pitt 
 Indians, a wretched lot of hungry savages who would 
 kill a man for a few mouthfuls of food and his 
 blanket. The streams where they had caught fish for 
 their food had been contaminated by the miners, so 
 that there were but few fish to be caught and the 
 Indians were both hungry and desperate. The com- 
 mander hesitated to let him go on such a perilous de- 
 tail, but Sheridan insisted, and with an escort of three 
 men fearlessly started out to overtake the surveying 
 party. 
 
 The first day out he came upon one of the members 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS 19 
 
 of the expedition, who on account of illness had been 
 left at a hunter's hut. This man urged that he was 
 well enough to join the party, and Sheridan took him 
 along; but before the day's journey was over he gave 
 out, and was left behind with one of the party to care 
 for him. So, instead of gaining a recruit for his 
 party, Sheridan had lost one. 
 
 During the following day, hearing voices ahead of 
 him, our young lieutenant surely thought he was near 
 the surveying party. But on cautiously approaching, 
 in the direction of the voices, he found it was a party 
 of Pitt Indians. They were following the trail of the 
 surveying party. Sheridan followed them cautiously 
 for several days, during which he crossed the lava 
 beds afterwards made famous during the Modoc War. 
 
 At last they came to the beautiful valley of Hat 
 Creek, where luxuriant grass and wild flowers 
 abounded. Here, following the trail, he was soon 
 right in sight of the Indians. Concluding that he 
 must either fight or run, and his little party being 
 mounted while the savages were afoot, he made a 
 dash for the widest part of the valley, but was brought 
 to a halt by a deep creek with precipitous banks over 
 which he could not get the horses. The Indians, 
 meantime, made friendly signs, wading into the creek 
 to show the fording place, and as there was little 
 choice Sheridan and his two comrades crossed the 
 stream into the midst of the enemy. When on the 
 opposite bank, to his joy he saw the encampment of 
 the surveying party below them. Probably the only 
 thing that had saved them from being killed and 
 
20 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 scalped was that the savages had not seen them before 
 they were near this encampment. 
 
 The two men that Sheridan had left behind were 
 now sent for, and Lieutenant Hood, whom Sheridan 
 had relieved, started back as ordered. Without 
 serious encounters with the Indians the surveying 
 party, after a three months' journey through the 
 wilderness, reached Portland, Oregon, October 9th., 
 and were soon after encamped on the Columbia River 
 near Fort Vancouver. Settlers had already begun to 
 take up farms in that country. 
 
 Lieutenant Sheridan was soon detached from his 
 command, and detailed to the command of a detach- 
 ment of dragoons, in the expedition of Major Rains, 
 of the Fourth Infantry, against the Yakima Indians. 
 These Indians had killed their agent and driven back 
 an expedition that had been sent against them, captur- 
 ing a number of men and two small cannon. The 
 object of this second expedition was to retrieve the 
 disaster. It was made up of a small body of regular 
 troops and a regiment of mounted volunteers, all com- 
 manded by Colonel Nesmith, afterwards United States 
 Senator from Oregon. The whole was commanded 
 by Major Rains, who proved incompetent, though he 
 had a commission as brigadier-general from the 
 governor. 
 
 On the second day out Sheridan captured a large 
 amount of the winter food of the Indians, and then 
 struck out for the Yakima Valley. In passing over the 
 dry soil the troops made so great a cloud of dust that 
 little could be seen beyond it. Through the mis- 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS 21 
 
 management of the commander the Indians got away, 
 but Sheridan, learning that they had escaped up the 
 valley, pressed on in pursuit. While trying to find 
 them he saw a dense cloud of dust between him and 
 the position where Major Rains had intended to 
 encamp for the night. It looked as though the Indians 
 had got between him and the main force, and that 
 they greatly outnumbered him. But without more 
 ado he ordered an advance to cut his way through 
 them. Without waiting to fight, the opposite party 
 turned tail. Sheridans troopers followed in hot pur- 
 suit, until they found that they were driving into 
 camp a party of Oregon Volunteers, that had mis- 
 taken his company for Indians. Both parties were 
 relieved as well as amused. 
 
 The next day they pursued the Indians until the 
 latter halted on a ridge where, naked and painted in 
 brilliant colors, with decorations of scarlet cloth, they 
 paraded back and forth with insulting gestures and 
 threats to charge down the heights. This so angered 
 the men that, without permission, they charged on 
 them and drove them from the hill. No sooner had 
 the soldiers returned to their former position than 
 the savages were again on the ridge making the same 
 insulting demonstrations. Sheridan proposed a plan 
 by which he thought they might be driven out and 
 captured, but was not permitted to carry it out. The 
 next day found the Indians still on the hill, where they 
 were charged by the infantry, while Sheridan passed 
 through a canon into the upper valley. The Indians 
 ran away without fighting, and that night Sheridan 
 
22 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 went into camp near a Mission which had at the out- 
 break of hostilities, been pillaged and Father Pandoza, 
 its priest, carried off. 
 
 The pursuit was continued but winter was upon 
 them, and at night they would spread their blankets 
 on the snow, to find themselves covered by a white 
 blanket in the morning. The Indians fled into a 
 region where they could not be followed. The 
 campaign was a failure, and our young lieutenant 
 again returned to Fort Vancouver. 
 
 The poor results of this second expedition greatly 
 encouraged the Indians to resistance, and all of them 
 east of the Cascade Range banded together to fight the 
 advance of civilization. This finally brought on the 
 Indian war of 1856. The Ninth Infantry was sent 
 from the Atlantic coast, and with it Colonel George 
 Wright, who took command in place of Major Rains, 
 and made the objective point of his operations the 
 upper Columbia River. 
 
 On the morning of March 26, the movement of 
 troops began, but the Indians made an unexpected 
 attack between Vancouver and Dalles. They killed 
 several men, women, and children, captured the 
 Portage, and besieged the settlers in their cabins at the 
 lower Cascade. Some of the settlers had taken refuge 
 in a military blockhouse and resisted them at the 
 Middle Cascade. In this emergency Sheridan was sent 
 forward to establish communications with the settlers, 
 which meant the recapture of the Cascade. .With only 
 forty men he started on a steamer up the Columbia 
 River. Here he found the Indians had taken position 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS 23 
 
 on a narrow neck of land near the lower Cascades, 
 where they could not be easily attacked by his small 
 force. He sent back a report of the situation by the 
 steamer and then, with a large boat he had retained, 
 crossed his little command to the opposite side of the 
 river and made his way along the mountain base until 
 opposite the blockhouse. 
 
 On his way he crossed to an island midway in the 
 stream and captured some old Indian women who 
 were left behind. By threats he kept them silent, and 
 then made them help his men tow the boat up the 
 rapid. To see what the Indians were doing he went 
 up the steep mountain that rises from the river, where 
 he could see over the island. With his glass he saw 
 that they were enjoying themselves by racing horses 
 and other games. The Indians, in their war bonnets 
 and painted naked bodies, with the young squaws in 
 red blankets, made a gaudy appearance; but he could 
 not stop to witness their festivities, for should the 
 Indians discover what he was about they could easily 
 come over to the island, when he would be in great 
 peril. He soon got the boat opposite the blockhouse, 
 where the water was smooth, and communicated with 
 the besieged settlers to let them know that help was 
 at hand. 
 
 The advance of the rest of the troops soon arrived 
 and Sheridan communicated the situation to the 
 lieutenant commanding. He then said, " If you will 
 push your men down the main shore, it is my opinion 
 that the Cascade Indians will cross to the island, while 
 the other Indians will flee to the mountains; then if 
 
24 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 a part of your men will join me I will cross to the 
 island and capture the whole band." This was done 
 and the entire body of Cascade Indians, men, women, 
 and children, were captured; while, as he predicted, 
 the Yakimas fled to the mountains. 
 
 The captured Indians were terribly frightened and 
 declared it was the Yakimas that had killed the 
 settlers. Sheridan disproved this statement by draw- 
 ing them up in line with their muskets, and then 
 passing down the line inserted his fore-finger in the 
 muzzles of each rifle and then holding up his finger 
 showing that it was blackened with powder. This was 
 convincing evidence of their guilt in taking part in the 
 massacre of the whites. Nine of the leaders were 
 selected, tried, and hanged; and this had so good an 
 effect that the subjugation of the allied bands soon 
 followed. 
 
 The successful termination of this campaign was 
 principally the work of our young lieutenant, and 
 General Wool, who had come up from San Francisco, 
 was so much pleased with results that, in his report 
 to General Scott, he mentioned our young hero in such 
 commendatory terms that General Scott complimented 
 him in General Orders by saying; " Second Lieutenant 
 Philip H. Sheridan, Fourth Infantry, is specially men- 
 tioned for gallantry." 
 
 Shortly after this he was sent, with his detachment 
 of dragoons, to take station at the Indian reservation 
 in Yamhill County, Oregon. The purpose was to give 
 permanent homes to the restless bands of roving 
 Indians, who kept the settlers in constant fear. 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS £5 
 
 Several tribes were settled there, and afterwards the 
 Chinooks were taken here from their homes in the 
 Willamette Valley. Sheridan learned their language, 
 as it was one that most of the other Indians could 
 speak. When these Indians had got beyond the con- 
 trol of their agent, Sheridan had been sent to the 
 latter's relief. He found him besieged in his block- 
 house. He found also that the poor Indians were half 
 starved and that the prospect of being wholly starved 
 had caused the trouble. Food was soon supplied to 
 them, and the young lieutenant then joined his com- 
 pany again at Fort Yamhill, where Captain Russell 
 (afterwards a prominent general in the Civil War) 
 was in command. 
 
 Captain Russell assigned to Sheridan the duty of 
 keeping the Indians in order. As he could talk their 
 language like a native, he was able to render valuable 
 service on many critical occasions. Illustrative of this 
 were his negotiations with the Indians when it become 
 necessary to build a blockhouse for the protection of 
 the agent at Yamhill Bay. The Indian burial-place 
 was the only good site for the purpose, as in other 
 places around the bay the land rises abruptly from 
 the water. When Sheridan first made the proposal 
 to take the burial-ground, the Indians objected very 
 strongly; for there is nothing so painful to an Indian 
 as disturbing his dead. But he assembled them for 
 council and talked with them all day in their language, 
 until at last it was agreed that the land would be given 
 for that purpose. 
 
 Their dead were buried in canoes which were set 
 
26 BOYS' LIFE OF. SHERIDAN 
 
 on the crotches of trees. All the property of the 
 dead was also placed in these canoes with the body 
 of the deceased Indian, so that he might go to the 
 Happy Hunting Grounds in proper state. These 
 canoes were infested with wood rats of a peculiar 
 species, with tails like squirrels. The next day, when 
 according to the agreement the canoes were to be set 
 adrift on the water, the soldiers anticipated great fun 
 in seeing the rats try to escape. But when the canoes 
 were taken down not a rat was to be seen. The 
 Indians declared that they understood the Chinook 
 language and that they did not wish to accompany 
 their dead to the Happy Hunting Grounds and had 
 made for the woods. 
 
 Sheridan had some trouble with the Rogue River 
 Indians, who had fought our troops savagely but had 
 been obliged to give up, though they said they did not 
 wish to follow the ways of the pale-faces. They 
 would kill their horses on the graves of their dead and 
 destroy their property, believing that they should 
 undergo privations while mourning for their dead, and 
 Sheridan had to talk them out of this. In all troubles 
 Lieutenant Sheridan's practical sense and sound judg- 
 ment, as well as the warm-hearted interest he took in 
 promoting the real welfare of the Indians under his 
 control, produced the best results. 
 
 He continued on these duties without incident 
 worthy of record until the outbreak of the Civil War. 
 As he was intensely loyal, the news of the firing of 
 Fort Sumter made him desire to do his part in fight- 
 ing for the Union. When the orders came for his 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS 27 
 
 regiment to go East, to his chagrin he was left, a 
 second lieutenant, in command of the post. Septem- 
 ber 1, 1861, he was relieved. In consequence of the 
 resignation of Southern officers he had now at- 
 tained the rank of captain of the Thirteenth In- 
 fantry, of which General Sherman had been made the 
 colonel. 
 
 When he embarked for the Atlantic Coast via 
 Panama, the Secession element was so strong in 
 California that it was feared the steamer on which he 
 embarked might be seized and carried into some 
 Southern port ; so he banded together with other loyal 
 passengers to prevent such an unpleasant emergency. 
 He reached New York safely, however, and started 
 to join his new regiment at Jefferson Barracks, Mis- 
 souri. On his way he stopped off to see his father 
 and mother, whom he had not visited for eight 
 years. 
 
 While on the distant frontiers of Oregon, Sheridan 
 had heard of the "secession of South Carolina and other 
 Southern states; the organization of the so-called Con- 
 federate Government on the 4th of February, 1861; 
 the inauguration of war by the firing on Fort Sumter 
 by the rebels on the nth of April; and the call of 
 President Lincoln for seventy thousand troops to 
 enforce the laws which were being obstructed by armed 
 rebellion in the South. The battle of Bull Run, which 
 had been fought on the 16th of July, 1861, took place 
 while he was still in Oregon, and exaggerated accounts 
 of the defeat of the national army reached him there. 
 This battle had, though a defeat, roused the North 
 
28 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 and breathed into it a national spirit, obliterating 
 party lines ^.nd inspiring the people with a vigor- 
 ous patriotism looking to the restoration of the 
 Union. 
 
 Missouri, though a slave state, was held for the 
 Union by the loyal people, though her governor was 
 disloyal and had attempted to carry her into the line 
 of Confederate states. General Lyon, with a few 
 followers, had disrupted the plans of the secessionists 
 by capturing Camp Jackson and the Missouri rebels 
 gathered there. In a battle that followed, at Wilson's 
 Creek, Lyon was defeated and killed; and the Con- 
 federates, gathering headway, threatened to spread 
 their power over the entire state. 
 
 The plan for the campaign by the national troops for 
 the year 1862 in the West was to open the Mississippi 
 River, thereby cutting in twain the Confederacy, 
 shutting off its supplies from the west, and restoring 
 to the western states the great commerce of that 
 section. The Confederate line at that time extended 
 from the Cumberland Mountains to the Mississippi 
 River, and two forts, Donelson and Henry, were the 
 Confederate sentinels guarding the Cumberland and 
 Tennessee rivers, the great highways for trade and 
 war. On the 14th of February General Grant had 
 captured these two forts and exacted an unconditional 
 surrender of the army guarding them, thus not only 
 opening to navigation these two highways for a con- 
 siderable distance, but causing the Confederates to 
 abandon the rest of their line and to concentrate their 
 army, under General Johnston, at Corinth. 
 
FIGHTING THE INDIANS 29 
 
 Such, in brief, was the general situation of affairs 
 when Captain Philip Sheridan arrived at the seat of 
 war in the West and found General Halleck in com- 
 mand of the armies, with his headquarters at St. 
 Louis. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 A TALK ABOUT WAR 
 
 It is naturally to be supposed that boys and girls 
 who read this book do not know about the terms used 
 in war. Those who would like to learn about them 
 should read this chapter, those who already know 
 about them, or who do not care to learn, may skip 
 it. 
 
 We have followed Philip Sheridan through his 
 rugged childhood and boyish success in a country 
 store; through his hardly-won professional course at 
 the Military Academy, and his early Indian fighting 
 on the frontiers. Now we are about to see how he 
 became one of the three greatest generals in the 
 greatest war known to history. 
 
 War is a very ancient occupation, far older than 
 agriculture or manufacturing or commerce, and has 
 become a skilled art built upon a careful science. It has 
 a language of its own and if we spend a little time 
 learning what some of its commonest terms are, and 
 what they mean, we can read this story more under- 
 standing^, — just as one who knows the rules can 
 watch a ball-game more intelligently. If we bear in 
 mind that to be a great general one must not only 
 know military science and be skilled in the art of war, 
 but must have great genius as well, we shall under- 
 
 30 
 
A TALK ABOUT WAR 31 
 
 stand what a great thing it was that a poor little 
 country lad like Phil Sheridan became such a great 
 figure in such a great war 
 
 At first battles were fought by men in mobs, armed 
 with sticks and stones. Then they learned that they 
 could fight more effectually if trained to act together 
 and they began to use darts and javelins as weapons. 
 The ancient Greek armies were organized in phalanxes ; 
 the Romans, in legions. The modern unit of military 
 organization is a regiment. 
 
 A full regiment consists of a thousand men, divided 
 into ten companies of a hundred men each. The 
 officers at the head of a regiment are the colonel, lieu- 
 tenant-colonel, and major. At the head of a company 
 is a captain, and next to him in rank are the first and 
 second lieutenant. Sometimes there are brevet officers. 
 That means they are to have the position when there 
 is a vacancy. The second lieutenant is the lowest 
 commissioned officer, and he may resign from the 
 army when he pleases; but non-commissioned officers 
 (sergeants, corporals, and sergeant-majors) and pri- 
 vates are enlisted for a term of years, and to absent 
 themselves without leave is desertion, for which they 
 may be court-martialed and shot. 
 
 The colonel's duty it to see that his regiment is 
 equipped and drilled and kept in the best possible con- 
 dition; and he leads or directs them in battle. The 
 lieutenant-colonel and major act under the colonel's 
 orders and take his place if he is killed or wounded. 
 The captain leads or directs his company, aided by his 
 lieutenants. Sergeants execute minor orders from 
 
32 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 commissioned officers, and each of the ten corporals of 
 a company looks after a " mess " of ten men. Besides 
 the commissioned officers named there are a chaplain, 
 who is the clergyman of the regiment; a surgeon for 
 the sick and wounded; an adjutant, who is a kind of 
 secretary and accountant; a quartermaster, who has 
 charge of the tents and baggage and who issues cloth- 
 ing; and a commissary, who buys and issues rations. 
 Each regiment has a band of musicians, whose duties 
 are varied. In war the music is most often a fife and 
 drum. When in presence of the enemy as a general 
 thing no music is allowed, as it may inform the foe of 
 the locality of each regiment. The buglers, or drum- 
 mer and fifer in infantry, sound the reveille by which 
 every one is warned to get up in the morning for roll 
 call ; and the drummers also order " lights out," or 
 "taps" as it. is called. All through the day at a 
 military post there are varied calls to duty sounded 
 on the bugle or with fife and drum. In cavalry most 
 of the orders in battle are given by bugle calls, and 
 the horses learn the calls about as quickly as the men 
 do. Sometimes they put a raw recruit on a horse 
 which has learned the calls, and the horse will carry, 
 his rider through all the evolutions correctly. When 
 the garrison flag is raised in the morning and lowered 
 at sundown, and when there are distinguished visitors, 
 the band plays the national airs. On the march music 
 cheers and regulates the motion, — a quickstep hasten- 
 ing the time, a slow march delaying it. In battle, 
 orders to charge or retreat are given by the trumpeter ; 
 but not always, for fear of informing the enemy. 
 
A TALK ABOUT WAR 33 
 
 Two or more regiments acting together are a 
 brigade, and the officer in command is usually a 
 brigadier-general. Two or more brigades form an 
 army division, which is usually commanded by a 
 major-general. An army corps is composed of a num- 
 ber of divisions and is commanded by an experienced 
 major-general A lieutenant-general outranks a 
 major-general, and that rank in our armies has been 
 given only to Washington, Scott, Grant, Sherman, and 
 Sheridan. 
 
 Soldiers enlisted in the service of .the Federal 
 Government are called regulars ; those in the service of 
 any state are militia. Those who enlist in time of war 
 and are mustered into the service of the United States 
 are known as volunteers. Mounted troops are cavalry ; 
 foot-soldiers, infantry ; those in charge of heavy guns, 
 artillery. Engineers have charge of pontoon trains 
 and build bridges; they lay out and build forts and 
 other defenses; they also lay mines to blow up forts. 
 
 In order that friends may be distinguished from 
 enemies, there is an army uniform. In the Revolution 
 our uniform was blue and buff, but sometimes the men 
 were too poor to have anything more uniform than 
 a sprig of evergreen in their caps. Our present uni- 
 form is blue, but khaki is largely worn, especially in 
 warm weather, because it is cool ; also it is an obscure 
 color and does not form a good target. The uniform 
 not only shows the army to which a soldier belongs, 
 but his branch of the service and his rank. Orange 
 trimmings show that a soldier belongs to the en- 
 gineers; red, artillery; yellow, cavalry; light blue, in- 
 
34 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 fantry. A commissioned officer wears shoulder straps 
 with devices to indicate his rank — four stars for a full 
 general; three for a lieutenant-general; two for a 
 major-general; one for a brigadier-general; and an 
 eagle for colonel, etc. Non-commissioned officers wear 
 chevrons on their sleeves, and has, as also do the pri- 
 vates, the letters of his company and number of his 
 regiment on his cap. He also wears a badge which 
 shows the army corps to which he belongs. 
 
 In times of peace there are no volunteer troops ; the 
 militia assemble on their state camp grounds once a 
 year for drill, and local armories are built in large 
 towns where they can assemble for company drill; 
 while the regular army is scattered among the various 
 forts doing garrison duty. All forts belong to the 
 Federal Government and not to the states. 
 
 In ancient times cities were built on hills or other 
 defensible places and were guarded by great walls and 
 strong gates. In the Middle Ages kings and nobles 
 built themselves strong castles in which they were 
 always on guard against enemies. In modern times 
 cities are built on good commercial sites and have no 
 walls; but every important city, especially near the 
 seacoast, is defended by forts guarding the approaches 
 by land or water. A fort is built with walls strong 
 enough to withstand the heaviest shot; it has powerful 
 guns of long range ; its approaches are cleared of every- 
 thing that might shelter an enemy ; it has a deep ditch 
 or moat sometimes full of water all around it. Within 
 are quarters for the men who make up the garrison, 
 magazines filled with ammunition, and stores of provi- 
 
A TALK ABOUT WAR 35 
 
 sions. It is said that the great fortress of Gibraltar 
 is always provisioned for twenty years ahead. A fort 
 is taken either by siege or assault. In the former case 
 the besieging army is drawn up on all sides so as to 
 prevent the garrison from escaping or getting outside 
 help. Then the besiegers try to get near the fort with- 
 out exposing themselves to the fire of its guns. The 
 men sometimes advance with gabions, — wicker baskets 
 without bottoms, — set them down and fill them with 
 soil, and so secure a shelter against the enemy's shot. 
 To cross the ditch they sometimes carry bundles of 
 sticks bound together, called fascines, and throw them 
 in till they form a bridge; but this is not often done in 
 modern war. Sometimes they climb to the parapet on 
 scaling ladders. The artillery try to shatter the walls 
 with their big guns, and mines are dug under the 
 walls for blowing them up. 
 
 If a garrison is so weakened that it can hold out no 
 longer, it sends out an officer with a white flag of 
 truce to ask what terms will be given. These terms 
 vary all the way from " unconditional surrender " to 
 " honors of war." In the former case the garrison 
 marches out with colors cased and in silence, surrender 
 their arms, and give themselves up as prisoners of 
 war. When a garrison has still fight enough in it to 
 get the honors of war, it marches out with colors flying 
 and band playing, retains its arms, and marches off un- 
 molested. This is seldom, however, done in modern 
 wars. 
 
 The country occupied by contending armies is called 
 the theater of war. When an army is in an enemy's 
 
36 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 country, at every halt of much duration, and always 
 at night, a guard is established around the camping 
 place of each regiment. The ground guarded by the 
 sentinels and where they walk back and forth is called 
 a post. The sentinels or guards are instructed to allow 
 no one to approach their post without the countersign, 
 which is a word given out and which no one but the 
 guards and the officers know. Each post is numbered 
 and in case the sentinel wishes to leave his post — has 
 captured a prisoner or is in doubt what to do — he calls 
 
 out: "Officer of the Guard, Post !" giving the 
 
 number of his post. At almost any time of night he is 
 liable to be tested by an officer with some men coming 
 around. This is called the " grand rounds." There 
 is also a line of sentinels thrown out far in front of 
 the whole army. These are called " pickets," or if 
 mounted men, they are called " videttes." At the least 
 move by the enemy the videttes send back information 
 of it. If the enemy is advancing, they fire their 
 muskets and, if it looks dangerous, fall back on the 
 main army. 
 
 The pickets usually make shallow rifle-pits by throw- 
 ing up the soil in their front, behind which to build 
 fires for warmth or for cooking, or for defense against 
 the enemy's pickets and sharp-shooters. 
 
 When a body of soldiers are marching to attack an 
 enemy, they throw out skirmishers. These are a line 
 of men about twenty feet apart in front of the main 
 force. The skirmishers are for the purpose of guard- 
 ing against surprises, or an enemy in ambush, and to 
 clear the way for the main body of marching men. 
 
A TALK ABOUT WAR 37 
 
 When the battle really begins, the skirmishers fall 
 back to the main body of troops and take their places 
 in the ranks. 
 
 To find out what the enemy is doing previous to a 
 battle, scouts or scouting parties are sent out towards 
 the foe; this scouting is done with cavalry mostly, but 
 sometimes with infantry. Where a single scout goes 
 into the enemy's lines to get information, he is called 
 a spy; and if captured he is shot or hanged. Some- 
 times he is given a court-martial, which is a court com- 
 posed of officers, the judge of which is called a judge 
 advocate. But usually there is but little form in trying 
 and rinding a spy guilty, and an informal trial is called 
 a " drum-head court-martial." All trials in the army 
 are called court-martials. 
 
 Soldiers sent out to collect food or forage for the 
 army in an enemy's country are called " foragers." 
 The " wings " of an army are the right and left por- 
 tions of it. If we draw lines like this: 
 
 to represent two bodies of men, the further ends 
 of each line are its flanks. To attack the flanks 
 of an army is to attack these ends and drive the men, 
 into huddles; for it is next to impossible for a line of 
 men to defend itself when so attacked by an enemy. 
 When artillery or musketry sweeps these lines endways 
 down the line, it is very destructive and is called 
 " enfilading " it. In the formation of a regiment there 
 are two lines of men, one back of the other. These 
 are called " rear " and " front " ranks. 
 
 Wars grow out of political disputes or for the con- 
 
^8 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 quest of new territory. These disputes are sometimes 
 settled by diplomacy between the two parties, or by 
 friendly arbitration of a neutral power. When these 
 measures are impossible, the aggrieved nation makes a 
 declaration of war, which is an appeal to arms for the 
 settlement of the dispute, just as in civil life a plaintiff 
 appeals to the courts for a decision of his case. 
 
 From this point war is carried on like a great ter- 
 rible game. The two parties are enemies, — invaders 
 and defenders. Both put as many men into the field 
 as they can raise and under their best generals. The 
 invaders try to weaken the enemy by killing, wound- 
 ing, and taking prisoners as many of his soldiers as 
 possible ; by taking his capital and destroying his army 
 or government; by destroying property, burning 
 houses, killing cattle or destroying any other food 
 that may help him, capturing his forts, and crippling 
 his means in every way possible to prevent his continu- 
 ing the fight. The defenders try to prevent the inva- 
 sion and protect their people and property. In these 
 operations, of course, innocent and helpless people 
 suffer terribly, and a week of war may sweep away 
 all the property of a generation of hard-working, 
 peaceable people. 
 
 As an invading army enters a country, it tries to 
 take all the forts in its path, for it is bad policy to 
 leave an enemy in the rear. If the fighting is on open 
 territory, the one that can keep the field is the victor. 
 Success in war depends most largely on good general- 
 ship. A general is not supposed to risk his life, except 
 at critical turns in a battle, but to take a position where 
 
A TALK ABOUT WAR 39 
 
 he can view the entire field and direct the movements 
 of his forces. Great generals are very rare, and that 
 is the reason we give so much study to their lives. 
 
 When either side in a war becomes too weakened 
 to carry it on, it asks for terms of peace, and the terms 
 are stated in a treaty of peace which settles all ques- 
 tions in dispute and ends the war. 
 
 A civil war is waged between the citizens of the same 
 country. Individuals do not need to fight for a settle- 
 men of their disputes, because they can always take 
 them before a court for settlement. But until recently 
 there was no court before which nations could bring 
 their disputes. Now, however, steps are being taken 
 toward forming an international court where national 
 disputes can be settled without an appeal to arms. 
 Even if this should not very soon lead to the disband- 
 ing of all armies, it must tend to lessen the number 
 and the horrors of wars. Those who know most about 
 war are most in favor of universal peace. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 SHERIDAN AT THE OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR 
 
 Before proceeding with our narrative it is needful 
 that the reader should understand some of the causes 
 of the War for the Union. 
 
 While Philip Sheridan was getting his training as a 
 careful business man at his old home, his military 
 education at West Point, and his practical experience 
 fighting Indians on the frontiers, the great war in 
 which he was to bear such a brilliant part was gather- 
 ing over the land. From the very founding of the 
 Union statesmen had differed as to whether a state 
 might go out of that Union of her own accord; and 
 for more than a generation slavery had caused a bitter 
 and burning quarrel between the Northern and South- 
 ern members of the Union. When the Republican 
 party was formed, the chief plank in its platform was 
 that all new states should come in, in future, as free. 
 The slave states resisted this on the ground that the 
 free states would soon have such a majority in Con- 
 gress that they could abolish slavery. When, there- 
 fore, the Republican party elected Air. Lincoln, the 
 slave states declared that as sovereign states they 
 would leave the Union, and they began to seize the 
 forts and other Federal property within their limits. 
 When the loyal garrison of Fort Sumter refused to 
 
 40 
 
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR 41 
 
 surrender, the Secessionists opened fire upon it. By 
 those who denied the sovereignty of the states these 
 acts of rebellion against the rightful government were 
 to be put down by force of arms. And so this great 
 country was swept into a terrible war in which every 
 citizen had to take his stand for or against the preserva- 
 tion of the Union, and thousands sealed their belief 
 with their lives. 
 
 After the first confused fighting in the border states, 
 the war settled down to a grim siege of the Southern 
 Confederacy, but a siege on the biggest scale known 
 to history. A blockading squadron hemmed in the 
 coast from Hampton, Virginia, to Galveston, Texas. 
 The Army of the Potomac guarded the line of that 
 river, while the Army of the West cooperated along 
 the line of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. For four 
 years these armies, with their hundreds of thousands 
 of soldiers, besieged and assaulted the Confederate 
 lines of defense and met with a skill and valor equal 
 to their own, both sides fighting as only men of the 
 same blood can fight each other, till the Confederate 
 Army, worn down to the last shred of its strength, 
 laid down its arms at Appomattox. When the war was; 
 over, Philip Sheridan was acclaimed as one of its three 
 greatest generals. 
 
 When Sheridan arrived East from Oregon to join 
 the Union forces, he was first assigned to the Army 
 of the West, where General Halleck was in command 
 and General Grant and General Sherman were en- 
 gaged. At the time of his arrival on the Atlantic 
 Coast Captain Sheridan was about thirty years of age; 
 
42 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 he was healthy, insensible to fatigue, and his habits 
 were methodical and painstaking. In person he was 
 under-sized, with a large chest, short legs slightly 
 bowed as though designed by nature to fit the flanks 
 of a horse while riding, and arms so long that they 
 reached below his knees. It was these long arms that 
 made him one of the best cavalry swordsmen in the 
 army. Because of his long body he looked to be very 
 tall when on horseback. His head was large, his face 
 grave and full of strength. His manner was dignified 
 and decided, and ordinarily there was nothing impa- 
 tient in it. He was willing to do any amount of exact 
 and careful work. No labor was too great or exertion 
 too severe for him to undertake. 
 
 General Halleck at first made him president of a 
 board of officers to audit the accounts of the distribut- 
 ing officers in his department, which under Halleck's 
 predecessor, General John C. Fremont, had been 
 loosely conducted. There he soon brought order out 
 of the chaos that had prevailed. 
 
 He continued in this work until December 26, 1861, 
 when he was made chief quartermaster and commis- 
 sary of subsistence of the Army of Southwest Mis- 
 souri. A difference between Sheridan and an assistant- 
 quartermaster who wanted his place resulted in General 
 Curtis's appointing this man to succeed him. Sheridan 
 had found out that this officer was stealing horses 
 from the surrounding people and then selling them to 
 the army. When he had presented his bill for pay- 
 ment for these horses, Sheridan seized them and re- 
 fused to make payment even on the order of General 
 

 FIELD OF OPERATIONS OF ARMY OF THE WEST. 
 
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR 43 
 
 Curtis. A court-martial was convened to try him for 
 disobedience, when General Halleck ordered him on 
 duty with a roving commission to purchase horses for 
 fyis army. He was on this duty when the battle of 
 Shiloh was fought. 
 
 Sheridan was desirous of service in the field, but the 
 nearest he could get to it was the appointment as 
 quartermaster of General Halleck's headquarters; this 
 was at the time when Halleck was digging his way to 
 Corinth, or fortifying every part of the way while 
 advancing to capture that place. That general was 
 delighted with the improvement that at once took place 
 in the camp outfit and transportation, under Sheridan's 
 careful and energetic administration. He came near, 
 however, losing this place by his sense of army pro- 
 prieties. Everybody at headquarters had come to look 
 to him for their comfort, and when an order came for 
 him to obtain fresh beef, Sheridan refused, as he was 
 neither a commissionary nor a caterer. The next day, 
 however, he was made a commissary of subsistence, 
 which as he said, " brought him in the line of fresh 
 beef," and after that there was no scarcity of it at 
 Halleck's mess. 
 
 Such duties were carefully performed, but he was 
 longing to be let loose into the sterner duties of active 
 life in the field, where he felt that he was needed. 
 General Sherman, with whom he was acquainted, 
 endeavored to have him commissioned as colonel of an 
 Ohio regiment, but failed; for politicians wanted the 
 place filled with their friends for their own benefit 
 rather than for the advantage of the national cause. 
 
44 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 He was chafing in these subordinate inferior positions 
 and had almost given up trying to obtain a higher 
 commission for active service, when General Gordon 
 Granger suggested his appointment to the command of 
 the Second Michigan Cavalry. 
 
 General Granger was discussing the affairs of that 
 regiment of which he had been the former colonel with 
 Captain Russell A. Alger, afterwards governor of 
 Michigan, when he said; "I have in mind the very 
 man you need to command the regiment." 
 
 "Who is it?" inquired Alger. "The regiment is 
 getting disorderly and it needs a firm, practical sol- 
 dier." 
 
 " Captain Philip Sheridan," replied General 
 Granger; "he's the man you need; but I doubt if 
 Governor Blair will appoint him, for he thinks that 
 regular officers are too strict." 
 
 " We need that kind of a man," said Alger, de- 
 cidedly. 
 
 " Well, I will give you a letter to the governor ; you 
 know he is here, don't you? If you hurry up I think 
 you can see him before he leaves for home." 
 
 Alger started at once, saw Governor Blair, obtained 
 the commission for Sheridan, and on the morning of 
 May 27, 1862, handed to Captain Sheridan this tele- 
 gram : " Captain Philip H. Sheridan, U. S. Army, is 
 hereby appointed Colonel of the Second Michigan 
 Cavalry to rank from this date. Captain Sheridan will 
 immediately assume command of the regiment." 
 
 With this telegram Sheridan went to Halleck and 
 said, " I want you to allow me to accept that commis- 
 
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR 45 
 
 sion; it will put me into active service, where I am 
 needed." 
 
 At first the crusty old general said, " No, I can't 
 do it without permission of the War Department." 
 But Sheridan urged his desire for active service with 
 such eloquence that Halleck yielded. 
 
 When this appointment was known among his 
 friends at headquarters they hastened to congratulate 
 him. 
 
 " We are hoping you will soon be a brigadier- 
 general," said one. 
 
 " No I thank you," Sheridan is said to have re- 
 sponded. " Colonel of cavalry is rank enough for me; 
 it's just what I want." 
 
 How little a man knows himself. Before many 
 months had passed he was a brigadier and then a 
 major-general, — each rank dating, as we shall see, 
 from a battle he had won. 
 
 When Sheridan appeared at the headquarters of the 
 Second Michigan to take command, neither officers nor 
 men were greatly impressed. He was so small that 
 they could scarcely see him from one end of the regi- 
 ment to the other. Once on horseback, however, he 
 looked like a different man, and his horsemanship com- 
 manded their admiration. He at once went to work 
 to put the regiment in shape; he saw to it that they 
 were well fed and cared for, — things that only an ex- 
 perienced soldier knows how to do. 
 
 At the time of which we write Halleck's vast army 
 had dug its way to the front of Corinth, and the Con- 
 federates under Beauregard were trying to escape with 
 
46 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 all their material. In two days after Sheridan had 
 assumed command, his regiment and the Second Iowa 
 Cavalry, formed into a brigade under command of 
 Colonel W. A. Elliot, started out for a raid to Boone- 
 ville, twenty-two miles below Corinth, to destroy the 
 enemy's supplies and to cut his railroad communica- 
 tions, on which he depended in his retreat. They 
 encountered the enemy on the outskirts of the town, 
 forced him back, took possession of the station, and 
 began destroying the railroad track to prevent its use 
 in carrying away munitions of war. The enemy at- 
 tempted to prevent this by making a dash upon them, 
 but was repulsed by one of Sheridan's companies. 
 
 Returning to Booneville, Sheridan found the rail- 
 road track blocked with the Confederate supply trains, 
 while several thousand convalescent and demoralized 
 Confederate soldiers were in the fields and woods. He 
 set fire to the cars, which contained over twenty thou- 
 sand stands of small arms, a large amount of ammuni- 
 tion, several pieces of artillery, and General Polk's 
 personal baggage. All this was done with but small 
 loss of men. 
 
 No men recognize more quickly than soldiers in the 
 ranks when an officer cares for their comfort and 
 saves them from needless hardship and loss of life. 
 Sheridan had thus soon gained their respect and 
 admiration, and they were willing to do all that he ex- 
 acted from them. And the men had already given 
 him the loving nickname of " Little Phil," a sobriquet 
 he always retained with them. 
 
 Meanwhile, Colonel Elliot had been commissioned 
 
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR 47 
 
 as a brigadier-general and assigned to duty on the 
 staff of General Halleck, which left Sheridan in com- 
 mand of the brigade. He at once began scouting over 
 the country, making information maps o.f it and 
 thoroughly informing himself about the people. On 
 the 1st of July we find him encamped at Booneville. 
 Halleck's slow advance on Corinth left Sheridan's com- 
 mand of less than eight hundred men isolated twenty 
 miles in advance, with the Confederate army of 
 Beauregard about the same distance in his front. He 
 had become not only the eyes but the right arm of 
 Halleck's army. He watched every movement, send- 
 ing Halleck information, and harrassed the Con- 
 federate outposts. Beauregard was not long in finding 
 out how small was the force that was causing him so 
 much trouble and uneasiness, and resolved to destroy 
 or capture it, for Sheridan was holding a country rich 
 in supplies that he needed for his army. 
 
 On July 1, 1862, with about five thousand cavalry 
 under General Chalmers, he came upon Sheridan's 
 pickets about three miles from Booneville, forcing 
 them slowly back until they arrived at the junction of 
 converging roads, where they made a stand, while 
 Sheridan sent three more companies to their assistance. 
 These men dismounted and formed their lines, but soon 
 found themselves confronted by a vastly superior force 
 which overlapped him by deploying two regiments on 
 his right and left. He sent back word to General 
 Asboth commanding the division, " The enemy has 
 ten regiments under Chalmers; I want support, par- 
 ticularly artillery." The supports did not come but, 
 
48 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 nothing daunted, he met the emergency energetically 
 and fearlessly. He instructed his men to hold their 
 position until he could bring up supports, and if they 
 must fall back to do so slowly, taking shelter behind 
 every tree or log to assail the Confederates. 
 
 At first the enemy attempted to drive them by a 
 direct attack, over an open field. His men waited until 
 the enemy were within short range, and then opened a 
 destructive fire from their Colt's rifles and drove them 
 back. When Sheridan saw that they were overlapping 
 both flanks of his little force, he fell back to a strong 
 position he had selected, in which to give battle. He 
 made his dispositions with great foresight, and was all 
 along his lines, cheering and encouraging and urging 
 his men to do their utmost. When Sheridan was 
 falling back to this new position the Confederates, 
 thinking that they had him on the run, hurled upon 
 him all the men possible. But they soon discovered 
 their mistake, for they were met with a resistance so 
 desperate that it assumed the character of a hand-to- 
 hand fight. His men clubbed their muskets, striking 
 at the enemy and holding him off until reinforcements 
 from the Second Iowa arrived, when the rebels were 
 driven back again. The fight had lasted from daylight 
 until afternoon. 
 
 The enemy saw that they outnumbered Sheridan's 
 little army and, gaining confidence with this knowledge 
 began a flanking movement around his left. Sheridan 
 saw that the situation was desperate and that some- 
 thing must be done or the Confederates would capture 
 his camp with his train of supplies. He had sent back 
 
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR 49 
 
 word again : " I have been holding a large force of 
 the enemy prisoners — say ten regiments in all — all day. 
 Am considerably cut up, but am holding my camp." 
 
 In this emergency Sheridan determined to pass a 
 small force around the Confederates and strike their 
 rear with a cavalry charge. It was " piecing out the 
 lion's skin with the fox's tail," — a very desperate 
 remedy for a desperate situation, a last resort, a for- 
 lorn hope. He remembered an unused cart-path by 
 which he could send this force to the enemy's rear un- 
 perceived. In his brief stay in this locality he had 
 learned every foot of territory, so that he knew the 
 ground better than did the rebels themselves. He 
 carried in his mind every by-path and knew the people 
 and their politics. He thus had every possible resource 
 except men. 
 
 Sending for Captain Russell A. Alger, who was 
 just recovering from camp fever, he said : " I am 
 going to entrust to you the execution of a desperate 
 scheme." He pointed out to him, on a map that he 
 had made, the unused road, and said : " I am placing 
 under your command four saber companies, two from 
 each of my regiments. This cart-path will lead you 
 around to the enemy's rear, it leads you to the Black- 
 land road, about three miles from here. I give you just 
 an hour in which to reach this place. When you reach 
 it, turn up that road and charge upon the enemy at 
 once ! Yell, hurrah, make all the noise you can ! You 
 are not to deploy your men under any circumstance. 
 Charge in column through everything in your front! 
 At the expiration of the hour I will take my reserve, 
 
50 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 join the main line and charge the rebels with my whole 
 force. If I am not mistaken that will rattle Johnny 
 Reb. To make sure that you take the right road, I will 
 send with you Breen, my guide, who knows the road. 
 Now remember, when you charge cheer like mad, so 
 that we can hear you." 
 
 To the brave man there are often given unexpected 
 circumstances that assist him. Some time after Alger 
 had started out on his desperate venture, a train with 
 two cars came into the station and whistled. Sheridan 
 ordered the engineer to continue rattling back and 
 forth with those two lone baggage-cars, whistling as 
 though trains were arriving with reinforcements. His 
 men actually believed reinforcements were coming to 
 their help and were ready to fight with renewed energy. 
 
 When the hour had passed, nothing had been heard 
 from Alger. He had, however, followed his instruc- 
 tions. He swooped down on the Confederates like a 
 whirlwind, in columns of four, reaching their rear 
 at a point not dreamed of by them, dispersing their 
 headquarters without stopping to take prisoners, and 
 rushed on with tumultuous cheers. At the same time 
 Sheridan made a furious attack on the Confederate left 
 with the Second Iowa and charged their front with the 
 Second Michigan. Dazed and confused, and thinking 
 they were being attacked by overpowering numbers, 
 the Confederates broke and ran. The victory was 
 Sheridan's. 
 
 In this attack Sheridan had but 827 men, and those 
 under Alger numbered but ninety officers and men. 
 The Confederates had two battalions, in all not less 
 
GETTING BEHIND THE ENEMY. 
 
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR 51 
 
 than five thousand men. Forty of the Confederates, 
 severely wounded, fell into Sheridan's hands. 
 
 After the Confederate stampede was fully assured, 
 Sheridan sent back word : " I will not want any 
 infantry supports, as I have whipped the enemy .... 
 I have lost some fine officers and men, but have hurt the 
 enemy badly. It would be well to let me have a bat- 
 tery of artillery. I might then be able to follow them 
 up." 
 
 The victory against such odds was very gratifying, 
 and that it has not been magnified the General Orders 
 of both Halleck and Rosecrans bear witness. In Gen- 
 eral Orders No. 81, Rosecrans says: "The general 
 commanding announces to this army that on the 1st 
 inst. Colonel P. H. Sheridan . . . with eleven com- 
 panies of his own men and eleven of the Second Iowa 
 cavalry was attacked at Booneville by eight regiments 
 of rebel cavalry under General Chalmers, and after an 
 eight hours' fight drove them back, leaving their dead 
 and wounded on the field. The coolness, determina- 
 tion, and fearless gallantry displayed by Colonel 
 Sheridan and the officers and men of his command 
 deserve the thanks and admiration of the army." 
 
 General Halleck in his report to the Secretary of 
 War said : " Official report is just received of a 
 brilliant affair of our cavalry near Booneville. Colonel 
 Sheridan with two regiments — 728 men — was attacked 
 by ... . 4700 men, which he defeated and drove 
 back after eight hours' fighting. Our loss, forty-one 
 killed, wounded, and missing. That of the enemy 
 must have been very great. He left sixty-five dead on 
 
52 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 the field. I respectfully recommended Colonel Sher- 
 idan for gallant conduct in battle." 
 
 I have narrated this first battle of our hero, for it 
 gives the keynote of his later successes. It is said that 
 great events cast a shadow before them. This first 
 battle of Sheridan's under exacting and discouraging 
 conditions heralded the advent upon the scenes of the 
 Civil War of a great general. It was here that he first 
 displayed those great qualities that fitted him for com- 
 mand. 
 
 On July 30, Brigadier-Generals Rosecrans, C. C. 
 Sullivan, Gordon Granger, W. L. Elliot, and A. Asboth 
 united in sending a letter to General Halleck, saying : 
 " The undersigned respectfully beg that you will ob- 
 tain promotion for Sheridan. He is worth his weight 
 in gold." 
 
 After the little battle which we have described, it 
 was decided that the position held by Sheridan's troops 
 ; at Booneville was too much exposed; and he was di- 
 rected to withdraw to Rienzi, Mississippi, where he 
 could guard the roads in front of the army at Corinth 
 and yet be within supporting distance of General 
 Asboth's infantry. This position also gave him better 
 camping ground and better grazing for his horses. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE (October, 1 862) 
 
 After the fall of Corinth Buell began his march to 
 Chattanooga, and Sheridan, whose command had been 
 increased by the addition of the Seventh Kansas 
 Cavalry, was instructed to obtain information as to 
 the movement of the Confederate army under General 
 Bragg. Thus instructed, Sheridan sent out an expedi- 
 tion that drove out the enemy from the town of Ripley 
 and captured a mail-carrier with letters containing the 
 important information that the Confederates were 
 moving on Chattanoonga. 
 
 Sheridan was now sending out scouting parties in 
 every direction; one day, when about half of his men 
 were absent on this duty, with no warning from his 
 pickets, which were stationed about three miles out, 
 the enemy suddenly dashed into his camp. It was a 
 very hot day, and his men were resting in their tents 
 quite unprepared for battle. Sheridan, hearing the 
 quick pop, pop, pop of muskets, rushed out and rallied 
 his men, who came from their tents snatching up their 
 cartridge-boxes and muskets. They fought the enemy, 
 numbering about eight hundred men, with such energy 
 that the latter finally broke and ran in hasty flight. 
 Sheridan, not satisfied with beating them off, pursued 
 them with two battalions of mounted men and a 
 
 53 
 
54 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 battery and, finding their main force drawn up for 
 battle, furiously attacked them and drove them in 
 panic from their camps. Their haste was so great 
 that it became ludicrous, the demoralized men throw- 
 ing away their arms, blanket, and clothing to lighten 
 them for flight. Sheridan had completely turned the 
 tables. A good many prisoners were taken, and when 
 the recall was sounded his men returned loaded down 
 with captured shotguns, hats, haversacks, pistols, 
 blankets, and clothing. 
 
 General Granger afterwards reported that " the 
 rare drubbing Sheridan gave them was the most dis- 
 graceful rout and scatteration I ever heard of." But 
 though Sheridan had escaped danger and won honors, 
 the picket officer whose neglect had allowed the un- 
 earned advent of the enemy into his camp was court- 
 martialed. No crime in an army is so great as want 
 of vigilance while on guard, for it exposes a whole 
 army to disaster and possible destruction. 
 
 During Sheridan's stay at Rienzi a beautiful horse, 
 which he named for that place, was presented to him 
 by a Mr. Campbell. Rienzi was as black as jet ex- 
 cept for his feet, of which three were white. He was 
 very large, intelligent, and powerful, and so active 
 that he could walk five miles an hour. This was the 
 horse that Sheridan rode from Winchester to Cedar 
 Creek, and of which Buchanan Read wrote: 
 
 "Hurrah! hurrah! for Sheridan 
 Hurrah! for horse and man." 
 
 Rienzi carried Sheridan in many battles, and though 
 wounded several times he lived until 1878. 
 
THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE 55 
 
 The concentration of national troops at Louisville 
 to meet impending movements of the Confederate 
 army soon sent Sheridan to Corinth preparatory to 
 going to Cincinnati. General Marcus Wright had 
 asked Buell for Sheridan, saying, " I need him very 
 much." But Buell finally assigned him to command the 
 Eleventh Division of the Third Army Corps in his 
 army. 
 
 At Corinth Sheridan met General Grant, who had 
 been restored to command and partially to favor, Gen- 
 eral Halleck having departed to Washington as Gen- 
 eral-in-Chief. Grant knew Sheridan's services from 
 reports and wished to keep him there; but Sheridan 
 declared, with characteristic vehemence, his belief that 
 his greatest field of usefulness was in Kentucky, and 
 Grant reluctantly allowed him to go. It was Grant's 
 suggestion that Sheridan should take to Cincinnati 
 with him the main part of Granger's command, the 
 Pea Ridge Brigade, as well as the regiment of which 
 he was colonel. 
 
 From Cincinnati Sheridan was sent back to Louis- 
 ville to take command of a part of the brigade we have 
 mentioned and such other troops as might be sent to 
 him. He reported at the Gait House to General 
 Nelson, by whom he was heartily received. 
 
 " Why don't you wear the shoulder-straps that be- 
 long to your rank?" inquired General Nelson. 
 
 "I do," replied Sheridan; "I am colonel of the 
 First Michigan Cavalry." 
 
 " No," said Nelson, " you are a brigadier-general 
 since the Booneville fight." 
 
56 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 " I have not been notified of it," said Sheridan, " if 
 I am." 
 
 The very next day, however, he got official notice 
 of this appointment and thenceforth gladly wore the 
 shoulder-straps of that grade. It was but a few days 
 after that General Nelson, who had a hasty temper, 
 was killed in that very hotel by a fellow-officer, in a 
 paltry quarrel. 
 
 General Buell, as we have said, in reorganizing his 
 forces put Brigadier-General Sheridan in command 
 of the Eleventh Division of his army. Shortly 
 after this Buell ordered the advance of his whole 
 army to destroy Bragg or to drive him from 
 Kentucky. 
 
 The army began its move October I, 1862, and 
 Sheridan's division, forming a part of the Third 
 Corps, commanded by General Gilbert, marched to 
 meet the enemy, who were falling back to Perryville. 
 He found the Confederates under General Hardee, 
 about fifteen thousand men, posted on the opposite 
 side of a branch of the Chaplin River called " Doctor's 
 Creek." At that time there was a drought which had 
 dried up the small streams and springs of that part of 
 the country, and Sheridan was ordered to push be- 
 yond this creek, though it was partially dry, as the 
 soldiers were suffering for water. In obedience to 
 this order he crossed the creek, but found that in order 
 to hold the ground it would be necessary to take a 
 range of hills in front of Chaplin River, already oc- 
 cupied by the enemy. Quickly putting two brigades 
 in line, he ordered an advance and carried these 
 
^PALTON 
 
 THE THEATER OF WAR IN KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE. 
 
THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE 57 
 
 heights with a rush that took the Confederates by 
 surprise. He at once advanced his whole division and 
 intrenched the heights with rifle-pits. This not only 
 insured him water for his men, but gave him a strong 
 and commanding position which proved of great value 
 in the fight that followed. 
 
 Finding that his men while intrenching were 
 annoyed by the enemy's sharp-shooters, he ordered 
 the latter driven back to their main lines. General 
 Gilbert, who was on a hill a mile in the rear, seeing 
 this skirmish, sent word to Sheridan not to bring on 
 a battle. Sheridan signaled back, " I am not bring- 
 ing on an engagement, but the enemy are apparently 
 determined to do so. I expect an attack soon." See- 
 ing the Confederates forming for battle on the opposite 
 side of the stream, Sheridan recalled all of his men 
 inside of his intrenchments just in time to receive the 
 shock of battle. 
 
 While moving along his lines encouraging the 
 soldiers and seeing that they were snugly fixed in their 
 rifle-pits, Sheridan was surprised to see the First 
 Corps under General McCook advancing by a road 
 and apparently wholly unconscious that the Con- 
 federates were near. Sheridan tried in vain to inform 
 McCook, by signals, of his danger. Suddenly the 
 enemy dashed upon the unprepared lines, throwing 
 them into great confusion. Though offering a brave 
 resistance until late in the afternoon, the First Corps 
 was too disorganized to do further duty during the 
 battle. Sheridan sent a battery with six regiments to 
 their assistance, but recalled them when he found that 
 
58 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 the Confederates were about to assault his own 
 position on the heights. 
 
 He had not long to wait. The enemy, with a fierce 
 attack, almost reached his intrenchments. Sheridan 
 passed among his men and encouraged them in his 
 forceful manner to hold on and not to let the enemy 
 take the ridge; and with a heavy fire of canister from 
 his artillery swept the ground over which they were 
 advancing. The enemy, saluted by this destructive 
 fire, staggered back in dismay. Sheridan then brought 
 up his reserve to occupy the intrenchments and with 
 his division, with its flank supported by Mitchell's 
 brigade, hurled the Confederate lines back to Perry- 
 ville. This occurred about four o'clock and sub- 
 stantially ended the fight, though firing continued until 
 after dark. Sheridan was of the opinion that Buell 
 did not comprehend the magnitude of his victory and 
 should have brought up his idle troops to destroy the 
 enemy. 
 
 The significance of Sheridan's part in this battle 
 was his readiness and clear-headed comprehension 
 of the situation in an action that was dictated by sound 
 principles of his profession, and his cool courage and 
 his ability to command men. All this was a forecast 
 of his brilliant later career. 
 
 Earlier in the book there was mentioned a quarrel 
 which he had at West Point with a Cadet Terrill. 
 When Sheridan came to the West he fell in with 
 iTerrill in the Union army. Though a Southerner, 
 ^Terrill had remained loyal to his country. Sheridan 
 made the first advance to heal the quarrel, and they 
 
THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE 59 
 
 became friends again. Unhappily, however, Terrill, 
 while commanding a brigade under McCook, was 
 killed in battle while bravely trying to rally his men 
 when they were suddenly and unexpectedly attacked in 
 the manner I have narrated in a preceding paragraph. 
 Sheridan was very sorrowful over his untimely end. 
 
 That afternoon the enemy retired from the Union 
 front, and Sheridan followed them on the 9th. 
 Bragg's army disappeared, leaving only a small rear 
 guard, which got away after exchanging shots with a 
 Union battery. 
 
 While this was taking place a little daughter of 
 Colonel Landram, whose home was near by, ran out 
 of the house and, amidst the flying shot, fixed a small 
 national flag on the battery. The incident was so full 
 of patriotic devotion, that it appealed to the men and 
 officers of the battery, and through all their later 
 battles they carried this little flag as an inspiration and 
 memento of Perry ville. 
 
 The blunders of this campaign were attributed to 
 General Buell, and shortly after he was relieved from 
 command and General Rosecran's was given his place. 
 After the battle of Perry ville the troops whom Gen- 
 eral Gilbert had commanded during that battle were 
 transferred to the command of Major-General Alex- 
 ander McCook, and our little general was placed in 
 command of the Third Division of the Twentieth' 
 Army Corps. 
 
 The following months were full of activity, lead- 
 ing to the battle of Stone River before Murfreesboro, 
 Tennessee. 
 
60 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 It may be said here that though he never paraded 
 his feelings, Sheridan had a profound reverence for 
 religion. Brought up in the Roman Catholic Church, 
 he was yet open-minded to what was beautiful in any ' 
 other faith. As a cadet at West Point he faithfully 
 attended chapel services and there memorized many 
 portions of the Episcopal Prayer Book. The prayer 
 beginning " O God, who art the author of peace and 
 lover of concord," he thought especially beautiful. 
 To a member of President Garfield's Cabinet he once 
 said, " This prayer was on my lips when I was going 
 into battle at Cedar Creek." 
 
 It is a curious fact, by the way, that none of the 
 three greatest soldiers of the Civil War, — Grant, 
 Sherman, or Sheridan, — was a lover of war. 
 
 Sheridan's brilliancy on the battle-field has led 
 people to overlook some of his soberer qualities, and 
 even to think of him as rash and profane. He would 
 dash ahead into a storm of shot and shell, shouting to 
 'his men in the most passionate terms to follow him. 
 He 'would, also, order his band to play some of the 
 familiar ragtime music of that day when a battle was 
 on. But the dash ahead was not bravado any more 
 than the impassioned language was profanity or the 
 ragtime music flippancy. They were all well calculated 
 to help his men to win the victory. The music took 
 their minds somewhat off the peril before them, his 
 passionate language stirred their spirits, and his fear- 
 less dash gave them courage to follow. 
 
 Between battles this brilliant leader could plod with 
 the soberest. He studied the country over which his 
 
THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE 61 
 
 army must march or fight like a student at his lessons, 
 acquainting himself in the most painstaking way with 
 every hill, valley, stream, and road. He looked after 
 the equipment and subsistence of his men as carefully 
 as the solidest merchant looks after his business. He 
 was one of those rare generals who could not only 
 lead an army gallantly in battle, but could manage the 
 less showy but not less necessary details that make and 
 keep an army efficient. 
 
 His temperament was a curious combination of cool- 
 ness and ardor, and in the excitement of conflict he 
 thought only of how he was to achieve a victory. He 
 was patriotic to the core and loved his country with 
 all the ardor of his great Irish heart. Her cause was 
 more to him than life or ease. He was honest and 
 faithful and conscientious in all his work, and did 
 nothing in a pefunctory manner. As young Colonel 
 Lowell said in one of his letters to his wife, " If he is 
 not successful he deserves to be, for he works early 
 and late." 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 the battle of stone river (January, 1863) 
 
 The retreat of the Confederates under General 
 Bragg had transferred the theater of war to Ten- 
 nessee, and Buell had concentrated his army at Bowl- 
 ing Green preparatory to a march to Nashville. Sher- 
 idan reached this place with his little division much 
 reduced by battle and sickness. Here Buell was re- 
 lieved from command, and General W. S. Rosecrans 
 was appointed to take his place. Henceforth the army 
 was to be known as " The Army of the Cumberland." 
 
 Bragg was south of the Cumberland River threaten- 
 ing Nashville. General Rosecrans concentrated the 
 army around that city, where he could easily defeat 
 the Confederates' threatening movements. Here 
 Rosecrans began making preparations for a winter 
 battle, which was something that the Confederates did 
 not expect. They hardly realized it until the battle 
 of Stone River was forced upon them. 
 
 Sheridan went into camp just outside of the city at 
 Edgefield, and made ready for the campaign about to 
 begin. In this preparation no pains were too great for 
 him to take, no information too minute for him to 
 disregard. He began to drill his soldiers not only in 
 common military maneuvers, but in scouting, forag- 
 ing, picket and guard duty, changing the location of 
 
 62 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER 63 
 
 the different brigades so as to make them all familiar 
 with the country. In his foraging expeditions the 
 men were required to carry only their blankets, that 
 they might learn to shift for themselves with but little 
 equipment. He familiarized himself with the country 
 and the people. 
 
 One day there came to his quarters a small, shrewd- 
 looking man. 
 
 " What," inquired Sheridan, " do you want here? " 
 
 " Well, General, I thought that you might want 
 me; I am acquainted all over this country." 
 
 Sheridan was observant of the man and concluded 
 almost at once that he did want him, or at least all the 
 information that he could get from him. 
 
 " What has been your business," asked Sheridan, 
 " and what is your name? " 
 
 " My name is James Card, and I have sold religious 
 books over all the country. I am acquainted with the 
 folks, — have preached to them and sometimes doctored 
 them, as well as sold them tracts and books." 
 
 " You are just the man I want ! " exclaimed Sher- 
 idan. For he had made up his mind from the man's 
 face and his answers that he was honest and loyal. 
 And then he began asking him questions about the 
 country. It did not take him long to find out that 
 Card knew every ford and stream and road, and the 
 people, their politics and their opinions — whether they 
 were Loyalists or Confederates. The man was in- 
 valuable to him in studying the topography of Middle 
 Tennessee, which he knew was to be the scene of 
 future battles in which he would be called upon to 
 
64 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 fight. It was in this painstaking manner that Sheridan 
 prepared himself for future marches and battles. 
 
 My young readers will see by his that Sheridan did 
 not only fight battles, he made ready beforehand to 
 insure victory. The general who knows the country 
 where he is campaigning, its hills, fords, and roads, is 
 prepared to win victories; and this thorough prepara- 
 tion was one of the secrets of Sheridan's success as a 
 general. In addition to this, however, he had a re- 
 markable memory for the topography of a country 
 that he had once examined. He seemed to carry in 
 his mind a map of all its peculiarities, even when 
 studied from maps. He knew his maps, had minute 
 information as to roads and streams and how they 
 could be crossed, knew the kind of people he would 
 encounter and much more that was useful in his 
 campaigns, and thus this battles were partly won be- 
 fore they were fought. Success in war or peace does 
 not come to fools or blunderers, but to the disciplined 
 and well trained. 
 
 Sheridan was fortunate in having for brigade com- 
 manders men who were patriots as well as soldiers. 
 One of these, General Sill, was a former classmate of 
 Sheridan's at West Point; another was Colonel Fred- 
 rick Schaefer, who has been a non-commissioned offi- 
 cer in the German army ; also Colonel Roberts, an ideal 
 soldier, as brave as he was young and handsome. 
 These officers, who commanded brigades of four regi- 
 ments each in Sheridan's division, were inspired with 
 their leader's spirit of discipline and his own dauntless 
 courage. All, officers as well as men, spared no efforts 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER 65 
 
 in preparing for the impending battle, signs of which 
 began to multiply. By skirmishes and reconnoitering 
 parties each army was trying to gain information of 
 the position and intentions of the other. 
 
 On the 25th of December, 1862, orders came to the 
 Army of the Cumberland to move forward on Mur- 
 freesboro, where the enemy was making preparations 
 to go into winter quarters. It was hoped that in order 
 to hold the place Bragg would accept battle here. By 
 different routes the Union army, the day before Christ- 
 mas, began its march in a pouring rain. As Sheridan 
 neared the Confederate position, General Davis in- 
 formed him that the enemy was in considerable force 
 on a range of hills in his front, and asked his support 
 in an attack that he was about to make. The attack 
 was made, the hills captured, and the advance con- 
 tinued. 
 
 On the morning of the 30th Sheridan's division was 
 within three miles of Murfreesboro. With two regi- 
 ments he drove the pickets of the enemy back and, 
 after rather serious fighting, secured such a position 
 as it was desirable each division should occupy in the 
 battle about to be fought. This was only after a 
 stubborn dispute with the Confederates, in which the 
 pop, pop, pop of muskets and the whiz and sputter 
 of shell and solid shot from cannon did the talking. 
 When, almost sundown, he gained the desired ground, 
 Sill's brigade was in some timber, while Robert's 
 brigade rested on the Wilkinson Pike and Schaefer's 
 brigade on some high ground in the rear. 
 
 At the time of the arrival of the Union army be- 
 
66 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 fore Murfreesboro, the Confederates had not dreamed 
 that Rosecrans would attack the place before spring. 
 General John H. Morgan, the noted raider, was being 
 married in the city, and there were present at the 
 ceremony President Jefferson Davis and many officers 
 of high rank in the army. It was said that the floor 
 was carpeted with an American flag on which the as- 
 sembled party danced to show that they defied its 
 authority. This party was interrupted by the arrival 
 of Rosecrans. 
 
 Rosecrans, calling his principal commanders to- 
 gether in the evening at his headquarters on the Nash- 
 ville pike, gave them their orders. His three army 
 corps were commanded by Generals Crittenden, 
 Thomas, and McCook. The plan of the Union com- 
 mander was bold, simple, and brilliant. It was, in 
 brief, to attack the Confederate right and drive it to- 
 wards Murfreesboro. When this was done Critten- 
 den's corps was to attack the Confederates in the rear. 
 McCook, in whose corps was Sheridan's division, oc- 
 cupied the right of the line; Thomas, the center; and 
 Crittenden, the left. 
 
 The enemy, under General Braxton Bragg, was be- 
 tween the Union army and Stone River. In Sher- 
 idan's front the Confederates were to be seen in strong 
 force, occupying a thick cedar wood which extended 
 the whole length of an open valley. 
 
 Anxious for the outcome of the battle, Sheridan 
 several times examined his lines from one end to the 
 other, not only for the purpose of correcting any de- 
 fect that might exist, but to encourage his men by his 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER 67 
 
 presence and to show them he was thoroughly awake 
 to his duties. Then, with the coming of night, kin- 
 dling a little fire for warmth, he lay down behind a 
 fallen tree which partly protected him from the cold 
 December winds. During the night Sill, who com- 
 manded one of the brigades, awakened him to report 
 that the Confederates were moving to the right with 
 the apparent purpose of making an attack on our lines 
 early in the morning. Sheridan thought that General 
 McCook, in command of the corps, should know this, 
 and so they both went to see him. 
 
 "What is the matter?" inquired McCook as they 
 roused him from his slumbers. 
 
 " The rebs are moving men to the right, and, if I 
 am not greatly mistaken, intend to make a heavy at- 
 tack on Johnson's division in the morning." 
 
 " Oh," said McCook, " I guess Johnson can take 
 care of himself." 
 
 " Well, General," said Sheridan, " if I was in your 
 place I'd strengthen the line; but it is not my place to 
 give advice, and of course you know best." 
 
 But the general did not seem to think there was any 
 necessity for making changes, and so Sheridan and 
 Sill returned to their own lines. They moved two 
 regiments within helping distance of Sill's brigade, as 
 a preparation for what they believed to be an impend- 
 ing attack, and then Sheridan returned to his little fire 
 behind the fallen tree. 
 
 Long before daylight Sheridan had his men eat 
 their breakfast, and got his infantry in line and his 
 cannoneers standing in readiness at their guns in 
 
68 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 anticipation of an early attack. Everything, mean- 
 while, was as still as death in the cedars where the 
 enemy lay. 
 
 But he had not long to wait. Just before day was 
 breaking, the Confederates, as he had anticipated, 
 made a terrible attack on the right of the Union line. 
 Johnson's division was driven back and torn into 
 shreds by the furious assaults. At the same time they 
 assaulted Sheridan's front. He had two batteries so 
 placed that they had an oblique fire on the advancing 
 foe, and, as the Confederates came on, the guns tore 
 their ranks with shot and canister with terrible effect. 
 Still, on they came, until within fifty yards of some 
 timber where Sheridan's infantry lay, when with 
 deadly aim and with repeated volleys they were mowed 
 down. For a short time they bore this destructive 
 fire, and then they broke and ran. The men com- 
 manded by General Sill then charged and drove them 
 back into the intrenchments from which they had 
 so confidently come to drive the Union army before 
 them. But, alas ! the brave Sill himself fell dead while 
 leading his men in this furious charge. 
 
 Although this was a great loss to Sheridan, yet the 
 discomfiture of the Confederates was so great that 
 time was gained in which to recall the brigade to its 
 original position. It also gave him time to place 
 Colonel Greusel of the Thirty-sixth Illinois in com- 
 mand of Sill's brigade. 
 
 The enemy advanced again, but this time on Sher- 
 idan's right and on Woodruff's brigade of General 
 Davis's division. Sheridan's center lines again drove 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER 69 
 
 the enemy back, but Woodruff gave away, and two of 
 Sheridan's regiments were swept along with him; but 
 these were rallied on the reserve regiments which 
 Sheridan had, as we have elsewhere mentioned, placed 
 there during the night before the battle. 
 
 The prospect for the Union army now looked 
 gloomy, and would have ended, no doubt, in its defeat, 
 but for Sheridan's sturdy resistance and thoughtful 
 foresight. Two of the Union divisions, Johnson's and 
 Davis's, were practically out of the fight, for they had 
 lost their formation and were hotly pursued by the 
 Confederates. Sheridan, fearing a fire in reverse 
 from the enemy, ordered Robert's brigade to charge. 
 This checked them for a time and enabled Sheridan 
 to take up a new position with his two other brigades 
 on some high ground where his batteries had been 
 posted all the morning. Here Davis tried to rally his 
 shattered brigade on his right, but could not. They 
 fell back until they were rallied behind General 
 Thomas's sturdy lines near the Wilkinson Pike. 
 
 The Confederate turning movement that was then 
 being executed put Sheridan in danger of being sur- 
 rounded or enveloped, and under a heavy fire he 
 moved his division once more to the right of another 
 division which had remained undisturbed. Here he 
 posted his batteries on a rocky ridge facing towards 
 Murfreesboro, and then aligned most of his men fac- 
 ing nearly west along the edge of a cedar thicket. 
 The enemy, meanwhile, took possession of the ground 
 from which Sheridan had retreated. 
 
 He had hardly got to this new position when, whew! 
 
70 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 again forward rushed the Confederates under Cheat- 
 ham, striking Sheridan's left, while dark masses of 
 troops under Hardee, assisted by batteries, attacked at 
 the same time his right, and the intrenchments of 
 Murfreesboro opened with prodigious clamor their 
 artillery fire on his lines. Sheridan's position was a 
 good one, and his men, though they lost heavily, be- 
 lieving in their young general were confident. The 
 contending lines were not over two hundred yards 
 apart when the enemy made the assault just men- 
 tioned. Sheridan gave the approaching foe shell and 
 canister from his artillery and hurled them back. The 
 shot from the enemy's artillery struck the rocks in his 
 front and bounded and rebounded over them, with 
 fatal results to many of his men. But though the 
 Confederates had heavily reinforced their lines, Sher- 
 idan repulsed them again and again, until at last they 
 gave up the combat as hopeless. 
 
 While this was going on Sheridan received a mes- 
 sage from General Rosecrans directing him to hold 
 on where he was, that he might have time to form a 
 new line of battle. To his brigade commanders Sher- 
 idan said, " We must hold this line, no matter what 
 the consequences are; the safety of the whole army 
 depends upon us." 
 
 As assault after assault tore the ranks, they stood 
 immovable as stone or iron. The terrible cry, how- 
 ever, ran down the line, " Our ammunition is giving 
 out ! " " Reserve your fire, then, all you can," was 
 Sheridan's command, " and fix your bayonets for a 
 charge." 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER 71 
 
 Three assaults, one after the other, were made by 
 the Confederates on Sheridan's depleted lines. Fight- 
 ing like a wounded lion he drove them back, though 
 not without awful losses, in defeat and confusion. 
 He had on his death roll three brigade commanders, — 
 General Sill, the young and gallant Roberts, and Har- 
 rington, who had taken Roberts' place, — besides scores 
 of subordinate officers and men. Though Sheridan ex- 
 posed himself at the most critical parts of his lines, he 
 seemed to bear a charmed life and escaped unhurt. By 
 his tenacious and brave resistance, he gave Rosecrans 
 time to make a new line of battle. They were precious 
 moments wrung from the clutches of death and 
 disaster. 
 
 A lull succeeded the storm of battle, and Sheridan, 
 knowing that his whole force was in danger of being 
 captured, prepared to retire as soon as the Union 
 troops should arrive on his right. When these men 
 had at last taken up that line, two of his brigades 
 were without cartridges to fire a musket. The gen- 
 eral grimly ordered them to fix their bayonets for a 
 charge if the enemy should interfere with them, while 
 they slowly fell back to the Nashville Pike. 
 
 Eighty horses in one of his batteries had been killed 
 and the battery had to be abandoned, as the ground was 
 too rocky to pull the guns away by hand. His other 
 battery had lost most of its horses, but was saved. 
 One-third of the men of his division were dead or 
 wounded, and soon after he lost his third brigade 
 commander, the brave General Schaefer. 
 
 His men, however, were not done with fighting for 
 
72 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 that day. The division came out with its ranks un- 
 broken, though thinned by wounds and death. When 
 they had got through the cedars and had reached open 
 ground, Roberts' brigade, commanded by Colonel 
 Bradley, was sent to repel any attempt of the Con- 
 federates to interrupt the communications of the 
 Union army. Though they had but two cartridges to 
 each man, they charged and recaptured two pieces of 
 artillery abandoned by the Union troops. Two of his 
 regiments also were supplied with fresh ammunition 
 and sent to aid the right of Palmer's division. 
 
 Afterwards withdrawing these regiments to assist 
 another line, Sheridan advanced them through some 
 woods while exposed to a terrific fire, and checked the 
 Confederates. Then, falling back to the edge of the 
 wood, he prepared to repel a charge. 
 
 While lying here Rosecrans, with some of his staff, 
 rode up and Sheridan joined him, as he rode out to 
 supervise the formation of the new line and encourage 
 the men by his presence. The Confederates, seeing 
 this party of mounted officers, began throwing shell 
 into the group. One of these shot carried away the 
 head of Colonel Garesche, Rosecrans Chief-of-Staff, 
 and killed and wounded two or three more of the 
 party. 
 
 No other attack of any consequence was made dur- 
 ing the afternoon. But the next morning, shortly 
 after daybreak, the Confederates resumed the attack 
 by making a feeble charge on Sheridan's front. The 
 battle, however, was substantially over, and on the 
 night of January 3, 1863, Bragg and his army re- 
 
THE BATTLE OF STONE RIVER n 
 
 treated from Murfreesboro, General Rosecrans oc- 
 cupying the town. 
 
 This battle and its day of trial had demonstrated 
 Sheridan's ability to command, and had given to his 
 officers and men more confidence in their general. 
 That single engagement had also made them veterans. 
 It had been a fierce struggle, indescribable in words, 
 against great odds; but it was a struggle that made 
 history, and which brought Sheridan far to the front 
 as a commander; for he had been tried by fire and 
 had not been found wanting. The terrible ordeal had 
 not dispirited his men, and after the fall of their 
 brigade commanders they had obeyed Sheridan as if 
 on parade. 
 
 While Sheridan exacted faithful service from his 
 officers and men, he was deeply affected by the loss of 
 so many of his brave soldiers. When, after the battle, 
 he reported to General Rosecrans, he said, while tears 
 ran down his face, " This is all there is left of them, 
 General!" 
 
 Of Rosecrans' army more than seven thousand were 
 missing at roll call. Sheridan's effective force at the 
 battle of Stone River was 4154 officers and men. Of 
 that number he lost, in killed, wounded, and missing, 
 1633, — the largest proportional casualties of any 
 battle he ever fought. Rosecrans reported his total 
 loss in killed and wounded to be 8778, while Bragg 
 acknowledged a loss of ten thousand. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 drilling and campaigning (January to 
 September, 1863) 
 
 That war is the science of barbarians was admitted 
 even by a general like Napoleon, and there have been 
 numerous unjust and unnecessary wars. But the war 
 for the Union was a war for national existence and 
 was redeemed from barbarism by self-sacrifice and 
 heroic patriotism, by the devotion of thousands of 
 lives that the nation might live. All men, doubtless, 
 have fear of death and wounds, though a man like 
 Sheridan might say, " My anxiety for the results of a 
 battle overcame my fears." It is not cowardly to be 
 frightened on going into battle, but it is a coward who 
 runs away because he is afraid. 
 
 In the battle which Sheridan had just fought, most 
 of his men were brave and faithful. A few, however, 
 proved cowardly and deserted their flag in face of 
 danger. Such an act imperiled not only victory but 
 the lives of those who were faithful. Among those 
 of Sheridan''s divisions who deserted their colors were 
 four officers. Having fully established the guilt of 
 these men, Sheridan determined to make an example 
 of them. Drawing his soldiers up in a hollow square, 
 with the four deserters in the center, he spoke to the 
 latter as follows: " I will not humiliate any of my 
 
 74 
 
DRILLING AND CAMPAIGNING 75 
 
 brave men by requiring them to touch your dishonored 
 persons or your swords. They are brave men and 
 shall not be polluted by such contact." He then direced 
 his negro servant to take their swords and cut away 
 their buttons and shoulder-straps. Thus disgraced, 
 they were drummed out of camp to the tune of the 
 " Rogues' March," amid contempt and derision. It 
 was a mortifying but necessary spectacle, and it is 
 almost needless to say that after that no man of that 
 division ever deserted his colors. I have no doubt that 
 such disgrace was worse than death to even these 
 cowardly officers. 
 
 Stone River was called by some of the troops " the 
 furnace of affliction." The effects of the victory were 
 encouraging; it strengthened the Emancipation Proc- 
 lamation of President Lincoln, and inspired con- 
 fidence in the triumph of the national cause. 
 
 After this battle the Army of the Cumberland went 
 into winter quarters at Murfreesboro. Here General 
 Rosecrans received and published a dispatch to his 
 army from President Lincoln, saying: " God bless you 
 and all of you. Please tender to all, and accept for 
 yourself, a nation's gratitude for their skill and 
 endurance." General Halleck, as General-in-Chief, 
 also sent a dispatch, saying : " The field of Mur- 
 freesboro is made historical. You have won the 
 gratitude of your country and the admiration of the 
 world. All honor to the Army of the Cumberland." 
 The War Department did not content itself alone with 
 compliments to the Army of the Cumberland and its 
 commander; it sent them all the men available to 
 
?6 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 recruit their ranks. About fourteen thousand under 
 General Granger were sent from Kentucky. 
 
 The battle had been disastrous to the operations of 
 the Confederates in the central South, and to their 
 position in East Tennessee and in the Mississippi 
 Valley, lopping off, as it did, another great section of 
 the Confederacy. 
 
 In his report, Rosecrans did justice to the skill and 
 courage of Sheridan, recommending his promotion to 
 the rank of major-general. He received praise on 
 every side for his part in the battle. Even the Con- 
 federate rank and file, who fought against him, formed 
 a high estimate of his fighting qualities. Many of 
 them did not like General Bragg, who had a habit of 
 shooting his soldiers for small offenses. 
 
 A story is told illustrative of what the Tennesseeans 
 thought of Sheridan's fighting. A " reb " worn out 
 with marching and fighting, and quite discouraged, 
 without shoes, hat, or coat, had at last with a black 
 clay pipe in his mouth for consolation, got astride of a 
 lean mule, when General Bragg and a member of his 
 staff met him on the road and the following conversa- 
 tion is reported to have taken place : 
 
 "Who are you?" inquired the general. 
 
 " Nobody, I reckon," responded the " reb." 
 
 " Where did you come from? " 
 
 " Nowhere at all." 
 
 " Where are you going to? " 
 
 " Doggoned if I can tell." 
 
 "Where do you belong?" 
 
 " Wish you'uns would tell me." 
 
DRILLING AND CAMPAIGNING 77 
 
 "Don't you belong to Bragg's army?" 
 
 " Bragg's army? Bragg? Why, he hain't got no 
 army," replied the " reb," " biggest part of it was 
 chewed up in Kentucky, and the rest, I reckon, was 
 whipped to death by that doggoned little whelp of a 
 Sheridan at Murfreesboro." 
 
 It is said that Bragg rode away without asking any 
 more questions. 
 
 The remainder of the winter was passed in drill, 
 parades, foraging, and reconnaisances, and in build- 
 ing fortifications for the defense of Murfreesboro. 
 My young readers may think that a great general has 
 nothing to do while in camp but wear a fine uniform 
 and ride a horse. But a general has great respon- 
 sibilities; and even when in winter quarters both he 
 and his officers and men are kept constantly busy from 
 morning until night with many duties. 
 
 During this season Sheridan sent his scout, 
 Card, with a party of loyal Tennesseeans to burn the 
 bridges in the Crow Creek Valley. For many weeks 
 these men did not return. Sheridan, becoming very 
 anxious about them, sent a younger brother of Card's 
 who had remained in camp to find out where he was. 
 The boy did not return at the time he was expected, 
 but shortly after Card and his party came into camp. 
 They had crossed the Cumberland Mountains to Crow 
 Creek Valley and had been captured by guerrillas and 
 put into prison as Yankee spies. They had escaped 
 from the prison, crossed the Tennessee River, and, 
 after many hardships and with the help of loyal Ten- 
 nesseeans, had at last reached Murfreesboro again. 
 
78 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Card's first question to Sheridan was, " Where is 
 my brother ? " Sheridan told him that in his anxiety 
 about him he had sent him to make inquiries. When 
 Card heard this he said, with the deepest emotion : 
 " The boy is dead. The guerrillas have killed him- 
 and I am going for them! In spite of Sheridan's 
 persuasions Card soon after left his service to pros- 
 ecute his revenge on those who had killed his 
 brother. The next that Sheridan saw of him, he was 
 at the head of some resolute-looking men who were 
 to make it their work to punish the guerrillas, near 
 his home, who he seemed to know had killed his 
 brother. The lines between loyal and rebel Ten- 
 nesseeans were sharply drawn and but little mercy was 
 shown by either side during the war. 
 
 During the winter the Confederates constantly inter- 
 rupted the communication of the army by breaking 
 the railroad with their cavalry and interfering with 
 supplies on the Cumberland River. In order to supply 
 his army with forage, Sheridan sent out scouts to 
 locate grain, followed by a foraging party to collect 
 it. This collection sometimes had to be done under 
 lire from the enemy's skirmishers. Even on expedi- 
 tions against the Confederates he sometimes took 
 empty wagons to be filled with corn and sent back to 
 Murfreesboro. Illustrative of this was an expedition 
 on the 4th of March. 
 
 Colonel Coburn with cavalry had moved to attack 
 Spring Hill, a place" thirty miles from Nashville. At 
 Thompson Station he had a fight with the entire rebel 
 force under Van Dorn and Forrest, and his whole 
 
DRILLING AND CAMPAIGNING 79 
 
 force surrendered. While this was going on Sheridan 
 was out on a ten days' scout, and had taken with him 
 some empty wagons to be filled with corn. He had 
 with him Minty's cavalry, for the purpose of aiding 
 him in a reconnaissance towards Shelbyville. One 
 regiment was ahead of these empty wagons and the 
 rest of his brigade in the rear. The enemy came out, 
 as he had anticipated, thinking to capture easily the 
 wagons and possibly the regiment. But there was 
 where they got into a trap. Sheridan turned his 
 wagons on to a cross road, when whew! from behind 
 them came his cavalry followed by his whole division ! 
 Thus attacked the Confederates broke and ran in con- 
 fusion and were pursued to the very outposts of 
 Shelbyville. Several wagons and fifty Confederates 
 were captured, and Sheridan's wagons filled with corn 
 almost under the noses of the enemy was sent safely 
 back to Murfreesboro. 
 
 Sheridan than advanced to Spring Hill to make if 
 possible some reprisals for the capture of Coburn and 
 his men. But the Confederates under Van Dorn 
 hastily fell back across Duck Creek, which, being 
 swollen with rain, it was not prudent for him to cross. 
 
 In January Sheridan had received his commission 
 as major-general, and he was naturally much gratified 
 by this recognition of his services ; though it was only 
 about a year previous to this that he thought a colonel's 
 commission " good enough for him." The brigades 
 of his division were commanded as follows : First 
 Brigade, Brigadier W. H. Lytle; Second Brigade, 
 Colonel Bernard Laiboldt; Third Brigade, Colonel 
 
80 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Luther P. Bradley. Three of Sheridan's batteries of 
 artillery were commanded by Captain Hescock. Four 
 of his companies of cavalry by Colonel L. D. Watkins. 
 In addition to these were twelve companies of mounted 
 infantry. 
 
 As spring advanced there was a lull on both sides 
 in the Department of the Cumberland. It was the 
 treacherous calm that precedes a storm. 
 
 A great campaign is sometimes more a trial of wits 
 between the opposing commanders, than a trial by 
 battle. This was true of that which followed, known 
 as the Tullahoma campaign. In June the main part 
 of Bragg's force was north of Duck River. Their 
 front was a series of fortified camps, extending as far 
 as Spring Hill and Columbia on the left and as Mc- 
 Minnville on the right. By a feint, or make-believe 
 movement, Rosecrans made Bragg think that he was 
 about to attack his left wing, and then moved most of 
 his army upon the right of the Confederate line. This 
 turned the flank of Bragg's army and compelled him 
 to fall back to Tullahoma. Bragg, seeing that the 
 game was lost, abandoned the place and was soon in 
 full retreat across the Cumberland Mountains. By 
 this maneuver of Rosecrans', he was driven from 
 middle Tennessee in a campaign that took but eight 
 days. 
 
 Having briefly outlined this general movement, we 
 will now turn to Sheridan's special part in the 
 campaign. When the forward movement, to maneuver 
 Bragg from his strong position was ordered, McCook's 
 corps, of which Sheridan's division formed a part. 
 
DRILLING AND CAMPAIGNING 81 
 
 was under arms before sunrise on June 24. Sher- 
 idan's division started out in a furious rain, march- 
 ing over the Shelbyville road until it it came in sight 
 of the enemy. Though savagely attacked by the Con- 
 federate sharpshooters and artillery, Sheridan obeyed 
 his instructions not to return fire, but halted and 
 bivouacked on both sides of the road. In the morn- 
 ing he marched to the little village of Millersburg, 
 where he encamped for the night, and next day to 
 Hover's Gap, a pass in the hills through which ran 
 the road from Murfreesboro to Tullahoma. 
 
 Here let me explain to my readers that Hover's Gap 
 and Liberty Gap were the keys to the Confederate 
 position which, if possessed by the Union troops, 
 would compel the retreat of the Confederate army. 
 It was by passing through these gaps that the Con- 
 federate position was flanked, as I have just stated. 
 
 After passing through Hover's Gap Sheridan 
 encountered the enemy's cavalry and infantry in small 
 force, and on August 29 he was in front of Tullahoma. 
 Here Rosecrans' whole army was concentrated by the 
 31st. When the Union army reached the fortifications 
 on the 1st of July, the Confederates were gone, leav- 
 ing only a small force to cover or protect their retreat. 
 Sheridan took possession of the town, capturing some 
 prisoners and three siege guns. 
 
 That same evening orders were given to push on 
 after the fleeing enemy. Sheridan pursued with great 
 energy until he reached the Elk River, which he found 
 so swollen with rains that all hope of crossing was 
 abandoned. Not to be baffled by this, he crossed Rock 
 
82 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Creek and marched up the Elk River to cross the creek 
 at a ford of which Card had told him. After a sharp 
 skirmish with the enemy guarding the ford, he 
 stretched a rope across the creek, which was turbulent 
 and swollen with the rains, so that his men, with their 
 ammunition on their shoulders and heads, could steady 
 themselves while crossing and keep their powder dry. 
 Having at last made the crossing, he marched down 
 the left bank of the Elk River, driving the Con- 
 federates from some fortifications and regaining once 
 more the Winchester Road. 
 
 The retreat of Bragg's army from Tullahoma 
 virtually ended this campaign, which gave middle Ten- 
 nessee into the possession of the loyal authorities, 
 again lessening the area of Confederate control. 
 Bragg, after his hasty retreat, concentrated his army 
 at Chattanooga, which is the gateway of the Cumber- 
 land Mountains. He knew that the Union army must 
 make an aggressive campaign to get possession of it; 
 while he could stand on the defensive. To attack him 
 there, Rosecrans would be obliged to cross the Cum- 
 berland Mountains and the Tennessee River. Bragg 
 must hold his position there, as Chattanooga is the 
 key of East Tennessee as well as of Northern Georgia. 
 As will be seen, great efforts were thereafter made by 
 the Confederates to hold this strategic point, even to 
 the reinforcement of Bragg's army by Longstreet's 
 corps from the Army of Northern Virginia and other 
 sources, until it numbered eight-one thousand men. 
 
 Here let me explain that in its general outline the 
 campaigns of the Western armies must not be regarded 
 
DRILLING AND CAMPAIGNING 83 
 
 as isolated movements or battles. They were definite 
 parts of the great general plan to subdue the rebellion 
 and restore the national government over its own ter- 
 ritory. The general movement begun by Grant at 
 Shiloh and closed at Missionary Ridge in 1863 were 
 parts of the plan which preserved Kentucky to the 
 Union, opened the Mississippi River from its source 
 to the Gulf, kept Nashville in the Union possession, 
 opened the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, and, by 
 capturing and holding Chattanooga, opened the gate- 
 way to Georgia through which Sherman marched to 
 Atlanta and the sea. 
 
 In the campaign which I have but faintly mirrored, 
 Sheridan's division did its share of hard, toilsome 
 work. Though not the kind of work which exacted 
 the dogged and stubborn qualities required at Perry- 
 ville and Stone River, it called for clear foresight in 
 dangerous marches, bold tactics, ability to inspire men 
 with patience, courage, and fortitude of a high quality. 
 Sheridan has been thought by those not thoroughly 
 familiar with his wonderful career as a general, to be 
 simply great as a fighter. But he was more than that. 
 His plans for a campaign and his action in great 
 emergencies were governed by a foresight that seemed 
 preternatural. His apparent recklessness at times was 
 based upon carefully calculated plans, which showed 
 him to be not simply a born fighter but a great general. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 the battle of chickamauga (September, 1863) 
 
 National interest was now centered on Rosecrans' 
 army marching to Chattanooga and Grant's army 
 pounding away at the gates of Vicksburg. Grant had 
 expressed fears that if Rosecrans remained inactive, 
 Bragg might reinforce Johnston, who was hovering in 
 his rear, and recruit his army with the purpose of 
 attacking the Union army besieging Vicksburg. 
 Rosecrans, when urged to more activity, had defended 
 himself by declaring that it was against the principles 
 of war to fight two decisive battles at the same time. 
 He further argued that by pushing Bragg's army into 
 Georgia, the Confederates could more easily reinforce 
 Johnston by the use of their interior lines. There are 
 reasons to believe that Sheridan agreed with Rosecrans 
 in these views. 
 
 A part of the purpose of Rosecrans in the Tullahoma 
 campaign was the final possession of Chattanooga, 
 which, as we have already said, was important in the 
 further prosecution of the war. Though urged both 
 by General Halleck and President Lincoln to follow up 
 Bragg's army at once after the Tullahoma campaign, 
 Rosecrans wished first to repair the Nashville and 
 Chattanooga Railroad, which was important for sup- 
 plying his army from Nashville. In his further ad- 
 
 84 
 
L THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA 85 
 
 vance to Chattanoga, Rosecran had before him a dif- 
 ficult task : He must pass the Tennessee River, the 
 wide plateau of Sand Mountain, and the formidable 
 heights of the Lookout range. He executed this opera- 
 tion with a skill and success that places it among the 
 great strategic movements of war. 
 
 Bridgeport on the Tennessee River was selected as 
 a temporary depot of subsistence for the army, and also 
 as one of the places at which to cross the Tennessee. 
 Sheridan was ordered to. take station at Stevenson, 
 Alabama, to protect the railroads that form a junction 
 there, and also to occupy Bridgeport. By the last of 
 August supplies had been accumulated at the latter 
 place, and a forward movement of the army was 
 ordered. 
 
 Assisted by the Michigan engineer corps, Sheridan 
 built two bridges across the Tennessee. Pontoons 
 had been sent to him, but there were not boats enough 
 to span the river. The center of these bridges, where 
 the water was swift and deep, he built on pontoon 
 boats; while the ends, where the water was more 
 shallow, were trestled with logs cut in the adjacent 
 woods. The flooring, or a large part of it, was made 
 from the material taken from near-by barns and other 
 buildings. Sheridan's division crossed on these bridges 
 on the 2d and 3d of September, and marched to Valley 
 Head, the point where McCook corps was ordered to 
 concentrate. Sheridan arrived there on the 10th, 
 climbed Lookout Mountain, encamped on the plateau 
 at Indian Falls, and on the next day marched down 
 the Broomtown valley to Alpine. 
 
86 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Rosecrans had ordered this march under the mis- 
 taken impression that the enemy was retreating from 
 Chattanooga. The scattered, disconnected condition 
 of the army gave great uneasiness to Sheridan, and 
 previous to this he had sent a scout recommended to 
 him by Card, inside of Bragg's lines to learn what 
 was going on there, and also to find out if possible 
 what Bragg's intentions were. The scout had no diffi- 
 culty in getting inside of the enemy's lines; but to get 
 back, with the desired information, was another mat- 
 ter. He was arrested as a Yankee spy and placed un- 
 der guard. He succeeded in escaping one dark night 
 by crawling beyond the sentinels by. imitating the 
 movements and grunts of a hog. He brought back 
 the important information that Bragg intended to 
 fight, and that his army was about to be reinforced 
 by Longstreet's veteran corps from the Army of 
 Northern Virginia. 
 
 By this time it had become apparent to Rosecrans 
 and his commanders that the Confederate movement 
 was not a retreat, as at first had been supposed, but 
 concentration, with the intention of striking the Union 
 army while in its scattered condition and before it 
 could concentrate its dissevered parts. When the error 
 upon which the march had been ordered was per- 
 ceived, the army at once began a retrograde movement 
 with all possible celerity. The part of McCook's corps 
 that had got to the Broomtown valley was ordered to 
 the top of Lookout Mountain. The retrograde move- 
 ment was difficult and exhausting, it being at times 
 necessary to draw the artillery and baggage wagons 
 
THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA 87 
 
 up the steep grades by hand and to let them down by 
 the same process.- 
 
 Bragg, meanwhile, appears to have had a very clear 
 conception of the situation of the Union army. In 
 his report he says, " Thrown off his guard by our 
 rapid movement, apparently in retreat, when in reality 
 we had concentrated opposite his center, and deceived 
 by deserters and others sent into his lines, the enemy 
 pressed on his columns to intercept us, and thus ex- 
 posed himself in detail." 
 
 The three corps of the Union army were from twelve 
 to fifteen miles apart, and were nearer Bragg's com- 
 pact force than each other. This offered to the Con- 
 federate commander an opportunity seldom presented 
 in war, that of striking an enemy whose parts were 
 scattered while his own forces were united and within 
 striking distance. Bragg failed to avail himself fully 
 of this advantage, and by good fortune, rather than 
 design, Rosecrans escaped the greater peril of this 
 situation. 
 
 On the 1 8th of September the two armies were fac- 
 ing each other on the opposite sides of Chickamauga 
 Creek, whose Indian name is said to signify " The 
 River of Death." The battle began at ten o'clock on 
 the morning of the 19th. That my readers may get a 
 clearer understanding of Sheridan's part in it, let me 
 first outline its general phases. 
 
 It was General Bragg's design to crush the Union 
 left and seize the road to Chattanooga. This would 
 not only give him possession of Chattanooga, but 
 Would cut off the Union army from its base of sup- 
 
88 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 plies and defeat it, for an army can go only so far as 
 it can get food and ammunition. From the mountains 
 Bragg could see the movements of the Union army 
 and therefore had the advantage of knowing where 
 best to strike it. During the campaign Bragg had ex- 
 pressed, however, his dissatisfaction with campaign- 
 ing in a mountainous country by saying : " Who can 
 tell what is behind that hill? It is like a plastered 
 house full of rat-holes; the rats are likely to pop out 
 anywhere." 
 
 Thomas held the left of the Union lines, Crittenden 
 the center, and McCook's corps, to which Sheridan's 
 division belonged, the right. 
 
 The Confederates crossed the creek without oppo- 
 sition and attacked the left of the Union army. The 
 battle was fiercely contested. Thomas's lines were 
 forced back by the terrible assault of the Confederates, 
 but stood like a rock, though moved from its base, as 
 solid as ever. On the morning of the 20th the fight 
 was resumed. Bragg's plan was the same as the day 
 before, to crush the left of Rosecrans' army and 
 drive back the center and then, by a wheeling move- 
 ment, throw the right of his own army across the 
 path to Chattanooga. In carrying out this plan he 
 failed, for a lion stood in his path. Though assailed 
 by overwhelming numbers, Thomas still stubbornly 
 and skillfully held all the essential parts of his line. 
 
 The fight might have resulted in a Union victory but 
 for a miswritten and misunderstood order, by which 
 General Wood was made to withdraw from the Union 
 lines at a critical moment. Longstreet, the ablest field 
 
THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA 89 
 
 commander of the Confederates, perceiving the gap 
 thus left open, rushed forward his veteran troops to 
 interpose between the severed lines. The Union 
 center was smashed, and it looked as though the whole 
 army was to be destroyed. But about dark the last 
 charge of the Confederates was repelled with a coun- 
 ter charge and the battle was substantially over. 
 Thomas fell back to Rossville, leaving the enemy in 
 possession of the terrible field, and during the follow- 
 ing day retired to Chattanooga. 
 
 Having briefly outlined the battle, let us turn to 
 Sheridan and portray with more minuteness his part 
 on this terrible field of blood. On the 17th, after the 
 army was virtually concentrated, Sheridan remained 
 in line of battle all day at McLamore's Cove. Here 
 he had some vigorous skirmishing with the enemy, 
 who were demonstrating against him. On the 18th 
 he encamped at Pond Spring, and on the 19th took po- 
 sition in line of battle at Crawford Springs, to protect 
 the right and rear. Here, finding he was in danger of 
 being cut off from the main army, he was directed to 
 hold the ford at Lee and Gordon's Mills on Chicka- 
 mauga Creek, and this brought him again in close 
 contact with the rest of the army. His march to this 
 place was hindered somewhat by the cavalry skirmish- 
 ers of the Confederates on the west side of the creek, 
 who annoyed the right flank of his division on its 
 march. 
 
 On his arrival he found that the enemy with a small 
 force was about to take possession of the ford, which 
 had been left uncovered. Sheridan's men drove the 
 
90 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 enemy back and recovered the ford. Leaving a bri- 
 gade to guard it, he marched with Laiboldt's and Brad- 
 ley's brigades about a mile and a half north, to help 
 Crittenden's corps, whose troops were fighting the 
 enemy. Davis's division had just been defeated and 
 driven back by the enemy along the west banks of the 
 Chickamauga. So savage had been Davis's repulse 
 that one of his batteries of artillery was left behind 
 him when driven back. The contest was still going on 
 when Sheridan, with colors flying and with confident 
 steadiness, charged across an open field, rushed upon 
 the enemy, recovered Davis's batteries, and drove the 
 Confederates back. Laiboldt's brigade had, mean- 
 while, joined in the fight, and, after an ugly contest 
 and with heavy loss, regained the ground which was 
 Davis's original position before being driven back. 
 Bradley was wounded and his loss was heavy, but 
 when the brigade which he had left at the ford re- 
 joined him, he suggested to General Crittenden that 
 a general attack be made on the Confederate lines. 
 But, as his troops had been fighting all day, that gen- 
 eral thought it would not be prudent. 
 
 To counteract the attempt of the enemy to turn the 
 Union left, the movement to the left was continued 
 and Sheridan, by skillfully shifting his brigades from 
 right to left in succession, reached a position near the 
 .Widow Glen's house. After seeing his division settled 
 down on this new line for the night, he rode to head- 
 quarters, where nearly all the general officers of the 
 army were congregated. Here he learned of the fail- 
 ure of the Confederates to drive Thomas from his po- 
 
THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA 91 
 
 sition. It looked gloomy for the morrow, for it was 
 learned that Longstreet with his veteran corps from 
 Lee's army had now arrived to assist Bragg, and that 
 at the dawn of another day the Confederates would 
 greatly outnumber the Union army. As they had 
 barely held their own during the day that was past, 
 this naturally caused anxiety and apprehension for 
 the results of the battle of the coming day. The fore- 
 bodings were intensified by the necessity of moving 
 men to the left in the presence of a foe which was 
 trying to break through the Union lines and wedge a 
 column between the right and left of the moving di- 
 visions. This movement, though contrary to military 
 principles, was demanded by the necessity of protect- 
 ing the left flank of the Union army. Necessity has 
 no rules, and though such a movement is dangerous to 
 an army, it was apparently its only resource of safety. 
 
 When morning dawned, a dense fog obscured the 
 contestants from each other. Rosecrans took advan- 
 tage of this obscurity to re-form the right of the 
 Union army. Sheridan drew back and made a barri- 
 cade of rails and logs behind which to shelter his 
 division, which was isolated from the force on his 
 left. While he remained here undisturbed for several 
 hours, the interval between him and the main army 
 was widening and he sent one of his brigades to fill 
 the gap. But finding that Davis's division was occu- 
 pying the position he had been ordered to take, with 
 his usual forethought he formed the brigade on the 
 crest of a low hill to protect Davis's right flank. 
 
 It was at this time that he was ordered to the assist- 
 
92 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 ance of General Thomas's hard-pressed lines on the 
 extreme left. He moved at a double quick to obey the 
 order. Longstreet's veterans had, however, penetrated 
 the interval left open and disrupted the line into con- 
 fused masses. One of Sheridan's brigades charged 
 through this mass of men, but all in vain, for when a 
 force is struck on its flank it is driven into huddles 
 and cannot fight. The brigade broke and went to the 
 rear in disorder. As the confused and broken regi- 
 ments were falling back, Sheridan re-formed his men 
 under a terrific fire, to stem the tide of defeat that was 
 sweeping the Union columns to destruction and de- 
 feat. But these steady veterans, who had never broken 
 in battle, now, in their turn, received a deadly fire 
 and their formation was shivered into fragments. 
 Sheridan rode among them entreating and ordering 
 them to reform. Under his stimulating presence and 
 at the voice of their popular commander, his men 
 formed in the face of defeat, attacked the enemy, 
 drove them before them, retook the ridge, and cap- 
 tured the colors of the twenty-fourth Alabama. 
 
 But the hill could not be held by this little force, in 
 the face of Longstreet's veterans and overwhelming 
 advantage of numbers and position ; and at last it was 
 yielded and the force driven back with lamentable loss 
 of men and officers, among whom was the loved Gen- 
 eral Lytle, who was killed while leading his brigade. 
 Sheridan reorganized their shattered ranks and once 
 more aligned them in battle order, beyond the Widow 
 Glen house, on some low hills behind a road. 
 
 McCook's and Crittenden's corps were defeated; 
 
THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA 93 
 
 the whole right wing of the Union army was swept 
 away. General Rosencrans, believing that all was 
 lost, was riding behind Sheridan's lines on his way to 
 Chattanoogo, and sent word that he wished to see him ; 
 but Sheridan could not at that critical moment leave 
 his division. 
 
 Sheridan discovered that the Confederates were en- 
 deavoring to cut him off from Chattanooga by driving 
 in between his brigade and the main army. He de- 
 feated this attempt by moving back to the southern 
 face of Missionary Ridge, where he was separated 
 from the rest of the army. From here he marched to 
 Rossville, which he reached two hours before sun- 
 down, bringing with him a long, ammunition train, 
 eight pieces of light artillery, and forty-six caissons, 
 rescued from the wreck of the battle that we have de- 
 scribed. On this way to join Thomas, — which he did 
 at 6 o'clock in the evening, — he captured several of the 
 field hospitals of the Confederates, and then reported 
 the presence of his force to General Thomas, and 
 asked for orders. That old hero said but little, as 
 they sat in the corner of a worm fence, but was of the 
 opinion that it would be useless to attack the enemy 
 that night. 
 
 Notwithstanding that affairs looked critical for the 
 morrow's fight, Sheridan lay on the bare ground and 
 was soon in a deep sleep, from which he did not awake 
 till daylight. Fortunately, the enemy did not attack 
 in the morning; for they, too, had met with terrible 
 losses and their forces were shattered and much dis- 
 organized. This pause in battle gave L Thomas, who 
 
94 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 was commanding the army in the absence of Rose- 
 crans, an opportunity to get the disorganized forces in 
 order. Rosecrans, McCook, and Crittenden were in 
 Chattanooga, and that fact discouraged those who 
 knew it. This caused the army to move back within 
 our lines at Chattanooga, leaving the bloody field of 
 battle to the Confederates. But though the field was 
 theirs, it proved a barren victory, for the Union army 
 held the prize for which the battle was waged, — Chat- 
 tanooga. 
 
 The losses of both armies had been frightful. The 
 total loss of Rosecrans' army was 16,179, of which 
 loss 1656 were killed and 9749 were wounded. 
 Bragg's official report says he lost forty per cent of 
 his army; which makes his killed and wounded over 
 twenty thousand. 
 
 Our hero had acquitted himself with great credit, 
 although he was heard to complain bitterly that he had 
 not got a chance to fight. To almost any one but 
 Sheridan his chance of fighting would have been quite 
 sufficient. 
 
 Sheridan was of the opinion that if Thomas had 
 held on and had attacked the enemy the afternoon 
 when he joined him, the Confederates would have 
 abandoned the field. Undoubtedly, if Sheridan had 
 been in command of the forces on the field, he would 
 have done so and possibly have won a victory for the 
 Union. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 SHERIDAN AT CHATTANOOGA 
 
 On the 22nd of September, 1863, Sheridan, with 
 his division, took position within the strong intrench- 
 ments near the iron works, and under the very shadow 
 of Lookout Mountain, at Chattanooga. The " Gate 
 City " is situated on the Tennessee River, which at 
 this point forms a loop not unlike the letter S. On 
 the land formed by the lower part of this S is the city 
 of Chattanooga, while within the upper part is a 
 promontory known as Moccasin Point. On every side 
 is a grand and mighty landscape, — bold, rugged, and 
 picturesque. Standing in the city and looking across 
 the river and Moccasin Point one sees the Raccoon 
 range of mountains; on the left is Lookout Mountain, 
 whose precipitous banks come down to the level near 
 the river, where Sheridan had his encampment, while 
 in the rear is the famed Missionary Ridge. 
 
 When the Army of the Cumberland had retreated 
 to Chattanooga, the Confederates had slowly followed 
 and, by taking position at Lookout Mountain and at 
 Missionary Ridge and sending their cavalry under 
 Wheeler north of the Tennessee River, had put the 
 town in a state of siege. As Bridgeport was the base 
 of supplies for the Union army, it could get food and 
 forage only by a circuitous route of sixty miles over 
 
 95 
 
96 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 the Cumberland Mountains. This road was difficult, 
 even in good weather, for loaded army wagons, and 
 next to impossible when rains set in. 
 
 The army was soon in a desperate condition; the 
 men, on half rations and those of the worst quality, 
 were hungry and dispirited, while the mules and horses 
 were dying by scores. Exposed to a constant artillery 
 fire from Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, it 
 is not to be wondered at that Rosecrans, a man of 
 genius but not of great persistency, thought it doubt- 
 ful if he would be able to hold the position. 
 
 One of the qualities that endeared Sheridan to his 
 men was that he was constantly looking out for their 
 welfare and comfort. While the men of the other di- 
 visions of the army were suffering for food and their 
 horses and mules were starving and dying, Sheridan, 
 with his usual enterprise and sagacity, managed to 
 provide for his division so that men, horses, and mules 
 were all tolerably well fed. 
 
 As a magnet attracts particles of iron, so the daring 
 spirit of our hero attracted to him men of similar 
 qualities. A troop of Kentucky cavalry attached it- 
 self without authority to his division, and because of 
 the anticipated reorganization of the army had been 
 left undisturbed. Its officers and men were ready for 
 any work that Sheridan might cut out for them to do. 
 Under guidance of the scout Card, Sheridan sent this 
 troop out to obtain supplies for his men. Conducted 
 to the Sequatchie Valley, it hid itself in a secluded spot 
 at the upper part of the valley, and by keeping very 
 quiet and paying for everything they took from the 
 
SHERIDAN AT CHATTANOOGA 
 
 97 
 
 people, they were able to gather and send to camp sup- 
 plies of corn for the animals and food for the soldiers ; 
 also eggs, ducks, chickens, and turkeys abundantly for 
 his officers' mess. Sheridan was thus often able to con- 
 tribute to the mess at headquarters as well as to the 
 messes of friends. In this way he brought his men 
 and animals through the siege in fair condition. 
 
 Sheridan's headquarters was on the grounds of a 
 man who was a devoted loyalist, and from him he 
 gathered valuable information about the country and 
 the condition of the Confederate army. He learned 
 about the roads and people that he might wish to make 
 use of in the future. His ability for gaining informa- 
 tion in this way was itself a kind of genius. 
 
 On October 16, 1863, Rosecrans was succeeded in 
 the command of the Army of the Cumberland by 
 General Thomas. By the same order that relieved 
 Rosecrans, General Grant was assigned to the com- 
 mand of a military district which consolidated three 
 departments, including the Department of the Cum- 
 berland, to be known as " The Department of the 
 Mississippi." In the reorganization of the army that 
 followed, Sheridan's division was enlarged by addi- 
 tional troops. He now had twenty- four regiments in 
 his command, which was henceforth to be known offi- 
 cially as the Second Division of the Fourth Army 
 Corps, — though he had so stamped his personality 
 upon it that it was almost universally known as 
 " Sheridan's division." 
 
 Hooker with two corps had, meanwhile, arrived to 
 reinforce the army, and the prospect began in a meas- 
 
98 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 ure to look more encouraging. On the 19th of Oc- 
 tober Grant arrived at Chattanooga, and a period of 
 activity at once began. 
 
 Grant's first task was to open a direct route to 
 Bridgeport, in order to provision the army. To do 
 this he sent General Hazen to seize Brown's Ferry, at 
 the northern base of Moccasin Point, while Hooker 
 crossed the river at Bridgeport, in open day and in 
 plain sight of the Confederates, and took possession of 
 Lookout Valley. This position meant defeat or vic- 
 tory to the Union army and was not to be held with- 
 out a struggle. To regain possession Bragg planned 
 a night attack, to be executed by Longstreet. 
 
 The attack in the dark was sharp and bitter for a 
 while, but it ended, with a touch of comedy, in a 
 Union victory. Hooker's mules, as if in contempt of 
 Bragg's tactics and as though impelled by military 
 ambition, broke away from their frightened drivers 
 and, with a prodigious clanking of chains and rattling 
 of harness, charged into the Confederate lines! The 
 Confederates, thinking a cavalry charge was coming, 
 took back tracks for the rear. Hooker's men were 
 amused by the performance of the mules and celebrated 
 the event in a parody, one of the verses of which runs 
 like this: 
 
 " Mules to the right of them, 
 Mules to the left of them, 
 Mules all behind them 
 Pawed, neighed, and thundered; 
 Breaking their own confines — 
 Breaking through Longstreet's lines, 
 Testing chivalric spines, 
 Stormed the two hundred." 
 
SHERIDAN AT CHATTANOOGA 99 
 
 The direct route to Bridgeport was established by 
 the 27th of October, and the " Cracker Line," as the 
 men called it, soon gave abundant supplies to the army. 
 The enemy thereafter made no attempt to dispute it. 
 Then followed four weeks of preparation for battle, 
 which would begin as soon as Sherman with the Army 
 of the Tennessee should arrive. 
 
 Bragg, meanwhile, as if in league with fate to give 
 Grant victory, detached Longstreet's corps from his 
 command and sent it to capture or destroy Burnside, 
 whose army Longstreet besieged at Knoxville, Ten- 
 nessee. But Burnside, though a hundred miles from 
 a railroad or his base of supplies, and though his men 
 were suffering for food and his animals starving, yet 
 courageously held the town. Grant was urged to help 
 him, but believed the best way to do so was first to win 
 a victory at Chattanooga. He had raised the siege, 
 but there was still great peril, though Sherman was 
 hastening to his assistance. 
 
 By the 18th of November Grant had made his 
 preparations and issued his instructions to his com- 
 manders. By his plans Sherman was to cross the Ten- 
 nessee and capture the northern part of Missionary 
 Ridge as far as the railroad tunnel. The Army of the 
 Cumberland was to cooperate with him while Hooker 
 held Lookout Mountain on the right. On the 24th 
 Sherman had arrived and crossed the Tennessee River 
 as planned. 
 
 Grant, ever optimistic, thought that Bragg was try- 
 ing to get away, and ordered a strong demonstration 
 to be made on his front. A part in this task was as- 
 
ioo BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 signed to Sheridan. Wood's division made a recon- 
 naissance to an elevation called Orchard Knob, and 
 Sheridan supported or assisted him. 
 
 On the morning of the 23d Wood's and Sheridan's 
 divisions were formed in line, and at two o'clock, at 
 the booming of signal guns, moved out, drove back the 
 rebel pickets, took possession of Orchard Knob and, 
 on a low ridge on its right, threw up a line of rifle- 
 pits and under instructions from General Thomas 
 mounted two pieces of artillery there. Here, subject 
 to some inconvenience by shell from the enemy, they 
 remained until the 25th. The result of the whole 
 movement of Grant's army that day was to secure a 
 line a mile in advance of the one he had occupied the 
 day before. 
 
 On the 24th Sherman attacked the enemy, to capture 
 the north end of Missionary Ridge; and, though he 
 failed in part in this attempt, it led Bragg to weaken 
 his lines on Missionary Ridge, thus making it easier, 
 in the fighting that followed, to capture that position. 
 Hooker, taking advantage of it also, advanced up the 
 north part of Lookout Mountain and, by a picturesque 
 battle, planted the stars and stripes on its crest. " The 
 Battle above the Clouds," as it is called, was a sharp 
 conflict, which gave Hooker a position that he pro- 
 nounced impregnable. 
 
 By the 25th, Grant's army practically formed a con- 
 tinuous line, with the Army of the Cumberland in the 
 center, connecting on the right and left with Sherman 
 and Hooker; while Bragg's entire army was holding 
 the line of Missionary Ridge. In the morning Sher- 
 
SHERIDAN AT CHATTANOOGA 101 
 
 man attemped to gain the high ground near the rail- 
 road tunnel and heavy fighting took place. Sherman 
 did not succeed as well as he anticipated, but the fight- 
 ing served to distract Bragg's attention from other 
 parts of the line. Meanwhile Hooker crossed Chat- 
 tanooga Valley for the purpose of crossing Missionary 
 Ridge near Rossville. 
 
 Early in the day Sheridan was all alive with action. 
 His division had been brought into a high condition 
 of efficiency by constant drill and careful attention to 
 the wants of his men, and was like a keenly tempered 
 and sharpened blade ready to be wielded by one that 
 was its master. His men had confidence in their gen- 
 eral, knowing that he would not lead them into dangers 
 that he was not himself ready to face; that he under- 
 stood the business of war; that in .peril, while exacting 
 much from them, he would be thoughtful of their 
 needs, and that there would be no blundering or throw- 
 ing away of their lives without compensation. Such 
 generals can exact the uttermost from those they com- 
 mand. They advanced, first driving in the Confederate 
 pickets in their front so as to unite the line of battle 
 with that of Wood's Division; and then they awaited 
 orders to carry the first line of intrenchments before 
 them at the foot of Missionary Ridge. While they 
 pause, let us look for a moment at the task before 
 them. The enemy had retired from Lookout Moun- 
 tain during the previous night, burning the bridges and 
 otherwise destroying the roads on which Hooker was 
 to move. They had concentrated their forces for the 
 impending final battle, that was to bring victory or 
 
102 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 defeat. Grant had given orders for the Army of the 
 Cumberland to move to the attack when they should 
 hear the signal guns. His orders were, " As soon as 
 the signal is given, the whole line will advance and you 
 will take what is before you." This order con- 
 templated the capture of the first line of intrenchments 
 at the foot of the ridge, and then a halt to rest and 
 re-form their ranks. 
 
 It was five hundred yards from the foot of the 
 ridge to the summit and the way was broken by gullies, 
 fallen timber, and loose stones rolled from the crest; 
 while from jutting rocks field artillery and riflemen 
 swept the sides with destructive enfilading fire. On 
 the very top of this ridge was a line of strong intrench- 
 ments, well manned with riflemen and cannoneers. 
 Bragg afterwards declared that their position there 
 was so strong that a single line of skirmishers should 
 have been able to defend it. Such was the position that 
 we are about to see Sheridan attack. 
 
 Sheridan was waiting for the signal, with his whole 
 front covered by a heavy line of skirmishers. His left 
 joined Wood's division, and his center faced Bragg's 
 headquarters on the heights above. Before him was 
 an open plain from four to eight hundred yards to the 
 foot of the Ridge. Bragg from the heights above 
 perceived that an attack was about to be made, and as 
 Sheridan saw him moving his men to fill up the gaps 
 and strengthen his line, he became impatient for the 
 signal. He knew that the longer the attack was de- 
 layed the more difficult it became to carry their works; 
 and already, with his keen military sense, he began to 
 
SHERIDAN AT CHATTANOOGA 103 
 
 doubt if it was best to pause at the first line of rifle- 
 pits at the foot of the ridge when he had captured 
 them. While anxiously waiting for the signal, he sent 
 one of his staff to General Granger to inquire if they 
 were to carry the ridge beyond when they had captured 
 the first line of intrenchments at the foot of the 
 heights. It was then four o'clock. 
 
 Before the return of the messenger, six guns boomed 
 out on the still air. It was the signal for attack. 
 Turning to his brigade commanders, Sheridan in his 
 most impressive manner said, " Go for the Ridge ! " 
 Then, riding forward, he placed himself in front of his 
 battle line. The whole line rushed forward upon the 
 enemy's intrenchments, with Sheridan at their head. 
 Shell sputtered, bullets hissed, and solid shot plowed 
 their ranks as, with flying colors, in magnificent array 
 the line swept forward, leaving behind them a trail of 
 dead and wounded. 
 
 They reached the first line of intrenchments, and the 
 Confederates, after a short resistance, threw them- 
 selves in dismay on their faces and the whole line of 
 Sheridan's men rushed over them towards the heights. 
 A thousand prisoners were marched without guards to 
 the rear, and were glad to go, as the intrenchments 
 were then under fire from the crest above. 
 
 While Sheridan was still in the intrenchments, he 
 got word from General Granger that they were to 
 carry only the first line. The aide-de-camp bringing 
 the order had already ordered Wagner's brigade back 
 to the intrenchments. 
 
 Sheridan felt that this was a mistake; he could not 
 
104 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 bear to have his gallant men, who had already begun 
 the ascent, turn back. He was confident that they 
 could take the heights. Riding to the head of Wagner's 
 brigade, he said, " We are going up there, men! " and 
 the advance of five hundred yards to the summit was 
 resumed. 
 
 When Grant, who was watching the attack from 
 Orchard Knob, saw Sheridan's men swarming like bees 
 up the steep heights, he asked, " Who ordered those 
 men up the ridge? " 
 
 " I don't know," said General Thomas, in his cool 
 tones; "I did not." 
 
 " Did you order them up, Granger? " 
 
 "No," replied Granger; "but when those fellows 
 get started the devil can't stop them ! " 
 
 " Ride to Wood and Sheridan," said Grant, " and 
 ask them if they ordered their men up the ridge. Tell 
 them if they can take it, push ahead! " 
 
 " I did not order them up," said Sheridan, and then, 
 with a forceful gesture, exclaimed, " But we are going 
 to take that ridge! " It was an excusable lie, for he 
 knew that the ridge could be better taken then than 
 if delayed. 
 
 The broken ground made it impossible to advance 
 in regular lines of battle. So they advanced as they 
 could, clinging to the steep sides of the mountain, 
 which was swept by missiles of death. There was a 
 rivalry between the brave men, to see whose colors 
 should be farthest advanced. The strongest and most 
 daring were ahead, with the weakest and timid — if 
 there were any such — in the rear. 
 
SHERIDAN AT CHATTANOOGA 105 
 
 Halfway up the heights a second line of intrench- 
 rnents was to be carried; and meanwhile shot, shell, 
 and bullets dropped around them, mowing paths 
 through their ranks; but these were as little heeded as 
 raindrops. They reached the second line. There was 
 a brief conflict, and then, with a desperate rush, they 
 went over the intrenchments. Then, with a shower 
 of bullets and shot smiting their lines, they pushed on 
 in a final rush to the top of the ridge. They faced the 
 hot fire confidently, for was not Sheridan, their loved 
 commander, among them on his steed and exposed to 
 the same danger as themselves? 
 
 Under the fire of deadly sharpshooters the color 
 bearers at the apex of the wedge-shaped masses of men 
 going up the heights, fell all along the sides of the 
 mountain. Each regiment drew toward its flag, while 
 the bullets hissed and the cannon swept their ranks. 
 The Confederates lighted the fuses of the shells and 
 rolled them down on to the advancing column. The 
 enemy that had been driven out of the second parallel 
 was so closely pursued to the summit that the retreating 
 Confederates and the Union flags reached there almost 
 at the same time. Then there was a noisy crackle of 
 musketry, punctuated by booming cannon, and the blue 
 line with its glittering crest of bayonets surged like a 
 mighty wave over the crest, with their gallant com- 
 mander riding at their head. He was the only one on 
 horseback in that charge. Then cheer after cheer rang 
 out, giving assurance of victory to Grant and his staff, 
 anxiously watching at Orchard Knob below. 
 
 Sheridan's whole division had reached the crest on 
 
106 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 a run. The guns at Bragg's headquarters began firing 
 on their somewhat disordered lines, but were soon 
 captured and turned on the retreating enemy. In the 
 valley on the reverse side of the mountain they could 
 see the disorganized Confederate wagon train moving 
 in hurried retreat, mingled confusedly with pieces of 
 artillery, protected in part by a partially organized line 
 of infantry. But Sheridan was not alone, though he 
 had first reached the crest. At six different points 
 Sheridan's and Wood's divisions had broken over the 
 crest of the ridge. The sun had not gone down when 
 Missionary Ridge was in the hands of the Federals. 
 Baird's men reached the ridge just in time to confront 
 a large body of Confederates moving to attack the 
 Union left. 
 
 Mounted on a piece of captured artillery, Sheridan, 
 without stopping for praise or congratulations, began 
 to direct the pursuit of the retreating enemy. He 
 knew that the Confederates were on the run and must 
 be pressed to the utmost to gain the full harvest of the 
 day's work. At a second ridge the Confederates 
 stoutly resisted the pursuit. Sheridan sent two of his 
 regiments to flank the position, and the hill was 
 captured. 
 
 The moon had just come up behind the mountain. 
 That Sheridan had something of the poet as well as 
 the hero in his composition is shown in the fact that 
 after the excitement and fatigue of the day, he could 
 stop to note and admire the beautiful picture presented 
 by the rising moon, magnified by refraction, across 
 whose silver disk the figures of his marching men stood 
 
SHERIDAN AT CHATTANOOGA 107 
 
 out in almost full relief as against a huge medallion. 
 
 He pressed the pursuit, with tireless persistency, 
 until twelve o'clock that night. He knew every stream 
 and road and hill of the country round about, better 
 even than the Confederates themselves, and knew that 
 if he could reach Chattanooga Station with sufficient 
 force he could cut off the Confederate retreat in part 
 and inflict great if not irreparable injury upon the 
 enemy. He was not able to get the needed help, and at 
 twelve o'clock halted his tired men and gave it up. 
 Had he got the support that he called for, he could 
 have struck the retreating Confederates that had been 
 fighting Sherman; for they did not pass the Station 
 until after daylight the next morning. 
 
 When Grant visited his bivouac the following day, 
 Sheridan explained what might have been done had he 
 got help. Grant saw that a great opportunity had been 
 lost. His keen military sense appreciated and doubt- 
 less marked Sheridan as a future commander whom 
 he could trust and use, for Sheridan was a man after 
 Grant's own heart. 
 
 That Sheridan, notwithstanding other claimants, did 
 the better part of the work that brought victory and 
 triumph to the Union standards in the battle of Chat- 
 tanooga, is shown by the fact that his division lost in 
 those fateful moments 123 officers and 1181 men killed 
 or wounded, which was one-third of all the casualties 
 of the battle, including the losses of Sherman. This 
 plainly shows who did the heavy fighting that decided 
 the conflict. Not only was Sheridan's superiority 
 shown in this, but in his clear perception of what should 
 
io8 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 be done after the crest was won. Grant says in his 
 " Memoirs " : " To Sheridan's prompt movements 
 (after the ridge was captured) the Army of the Cum- 
 berland and the nation are indebted for the bulk of the 
 capture of prisoners, artillery, and small arms that day. 
 But for his prompt pursuit, so much in this way would 
 not have been accomplished." 
 
 It was one of the most picturesque and brave attacks 
 made during the entire war, as well as the most daring. 
 It is doubtful if it could have been achieved by any 
 other officer commanding in the army. Sheridan's men 
 knew that he was sharing their dangers, and his 
 presence in the front of battle was more inspiriting at 
 critical moments than any help or reinforcement they 
 could have received. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE 
 
 The loyal people of Tennessee had long been urg- 
 ing President Lincoln to send help to reestablish 
 national authority in that state. He had endeavored 
 to meet their wishes, but conflicting interests did not 
 permit of his doing this at once. The people were 
 intensely loyal, but were unreasonably urgent for that 
 which he had not the immediate power to give. 
 
 On August 1 6, 1863, Burnside with the Ninth Army 
 Corps took possession of Knoxville, Tennessee, with- 
 out opposition, Bragg having at that time withdrawn 
 his troops to assist in fighting Rosecrans. The people, 
 having waited with long-deferred hopes for deliverance 
 from Confederate dominion, welcomed Burnside with 
 extravagant and joyous demonstrations. He should 
 at once have connected his corps with Rosecrans', but 
 made various excuses for not doing so, and finally did 
 not do it at all. 
 
 Longstreet had, as we have seen in the preceding 
 chapter, got orders to lead an expedition against Burn- 
 side. Burnside seems to have been less worried about 
 his own safety than were the authorities at Washing- 
 ton. For as soon as Longstreet had arrived in the 
 vicinity of Knoxville, he sent a dispatch to Grant, 
 proposing to retire gradually before Longstreet and 
 
 109 
 
no BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 thus draw him further away from Chattanooga, in 
 order to assist Grant with his plans. Grant was 
 pleased to see that Burnside had confidence in his own 
 powers, as well as to know that he was able to assist 
 him with his plans. 
 
 Acting on the orders received from Grant, he fell 
 back from Loudon on the 15th, marching towards 
 Knoxville. Longstreet, with great energy, pushed 
 after him, endeavoring to cut him off from Knoxville ; 
 but Burnside by a rapid march prevented this and was 
 soon in that place. He had nearly twelve thousand 
 men, to which force was added a partially organized 
 body of loyal Tennesseeans. Longstreet besieged the 
 place with fifteen thousand veteran troops, an army 
 which, with other additions, soon amounted to twenty 
 thousand men. 
 
 Burnside still held partial communications with the 
 country outside, and the loyal farmers floated supplies 
 on rafts down the Tennessee River for his men and 
 animals. 
 
 There was a considerable time when no news of him 
 was heard in Washington and the President was 
 anxious about him. When Mr. Lincoln was told that 
 firing had been heard at Knoxville, he was hopeful. 
 He said it reminded him of a woman he knew in 
 Illinois who had a large number of children, of whom 
 she took very little care. When she heard one of them 
 bawling she would say, " Thank the Lord there's one 
 of my young ones alive." So long as there was firing 
 heard at Knoxville Burnside was not captured. 
 
 After Grant had put the Confederate army to flight 
 
THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE in 
 
 at Chattanooga by capturing Missionary Ridge, he had 
 ordered Sherman to march to the relief of Knoxville. 
 And the day after that battle Sheridan also was 
 ordered to prepare for a march to the relief of Burn- 
 side. The stores of clothing at Chattanooga were very 
 scanty for refitting his men for such an expedition, 
 and their knapsacks and extra clothing having been 
 left behind before the fight at Murfreesboro, the men 
 were in poor plight for such a march in winter. Their 
 clothing was thin, threadbare, ragged, and ill-fitted for 
 a campaign in the high mountain country of East Ten- 
 nessee. As Sheridan's teams were in good condition, 
 he left them behind to bring clothing for his men, if 
 any should be received at Chattanooga. 
 
 On the 2 1 st of November the Fourth Corps, to 
 which he belonged, began its march. The men carried 
 in their haversacks four days' rations, while a small 
 boat with food supplies steamed up the river, parallel 
 with their march, in order to give further supplies. 
 Sherman, marching at a greater distance from the 
 river, was able to subsist his army on the country. In 
 a few days Sherman joined the right of the Fourth 
 Corps, and the whole force went forward to Knoxville. 
 They arrived at Maysville, December 5, and there 
 learned that Longstreet had, shortly before their 
 arrival, attempted to capture Knoxville by a desperate 
 assault; but meeting with a bloody repulse and great 
 losses, he had raised the siege and marched away on a 
 road leading to Virginia. 
 
 Upon receiving this information Sherman turned 
 and marched back for Chattanooga again; while the 
 
ii2 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Fourth Corps went forward to Knoxville for the pur- 
 pose of pursuing Longstreet. They found that Burn- 
 side's army was not as deficient in food as had been 
 supposed, but that he had cleaned out about all of the 
 supplies in the region around. Sheridan did not cross 
 the Holstein River, but for the purpose of getting sub- 
 sistence for his division from the surrounding country. 
 made his headquarters at Sevierville. The country was 
 so rich in supplies of food and the people so enthusi- 
 astically loyal and glad of their presence, that they 
 soon had such a surplus of food that they could send 
 some to Burnside at Knoxville. 
 
 The people could not do too much for the Union 
 army. Many of the men had been compelled to hide in 
 the mountains or flee the country on account of their 
 Union sentiments, and their wives and daughters who 
 remained were especially grateful for the presence of 
 the division to protect them. Very soon, however, and 
 just as his men had begun thoroughly to enjoy the 
 abundance of supplies and the hearty hospitality of the 
 people, Sheridan was ordered to move his division to 
 Knoxville, as Longstreet was still threatening the place. 
 
 His men were at this time painfully destitute of 
 clothing, especially shoes. In many cases, to protect 
 them from the cold, they had been compelled to make 
 a substitute for shoes from pieces of their blankets. 
 The snow was several inches in depth, and the division 
 had no tents or other shelters except such as they could 
 improvise from their rubber blankets. The cutting 
 mountain winds and the intense cold made the work 
 of campaigning in their destitute condition very hard. 
 
THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE 113 
 
 About five hundred of the men who were without shoes 
 had to be left in Knoxville when the division advanced 
 to pursue Longstreet. Sheridan's great heart was sore 
 over the condition of his brave and faithful men, and 
 he tried his uttermost to provide for them. He had 
 ordered from Chattanooga a train of wagons with 
 supplies, but when it arrived General Foster had taken 
 it and issued it pro rata to the men in Knoxville. 
 This, though just, was hard, and Sheridan thought 
 that if the other generals had exerted themselves they 
 might have provided for their own men. Hoping for 
 better luck next time, Sheridan had another train with 
 supplies brought to Knoxville. This time, before the 
 wagons got into town, the clothing was concealed 
 under hay and other forage, and in that way was 
 brought to his men ; for Sheridan knew that if his men 
 once got the clothing on their backs, it would require 
 a fight to regain it for general distribution. 
 
 On the 15th of January, 1864, Sheridan began an 
 advance for the double purpose of threatening the en- 
 emy and subsisting his men. The other troops of the 
 Fourth Corps crossed the Holstein River on a bridge 
 constructed by the army at Strawberry Plains, while 
 Sheridan's division forded the river above that point. 
 The water was deep and cold, and the ice and snow 
 floating on the surface made fording difficult; but it 
 was at last successfully accomplished, and Sheridan's 
 force reached Dandridge on the 17th. Here Sheridan 
 met with a General Sturgis in command of Cavalry, 
 who was anxious to have him go out with him and see 
 him " whip the rebel cavalry." Sheridan declined the 
 
ii4 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 invitation, as he wished to see to his men when they 
 arrived and select their encampments. He had reached 
 his headquarters in the village, when a messenger came 
 from Sturgis saying that he was driven back by the 
 enemy. It was soon evident that instead of whipping 
 the rebel cavalry the " boot was on the other leg," and 
 Sturgis was having served out to him the punishment 
 that he had promised to give the Confederates. It 
 turned out, however, that the enemy were making a 
 reconnaissance for information rather than for a fight, 
 and they soon began to fall back to the place from 
 whence they had come. 
 
 Meanwhile, General Granger had determined that 
 Dandridge was not a safe position, and decided to 
 withdraw a part of the troops to Strawberry Plains. 
 But before doing this the question of supplying food to 
 his men came up, and it was determined to send the 
 Fourth Corps out for supplies across the French Broad 
 River, if a bridge could be built on which to cross the 
 men. This was undertaken by Sheridan, providing 
 that each division sent to him twenty-five of its wagons 
 with which to build the bridge. When his wagons 
 were got together and unloaded, they were put into 
 position, one after the other, by being drawn into the 
 stream to the other side of the river, the mules un- 
 hitched, and the poles of each wagon fastened under 
 the hind axle of the one in front, and the tailboard let 
 down to span the space between them. But there were 
 not enough wagons to reach across the stream, for the 
 wagons promised by the other division commanders did 
 not come. So, to complete the bridge, Sheridan took 
 
THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE 115 
 
 from his own division all the wagons needed and 
 finished it late in the afternoon. He had begun march- 
 ing one of his brigades over it, when he got word that 
 Longstreet was advancing to attack him. So there he 
 was, with his baggage on the banks of the stream and 
 his wagons in the river. He sent back word of his 
 distressing plight, but could not get help. For, after 
 the project of foraging had been abandoned, no doubt 
 each division commander was too intent on looking out 
 for himself to give him aid. 
 
 Sheridan got orders to fall back, but, determined 
 that he would not abandon his wagons and the supplies 
 that were on the banks of the stream, he threw out a 
 strong force to watch for the Confederates and, with 
 the remainder of his men, went to work and rescued 
 his wagons and baggage. By daylight he had suc- 
 ceeded in saving them without interference from the 
 enemy, Longstreet's real purpose in advancing having 
 been a blind to cover or protect a retreat towards 
 Lynchburg, Virginia. Sheridan then marched to 
 Strawberry Plains and, by taking a shorter route, got 
 there, in spite of his troubles with the bridge, as soon 
 as the rest of the army. He was much distressed, how- 
 ever, when the beef contractor informed him that 
 the enemy had captured his herd of cattle. But 
 he got some comfort when he learned that the cattle 
 were so poor and weak that the rebels could not get 
 them away on their own legs, and had to abandon 
 \them. 
 
 \\ General Foster had now superseded Burnside; but 
 as Foster was suffering from old wounds he had 
 
n6 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 turned the command over to Park who in turn had 
 turned it over to Granger, who tried to unload the 
 burden on Sheridan; but the latter protested, saying 
 it seemed like the small-pox, — catching. This brought 
 Granger to the front at Dandridge. 
 
 About this time General Grant visited Knoxville to 
 view the situation for himself, and to see about open- 
 ing the railroad between Chattanooga and Knoxville, 
 so that supplies could be brought to Knoxville by 
 railway, instead of through the Cumberland Gap by 
 wagons. The railroad had reached Loudon, Ten- 
 nessee, but it took so much time to build a bridge over 
 the Tennessee River that supplies were still scarce and 
 the animals were starving. 
 
 In order to be nearer their base of supplies, and also 
 nearer Chattanooga to assist in case of an attack on 
 that place, Sheridan's division was ordered to move to 
 Loudon. The marches of the winter had been so use- 
 less and exhausting, that the men were as glad as their 
 general to take the road for this point, where they 
 arrived January 27, 1864. The men, with more plenti- 
 ful supplies and with a refit of clothing, became more 
 contented ; and as the term of service of many of them 
 had expired, most of them, in spite of their previous 
 hardships, reenlisted. 
 
 After providing for the refitting and provisioning of 
 his men, Sheridan, who was much run down by hard 
 service, got the first leave of absence that he had re- 
 ceived since entering the army in 1853. He spent a 
 month or more in the North, and returned in better 
 health to his division in March, expecting to participate 
 
THE RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE 117 
 
 in the campaign which he believed would begin with 
 the approach of summer. 
 
 As we all know, General Grant was made Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, on March 12, 1864, and assigned to 
 the command of all the armies of the United States. 
 When Grant reached Washington he made some 
 changes, among others relieving Pleasanton from com- 
 mand of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac and 
 appointing Sheridan to that command. On the 23d of 
 March the latter received the following telegram : 
 
 " Lieutenant-General Grant directs that Major-Gen- 
 eral Sheridan immediately repair to Washington and 
 report to the Adjutant-General of the army. 
 yV. H. Halleck, 
 
 Major-General, Chief -of Staff." 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 SHERIDAN MADE COMMANDER OF CAVALRY IN THE 
 ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 
 
 As you know, the general plan of the war was to 
 besiege the Confederacy on every side, assault it at 
 every possible point and drive in its defenders, and to 
 restore the Federal Government in all territory as fast 
 as it was regained. To this end there were scores 
 and hundreds of battles, great and small, all along the 
 coast from Hampton, Virginia, to Galveston, Texas; 
 along the Mississippi from New Orleans northward 
 and Cairo southward; along the northern boundary 
 from the Mississippi River to the Cumberland Moun- 
 tains and from these mountains around to Hampton 
 again. But of all the great line, no other part was 
 so desperately attacked or so strongly defended as that 
 of the Potomac River. Here the great Army of the 
 Potomac faced the Confederate Army of Northern 
 Virginia. Here were the heaviest brigades, the 
 choicest troops, the best armament, the most trusted 
 officers. Here the breathless interest of the country 
 was centered. Tremendous as were some of the 
 engagements elsewhere, they seemed of minor im- 
 portance beside the campaign on the Potomac, or only 
 important because of the generals that were being tried 
 out there for the great service. 
 
 The reason of this centering of interest was that 
 118 
 
COMMANDER OF CAVALRY 119 
 
 here, less than one hundred miles apart, were the two 
 capitals, Washington and Richmond. You know that 
 in war each side tries to hurt his enemy as much as 
 possible, and one of the worst of hurts is to take his 
 capital. The " capital " is the head of a country, and 
 cutting off the head is liable to kill the victim. This 
 was the reason that the biggest armies and best gen- 
 erals were on the line of the Potomac; and Grant was 
 called from the Army of the West to command here 
 because he had shown himself a better general than 
 any one who had yet held the command. 
 
 In one of his first interviews with President Lincoln, 
 Grant had expressed his dissatisfaction with the 
 cavalry corps. It had done practically nothing but 
 picket and guard duty; while the dashing cavalry of 
 the Confederacy had again and again made long raids 
 in the North and ridden pretty nearly all around our 
 army. The Southern people, having only a few roads 
 and those poor, were used to getting about their coun- 
 try on saddle horses, and so learned to ride about as 
 soon as they learned to walk. The Northern cavalry 
 on the other hand, were not generally experienced 
 riders. 
 
 Grant had said to General Halleck, as well as to 
 President Lincoln, " The cavalry should do its part 
 in the fighting, and we must have the best man possible 
 to command it." 
 
 " Sheridan would be a good man for the place," 
 suggested Halleck. 
 
 " The very man I want," said Grant, with great 
 earnestness. 
 
120 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 " Well, General Grant," said Mr. Lincoln, " you can 
 have any one you want." And so Sheridan was sent 
 for, as we have seen a few pages back. 
 
 Now Sheridan, as an officer in the regular army, 
 was in the infantry; but he was an all round able 
 general. The fault with many of the superior officers 
 was that they could not comprehend big plans and 
 looked upon small things as beneath their attention. 
 Nothing was neither too great nor too small for Sheri- 
 dan. No matter how extensive the theater of war, he 
 set himself to study all its hills, streams, and roads. 
 No matter how many brigades and divisions were en- 
 gaged, he knew where they all were and what they 
 ought to do. And he had the high courage that knew 
 that the bravest thing was always the safest. If a 
 charge was to be made, he inspired his men by going 
 with them into the fight. 
 
 Nothing escaped Sheridan's attention. He knew his 
 men could not march bare-footed, nor fight on empty 
 stomachs, nor keep up brave spirits, without encourage- 
 ment from their officers. And so he saw to it that 
 they were fed and clothed and heartened. If they 
 bivouacked on the bare ground, the lee side of a log 
 made his bed; if the fight was a hard one, he fought 
 beside them. A great army with poor officers is a 
 helpless thing, but even a small army with a great 
 general can do wonders. 
 
 Grant had the great quality of seeing men of action 
 as they really were, and not as others saw them, or as 
 they desired to appear; he was given to believing the 
 evidence of his own eyes, rather than the hearsay of 
 
COMMANDER OF CAVALRY 121 
 
 other people. He had noted Sheridan from the first 
 as a man after his own heart. He had seen him at 
 Missionary Ridge, and was most pleased at his per- 
 sistency in pressing the enemy after the battle and 
 trying to reap the full benefits of that victory. The 
 two men had much in common and easily understood 
 each other. It was said that when Grant spoke of 
 Sheridan, his usually impassive face would light up 
 and his eyes would gleam with enthusiasm. 
 
 Although Sheridan was an infantry officer, yet, up 
 to the time of his coming East to take a part in the 
 Civil War, most of his experience had been with 
 cavalry. When, however, he had been assigned to 
 command a brigade of infantry, and afterwards a 
 division, he worked faithfully and studied hard to 
 master all the requirements of his position. In fact, 
 one great secret of Sheridan's success was his tireless 
 capacity for work. When others slept, he studied and 
 worked, not only for the organization needed for 
 victory, but to look out for little things, neglected by 
 others, and also for the comfort of the brave men who 
 served under him. He selected comfortable and con- 
 venient camping places. If their food was not good, 
 he knew it and remedied it, as though it had been 
 given to him for his use instead of to his men. There 
 was nothing that the quartermaster or commissary 
 could give that he did not obtain for the comfort of 
 his men. Finally, he assured them victory in return 
 for the sacrifice of their lives. Soldiers are willing 
 to give much to a general who does this; for they 
 above all things do not like to see needless and care- 
 
122 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 less sacrifice of lives. Sheridan never threw a life 
 away; he always gave an equivalent for their toil and 
 sacrifice. 
 
 In return for this incessant care his men loved and 
 admired him. When they learned that " Little Phil," 
 as they affectionately called him, was about to leave 
 them, tears stood in the eyes of many rough soldiers 
 that he had commanded. On his part he could not 
 trust himself to a formal parting from those for whom 
 he held the warmest sentiments of esteem and tender 
 affection. 
 
 When he took the train for Chattanooga, his heart 
 was full at the thought that he was about to sunder 
 those ties of comradeship that had been formed amid 
 hardships and battles. The officers and men of his 
 division, however, gathered spontaneously on the sur- 
 rounding hillsides near the station to see him off, with 
 waving of hands and demonstrations of affection. 
 
 When he arrived at Chatanooga and for the first 
 time learned of the new duties that he was required 
 to assume, his heart almost failed him, for he feared 
 that he was not competent to take a position in which 
 so many others had failed. But a soldier cannot 
 choose; he goes where duty calls him — and where he 
 is ordered. Obedience is the first law of military suc- 
 cess, — obedience if need be in the face of death; and 
 in war, among soldiers, the need is often imperative. 
 
 Sheridan knew nothing, or little, of the army in 
 which he was to take a great command, and nothing 
 of the topography of the country in which he was to 
 fight battles. He knew Grant and Halleck, and but 
 
COMMANDER OF CAVALRY 123 
 
 very few other officers of that great army, and saw the 
 necessity of having some one with him who was fa- 
 miliar with the country and who had served with the 
 Army of the Potomac. He took with him as his 
 Chief-of-Staff Captain James W. Forsyth, a personal 
 friend, who had served in that army during the Pe- 
 ninsular Campaign and at Antietam. He also took 
 with him his brother, Captain M. V. Sheridan, who 
 had served as his aide-de-camp all through his career 
 with the armies of the West. 
 
 The general arrived in Washington April 4, 1864. 
 After getting quarters at a hotel, he called on Halleck 
 at the war office. At that time Sheridan was 33 years 
 of age, but looked much younger. He was slight of 
 person, measuring only five feet five inches in height 
 and weighing only one hundred and fifteen pounds. 
 His nerves were like steel and his muscles like whip- 
 cords; his face expressed intense mental concentration 
 and activity. To the ordinary observer he seemed un- 
 gainly on account of his short legs and long body. 
 
 When Halleck presented our hero to Edwin M. 
 Stanton, the Secretary of War, that imperious official 
 looked Sheridan over as though he would estimate his 
 value and read the very secrets of his heart; but his 
 cold, calculating manner gave no indication of whether 
 his impressions were favorable or otherwise. 
 
 After this ordeal was over Sheridan went to the 
 White House with General Halleck to call on the 
 President. Mr. Lincoln received him with both hands 
 extended in welcome, and his haggard, sorrowful, 
 careworn face lit up with a gleam of pleasure, as he 
 
124 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 said : " I hope that you will do all that General Grant 
 thinks you can do. The cavalry has not been of as 
 much service as we could wish." 
 
 " I will do the best I can, sir," said Sheridan, mod- 
 estly, " as I always have." 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Lincoln, thoughtfully, " General 
 Grant and some of the rest of us want to get more out 
 of it than it has so far given; " and then, with a gleam 
 of humor lighting his face, he quoted an oft-repeated 
 phrase, "Who ever saw a dead cavalryman?" But 
 his manner in repeating this stale question implied that 
 he was joking rather than in earnest. 
 
 After getting the order that assigned him to the 
 command of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, 
 Sheridan the next morning presented himself at the 
 headquarters of the army. 
 
 While Sheridan is on his way, let us, for a better 
 understanding of what follows, look at the situation 
 in the East as we have already looked over the achieve- 
 ments of the Army of the West. 
 
 The Army of the Potomac and its antagonist, the 
 Army of Northern Virginia, after three years of war 
 were in about the same relative position as when the 
 war began. In the Peninsular Campaign, when com- 
 manded by McClellan, the Army of the Potomac had 
 advanced up the York Peninsula to within a few miles 
 of Richmond, had fought desperate battles, but finally 
 went back to the line of the Potomac. It then fought 
 the battle of Antietam, driving the rebel army back 
 from invading Maryland. 
 
 Then there was dissatisfaction with McClellan, and 
 
COMMANDER OF CAVALRY 125 
 
 Burnside took command. He fought the dreadful bat- 
 tle of Fredericksburg, and was defeated and had to 
 retreat to the north side of the Rapidan River. Then 
 Hooker took command, fought the battle of Chan- 
 cellorsville, and retreated to the position from whicK 
 his army had started. Then, in the midst of the Get- 
 tysburg campaign, when Lee, commanding the Con- 
 federate army, had invaded Pennsylvania, General 
 Meade had taken command and had achieved a decided 
 victory at Gettysburg, but had failed to follow up the 
 enemy. He was still in command of the Army of the 
 Potomac under General Grant's direction. 
 
 Forts had been secured along the Atlantic coast 
 from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to Pensacola, and 
 footing ground on the coast at Norfolk, Plymouth, 
 Washington, and Newbern; and that was all the real 
 advantage that had been gained. At the time of the 
 arrival of General Sheridan at Grant's headquarters, 
 the Army of the Potomac was on the north bank of the 
 Rapidan River facing its antagonist, the Army of 
 Northern Virginia. The Confederate army was com- 
 manded by Robert E. Lee, who had been educated at 
 West Point and had served under General Scott, but 
 who had left the service of his country to take up arms 
 against it. 
 
 The cavalry of the Union army had hitherto been 
 used in detachments, and not as a united body like 
 other army corps. It had not done much to justify its 
 formation except incidentally; and the expression of 
 derision quoted by Mr. Lincoln, " Who ever saw a dead 
 cavalryman ? " was used by many in the army to ex- 
 
126 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 press the littleness of its achievements. At the time 
 our hero took command, the corps consisted of three 
 divisions and twelve batteries of horse artillery. The 
 first division had three brigades, and was commanded 
 by Brigadier-General Alfred T. A. Torbert, a gradu- 
 ate of West Point and an experienced officer. The 
 second division, made up of two brigades, was com- 
 manded by Brigadier-General David Mc M. Gregg, 
 also a graduate of the Military Academy. The third 
 division, of two brigades, was commanded by Brig- 
 adier-General James H. Wilson, an educated soldier 
 of good reputation, and also a graduate of West 
 Point. Captain Robinson, a veteran soldier of the 
 Mexican War, commanded the artillery. 
 
 Sheridan was not well acquainted with any of these 
 officers, but wisely determined to retain them in their 
 commands. 
 
 All this may seem a little dry to my young readers, 
 but if they will keep these names and organizations in 
 mind it will help them to understand what follows. 
 
 Shortly after his arrival Sheridan reviewed his new 
 command. iThere were several general officers present 
 at this review, among them Generals Meade, Hancock, 
 and Sedgwick. The cavalrymen looked strong and 
 soldierly, but Sheridan's keen eye detected that the 
 horses were thin and had apparently been overworked. 
 On inquiry he learned that they were used for what he 
 considered needless picket duty away out beyond the 
 infantry and artillery camps of the army, where there 
 was scarcely a Confederate soldier in sight. 
 
 He saw at once that this policy diminished the effi- 
 
COMMANDER OF CAVALRY 127 
 
 ciency of the cavalry; for however willing and able 
 the men, they could go only so far as the horses could 
 carry they. He at once determined, if possible, to stop 
 this piecemeal work and to husband the strength of his 
 horses and use them in compact masses against the 
 enemy. 
 
 General Meade, commanding the Army of the Po- 
 tomac under Grant's direction, was an educated sol- 
 dier, and a good one; but under the strain of respon- 
 sibilities he was nervous, cross, and sharp-tempered. 
 Sheridan called to see him, in order to get his permis- 
 sion to carry out the reforms at which we have hinted. 
 
 " General Sheridan ? Oh, yes ; you are to command 
 the cavalry of the army, I believe." 
 
 " Yes, General," replied Sheridan with decision, but 
 respectfully. " As I am to be responsible, there are 
 things that I would like to have done, or undone, to 
 make it more effective." 
 
 "What do you propose?" said Meade, rather 
 sharply. " Our cavalry is very good as it is." 
 
 " In the first place, the horses are out of condition," 
 replied our little general ; " they are too hard worked 
 for any real hard duty." 
 
 " Yes," said General Meade, " but I don't see how 
 that is to be helped while they are doing picket duty 
 and guarding trains and doing other duties required 
 of them." 
 
 " That's just what I want to speak about, General 
 Meade," said Sheridan. " The strength of the horses 
 and of the men is wasted, so it appears to me, in use- 
 less duty. They ought to be kept together, like other 
 
128 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 corps of the army, to whip the enemy and not to do 
 picket duty and guard trains." 
 
 " I do not see how that can be helped," said Meade, 
 rather petulantly. " We must guard our trains and 
 protect the flanks of the army." 
 
 " General Meade," said Sheridan, energetically, " if 
 you will let me use the cavalry as I think best, you will 
 not be troubled about protecting your trains against the 
 enemy's cavalry; I will give them so much to think 
 about that they won't trouble either the trains or the 
 flanks of the army." 
 
 " It has been the custom in our army," said Meade, 
 " to use the cavalry in these duties, and I cannot see 
 that the changes that you propose would make it more 
 efficient, but rather less so." 
 
 " Well, General Meade," said Sheridan, " I have 
 given you my ideas of the way to make it an effective 
 arm of the service for this army. The way they are 
 being used takes the soldierly qualities out of officers 
 and men. They lose confidence in themselves, and 
 everybody else does, too. If I have my way I will 
 give them confidence to meet the enemy and whip 
 them, so they won't have to guard trains or the flanks 
 of the army." 
 
 These ideas of Sheridan's were contrary to Meade's 
 convictions of what should be done, and he gave Sheri- 
 dan slight encouragement that he would give him leave 
 to carry them out. For though large bodies of cavalry 
 had at different times been massed for some special 
 service they were not massed together for duty. Yet 
 his talk with Meade resulted in the cavalry being taken 
 
COMMANDER OF CAVALRY 129 
 
 from its exhausting picket duty; and this gave Sheri- 
 dan about two weeks in which to nurse his horses and 
 get them fit for the work that was required of them 
 in the coming campaign. 
 
 General Meade thought that the commander of his 
 cavalry should be at headquarters to take orders from 
 him, — in fact, a sort of staff officer to receive and exe- 
 cute his commands; while Sheridan, as we have seen, 
 thought he should be with his troops and keep them 
 together to fight the enemy. Our general was obedient, 
 but at the same time persistent that his was the right 
 way to make the cavalry a strong and active arm of the 
 service. 
 
 This was the situation existing between Sheridan 
 and Meade when the campaign of 1864 opened with 
 the terrible Battle of the Wilderness. In the following 
 chapter my readers will see how Sheridan overcame 
 Meade's objections, making the cavalry a strong arm 
 of the service and achieving with it victory that for a 
 time rendered the Confederate cavalry almost useless. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 FIGHTING IN THE WILDERNESS 
 
 The cavalry of the Army of the Potomac had 
 hitherto fought under disadvantages hinted at in the 
 preceding chapter; it had really never had a fair trial. 
 The general who commanded the enemy's cavalry 
 kept his force together and used it as a mechanic 
 uses a hammer, to strike compact, decisive blows. The 
 Union cavalry, on the contrary, had been used piece- 
 meal, in disunited action, so that its blows fell with 
 little more effect in battle than would a handful of 
 sand thrown against the wind. As we have seen, 
 Sheridan had detected this weak and wasteful action, 
 and had sought in his interview, which we have re- 
 corded in the preceding chapter, with General Meade 
 to remedy it. From knowledge that he had gained of 
 the topography of the country, its wooded lands tra- 
 versed by parallel streams, he felt that there would be 
 but little chance for his command to acquit itself with 
 credit. He was, however, loyally determined to do 
 his best to carry out all the plans of his commander. 
 
 The two great armies facing each other were wait- 
 ing for the disappearance of the patches of snow on 
 the mountains, which would proclaim the coming of 
 spring and of firm, dry roads. Both armies were in 
 the highest condition of efficiency; their commanders 
 
 130 
 
FIGHTING IN THE WILDERNESS 131 
 
 were both men tried in many battles. Lee was confi- 
 dent and buoyant ; Grant, dogged and determined. 
 
 The cavalry of Lee's army, commanded by General 
 J. E. B. Stuart, was composed of little more than 
 eight thousand men. It was organized in two divis- 
 ions, commanded by Generals Wade Hampton and 
 Fitzhugh Lee. Hampton's division was composed of 
 three brigades commanded by Generals Gordon, 
 Young, and Rosser ; while Lee's division was also com- 
 posed of three brigades, commanded by Generals 
 Wickham, Lomax, and W. H. F. Lee. 
 
 The two weeks following Sheridan's taking com- 
 mand was a period of ceaseless activity for him. He 
 seemed never to sleep, night or day. He was studying 
 maps; interviewing guides or others who could give 
 him information about fords and roads ; receiving and 
 studying reports of his subordinate officers; and visit- 
 ing his encampments to inform himself of the con- 
 dition of his men and their animals, so as to know and 
 supply their needs. He had, in that short time, gath- 
 ered the reins of control in his hands, and was ready 
 for the supreme task before him. He had no delusions 
 about the magnitude of the work before him; he knew 
 that he was not simply to fight the greatest leader of 
 cavalry of the Confederacy, but must also combat 
 Meade's firmly rooted conceptions as to how cavalry 
 should be used to render it most effective. In this 
 chapter we shall show how Meade finally conceded to 
 him the right to use the cavalry in what he thought was 
 the right way. 
 
 At first there had been the natural feeling among 
 
132 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 the officers and men of his command that an officer 
 might have been selected from home material. But 
 Sheridan's energetic reforms, such as relieving the 
 cavalry from keeping a line of videttes sixty miles in 
 length around the army, besides doing ordinary patrol 
 duty, met with their hearty approval and helped to 
 overcome their objections to a new leader not of them- 
 selves. 
 
 On one occasion he sent one of his staff to order the 
 return of more than a company of his men that, for 
 some time, had been acting as a bodyguard for one of 
 the generals. An attempt was made to get a modifica- 
 tion of the order, but Sheridan was inflexible. He 
 
 said, " Give my compliments to General and say 
 
 I am commanding the cavalry of this army, and I 
 want every one of them ! " 
 
 At last the supreme moment for action arrived. In 
 the darkness of night five bridges were quickly thrown 
 across the Rapidan River, and at midnight, on the 4th 
 of May, the Army of the Potomac moved out from its 
 encampments on its great adventure of arms, — Sheri- 
 dan with two of his divisions leading the way, and 
 Torbett's division guarding its rear. 
 
 Lee's army, behind intrenchments, stretched along 
 the river for nearly twenty miles. It was Grant's plan 
 to move by his left flank and compel him to come out 
 from behind his intrenchments and fight on equal 
 terms. Grant knew that this cross-country route was 
 more difficult than McClellan's peninsular advance, but 
 he believed there were compensating advantages in the 
 case of protecting Washington and of securing new 
 
FIGHTING IN THE WILDERNESS 133 
 
 bases of supply for his army, as he moved along his 
 contemplated march. 
 
 Sheridan, after making details for escort, guard, and 
 other duty, had left him a formidable body of ten thou- 
 sand horsemen. Wilson's division of Sheridan's cav- 
 alry, at the head of Warren's corps of infantry, 
 crossed the Rapidan River at Germania Ford and ar- 
 rived at the Wilderness Tavern on the afternoon of the 
 5th at two o'clock ; while Gregg's division, at the head 
 of Hancock's corps, crossed the Rapidan at Ely's Ford 
 and at ten o'clock in the morning reached Chancellors- 
 ville. Here Sheridan established his headquarters as a 
 convenient point from which to send orders and to re- 
 ceive intelligence from his command. Generals Meade 
 and Grant had, meanwhile, established their headquar- 
 ters at Germania Ford, where Meade was in direct 
 communications with Wilson's cavalry of Sheridan's 
 command. 
 
 So far, Grant's vast army had made its march with 
 perfect success and without battle. It had turned the 
 Confederate flank, and another day's march would 
 bring them out of the tangled wood to open ground 
 west and south of the Wilderness. But, swift as had 
 been the movements of Grant, Lee's were equally swift 
 and decided. When his signal officers gave him intelli- 
 gence of Grant's movement, he at once gathered his 
 army together and hurled it down the turnpike and 
 Plank Road, so that on the morning of the 5th it was 
 ready to strike at the right flank of the moving columns 
 of the Union army. When the quick crackling of 
 musketry informed Grant that the enemy had been 
 
134 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 encountered by Warren's corps, he did not suppose 
 the enemy were in great force before him, but believed 
 that Lee, after his line of defenses had been turned, 
 had put out a force to mask his retreat. 
 
 The " Wilderness " where the fighting was to occur 
 was a very bad place for the Union army. The Con- 
 federates could put their men in position in the tangled 
 woods and then await the coming of the Union 
 columns, who betrayed their approach by the rustling 
 of the bushes as they pushed their way through the low 
 growth of trees entangled by vines and briers. When 
 fighting, the troops could not see from one end of a 
 regiment to the other. Probably no other battle of 
 such magnitude ever took place under such blind con- 
 ditions. It was not long before the crackle of musketry 
 was heard along the line for miles in this colossal 
 sanguinary game of blind man's buff. 
 
 On the morning of May 5, when the Union column 
 had resumed its march, the left under Hancock moved 
 on Shady Grove Church, while Warren, commanding 
 its left, moved to Parker's Store. Sheridan had in- 
 structed Wilson with his cavalry to advance only as far 
 as Parker's Store ; but Meade directed Wilson to leave 
 only one regiment there and to advance with the rest 
 of the division toward Craig's Meeting House. This 
 was the beginning of the conflicting orders between 
 Sheridan and Meade, and such orders are always bad, 
 if not disastrous. Wilson did not know that the Fifth 
 (Warren's) Corps was approaching and, as the Con- 
 federate infantry had now appeared at Parker's Store, 
 his communications with Meade were soon cut off and 
 
FIGHTING IN THE WILDERNESS 135 
 
 he found himself between two forces of the enemy, 
 like meat between two pieces of bread in a sandwich. 
 The situation was alarming; but Wilson extricated 
 himself from it by crossing the Po river and reaching 
 Todd's Tavern. General Meade, discovering that 
 Wilson was in trouble, sent word to Sheridan, to whom 
 this was the first intimation that his orders had been 
 changed by Meade. 
 
 The conflict in the tangled Wilderness on the 5th of 
 May was not so much a battle as it was the sudden 
 grapple of two antagonists meeting each other in a 
 terrible wrestle. It was decreed, however, that a real 
 and desperate battle should take place in these same 
 entagled woods. 
 
 On the morning of the 6th, while Custer's and Dev- 
 ins' brigades of Torbert's division of cavalry w r ere 
 fighting at the Furnaces and had repulsed the Confed- 
 erate attack, Sheridan believed he could hold the line 
 gained. But just then an alarming dispatch from 
 Meade arrived, saying that Hancock's corps of in- 
 fantry was hard pressed by the enemy and that his 
 flank was turned. It proved later that Hancock's 
 flank had not been turned ; but, acting under the orders 
 that he had received, Sheridan drew in all his cavalry 
 near Chancellorsville. When this mistake by Meade 
 was discovered, Sheridan had to fight hard to regain, 
 at a heavy cost in killed and wounded, the position 
 which he had abandoned on account of Meade's mis- 
 take. 
 
 No words can depict the terrible fighting of the two 
 days' Battle of the Wilderness. Both armies met with 
 
136 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 frightful losses, and when the dawn of the third day 
 came to light up the concealing tangle of wood and 
 vines and briers where the dead and wounded lay, 
 neither Grant nor Lee showed any disposition to begin 
 again the fight in an offensive battle. Both armies were 
 shattered and bleeding. When Grant threw out skir- 
 mishers on the 7th, the Confederates were found be- 
 hind their defenses. 
 
 When, on the 7th, Meade ordered his trains to be 
 parked at Piney Branch Church preparatory to the 
 movement ordered by Grant to Spottsylvania Court 
 House, he did not know that place was held by the 
 Confederates. So, as Sheridan could not obey this 
 command on account of the order which Meade gave 
 because of supposed disaster to Hancock he held his 
 cavalry in the vicinity of Aldrich's until the ground 
 where Meade had ordered him to park could be re- 
 gained. The struggle that ensued for its possession 
 brought on the cavalry battle known as Todd's Tavern. 
 t The Confederates had taken this position to prevent 
 Sheridan from pressing the rear of Lee's army as it 
 fell back to a stronger position. It was an obstinate 
 and fluctuating battle ; but finally Sheridan got posses- 
 sion of the crossroad and drove the Confederates be- 
 fore him almost to Spottsylvania Court House. Then, 
 from motives of prudence recalling the pursuit, he en- 
 camped his two divisions near Todd's Tavern in an 
 open field. 
 
 The two days' fighting in the Wilderness was not as 
 decisive a Union success as Grant had hoped it would 
 be, and he determined to make a rapid march and seize 
 
FIGHTING IN THE WILDERNESS 137 
 
 Spottsylvania in order to intercept Lee's communica- 
 tions while preserving his own. So, with this in view, 
 he began a night march of his infantry to Todd's 
 Tavern preparatory to shifting all his infantry to 
 Spottsylvania Court House. To assist in this move- 
 ment Sheridan ordered Gregg and Merritt to march 
 at daylight on the 8th and take possession of Snell's 
 Bridge over the Po River, and also directed Wilson's 
 cavalry to take possession of Spottsylvania as early as 
 possible. Wilson, marching from Alsop's house, got 
 possession of Spottsylvania and drove the Confederate 
 cavalry nearly a mile beyond it. General Meade had, 
 meanwhile, arrived at Todd's Tavern and so modified 
 the orders that Sheridan had issued to Gregg and 
 Merritt as to spoil Sheridan's plan. He ordered Mer- 
 ritt to move out in the van of the infantry column, and 
 in obeying this order the men of Warren's infantry 
 got mingled with his cavalry and were hindered in their 
 march. When Sheridan came up he found General 
 Warren wrathful over the hindrance of his march by 
 the horsemen. 
 
 Sheridan believed that, had his orders not been inter- 
 fered with, it was doubtful whether the bloody battle 
 at Spottsylvania that cost so dearly in human life, 
 would have taken place. When Sheridan, on the morn- 
 ing of the 8th, found that his orders had been med- 
 dled with he protested strongly, but it was too late. 
 The Fifth Corps of infantry advancing to capture the 
 village of Spottsylvania, encountered the enemy and 
 was driven back with heavy losses. 
 
 General Meade, angry at this disaster, which had 
 
138 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 really come about through his own orders, summoned 
 Sheridan to headquarters and complained bitterly to 
 him of the cavalry. In substance this conversation 
 took place : 
 
 " General Sheridan," said Meade, angrily, " the 
 cavalry has crowded the Spottsylvania road so that it 
 prevented Warren's corps from reaching Spottsylvania 
 in season to get possession; and General Warren has 
 complained to me about it." 
 
 " If that is true," said Sheridan, in a low, decided 
 tone, " it is your own fault, General Meade." 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? " said Meade. " You 
 command the cavalry, or pretend to, don't you? " 
 
 " What I mean," said Sheridan, angrily, " is this : 
 by interfering with my orders you have got my 
 cavalry mixed up with Warren's men, stopping their 
 march ; and not only that, but you have broken up my 
 combinations. Such interference will make the cav- 
 alry inefficient and useless before long, in spite of all 
 that I can do." 
 
 Meade was pale with anger, and though Sheridan 
 held his temper he was really as angry, and the 
 wordy disagreement waxed hot until at last Sheridan 
 said: 
 
 " I can whip the Confederate cavalry out of their 
 boots if you will let me; but as you insist on giving 
 orders contrary to mine without consulting or notify- 
 ing me, I will not give the cavalry another order ; you 
 can command it hereafter if you wish to; I will not 
 give it another order ! " 
 
 " What do you mean by that, General Sheridan? " 
 
FIGHTING IN THE WILDERNESS 139 
 
 interrogated Meade, rather cooled by Sheridan's bold 
 attitude. 
 
 " I mean this," replied Sheridan, " that so long as 
 you insist upon giving orders that conflict with mine, 
 you shall be responsible for them ; I will not have them 
 loaded on to me ; I am done ! " 
 
 This ended the interview, and Meade went to Grant 
 with his grievance, telling him what Sheridan had said. 
 
 Grant listened patiently and with imperturbable 
 silence, no doubt thinking both of his subordinates 
 were at fault, and probably fearing that he should lose 
 a valuable cavalry commander by the quarrel. But 
 when Meade repeated Sheridan's saying, that he could 
 whip the rebel cavalry, Grant said, in his quiet but 
 sharp manner, " Did Sheridan say that? " " Yes," re- 
 plied Meade. " Well," said Grant, decidedly, " let him 
 go and do it, then ! " 
 
 General Meade knew this was a command, and soon 
 sent an order to Sheridan, saying : " The major-gen- 
 eral commanding directs you immediately to con- 
 centrate your available mounted forces, and with your 
 ammunition trains and such supply trains as are filled 
 (exclusive of ambulances), proceed against the en- 
 emy's cavalry; and when your supplies are exhausted, 
 proceed via New Market and Green Bay to Haxall's 
 Landing on the James River, there communicating 
 with General Butler and procuring supplies, and re- 
 turn to this army. Your dismounted men will be 
 left with the train here." 
 
 In the following chapter it will be shown how Sher- 
 idan obeyed that order, and the great results of it. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 sheridan's raid around lee 
 
 The order to Sheridan recorded in the preceding 
 chapter was written on the 8th of May, 1864, and re- 
 ceived by him the same day. He also received verbal 
 instructions from Grant himself, which, in addition to 
 the instructions that we have elsewhere given, ordered 
 him to cut the two railroads — one running southwest 
 through Gordonsville, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg, 
 the other to Richmond — and, when compelled to do so, 
 to move on the James River and draw from Butler's 
 supplies. This move would take him past the entire 
 rear of Lee's army. 
 
 In the meantime the great battle of Spottsylvania 
 was impending. Lee had, after the Wilderness fight- 
 ing, withdrawn his army behind a triple line of in- 
 trenchments and intervening thickets against which, on 
 the 9th, Grant had massed his men to overwhelm or de- 
 stroy him. The men of both armies were taking posi- 
 tions for this sanguinary battle when, on the 8th, Sher- 
 idan gave orders for the concentration of his cavalry 
 in preparation for the expedition. 
 
 He sent for his division commanders and to them 
 detailed his plans and instructions, by which he was to 
 move out in rear of the enemy, draw the Confederate 
 cavalry after him, and then fight and defeat them. 
 
 140 
 
SHERIDAN'S RAID AROUND LEE 141 
 
 " I have told General Meade," he said, " that I 
 could whip Stuart's cavalry if he would let me. It 
 was my own proposition, and now we are going to 
 do it! I shall expect success, and nothing else, from 
 you." 
 
 At first this proposition staggered his division com- 
 manders by its boldness ; for it was not only a challenge 
 for battle with the whole Confederate cavalry, but in 
 executing so audacious a movement they would also 
 naturally have to encounter other armed forces thrown 
 out by the enemy. Hitherto, expeditions of mounted 
 men had made raids, but they were simply hurried 
 rides through hostile territory to cut telegraph wires 
 and destroy railroads and bridges, without fighting, ex- 
 cept in self-defense when their way was obstructed or 
 as a measure of protection against pursuit. 
 
 Early the next morning, after receiving orders from 
 Meade and Grant, Sheridan, having made his prepara- 
 tions with lightning rapidity, started out on his great 
 adventure, with Merritt's division in the lead. Each 
 cavalryman carried three days' rations for himself and 
 half a day's ration of grain for his horse. This grand 
 array of horsemen moved out at a walk, the moving 
 column making a formidable appearance. When well 
 closed up in marching order, four abreast, the column 
 was thirteen miles long. According to a Southerner 
 who saw the column moving, it took four hours for it 
 to pass at a tret, a given point. 
 
 The commander of the Confederate cavalry was not 
 long in learning of the movement. In two hours' time 
 it had caught up ; General Stuart had sent Fitzhugh Lee 
 
142 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 with his cavalry to attack Sheridan's force; and Wick- 
 ham's brigade of his division began to harass the rear. 
 At one time, when a section of a New York battery 
 was charged upon by the Confederates, an officer 
 fought his way to the artillery and, placing his hand 
 upon one of the guns, exclaimed imperiously, " This 
 gun is mine! " " Not by a blamed sight! " said the 
 rough cannoneer; and, disdaining to shoot him, 
 knocked him from his horse with his fist and made him 
 prisoner. The men had become imbued with the spirit 
 and confidence of their great commander. 
 
 Stuart had meanwhile directed his whole command 
 to unite the next day at Beaver Dam Station, to resist 
 the audacious raiders. After Merritt's division had 
 passed the North Anna River, the gallant Custer, com- 
 manding one of his brigades, went forward to Beaver 
 Dam Station for the purpose of cutting the Virginia 
 Central Railroad, in order to hinder the Confederate 
 army from getting supplies of ammunition and food. 
 While on his way he encountered a small force of the 
 Confederates, which, with his usual impetuous energy, 
 he speedily drove before him, charged into the Beaver 
 Dam Station, recaptured about four hundred Union 
 prisoners already embarked on the cars for Richmond, 
 destroyed the station and three trains of cars, and two 
 locomotives, ninety wagons, eight miles or more of 
 railroad, besides telegraph lines, and two hundred 
 thousand pounds of bacon, with a large quantity of 
 medical stores intended for Lee's army. Also a large 
 quantity of small arms were gathered from the battle- 
 field. The reader can well understand how glad the 
 
SHERIDAN'S RAID AROUND LEE 143 
 
 Union prisoners were to be liberated, and how they 
 cheered again and again and rejoiced at their de- 
 liverance. Here, in sight of burning buildings and 
 blazing cars, the main body of Sheridan's cavalry 
 rested for the night; though not without interruption, 
 for the skirmishers of the enemy buzzed around them 
 like angry hornets disturbed in their nests. 
 
 By the morning of the 10th a few shell, thrown into 
 the camp of Gregg's division, showed that the enemy's 
 cavalry had concentrated a large force there. The 
 quick pop, pop, pop of carbines and muskets began 
 to sound like firecrackers at a Fourth-of-July celebra- 
 tion, as brisk skirmishing took place. The march was 
 soon resumed to Ground Squirrel Bridge across the 
 North Anna River. 
 
 Stuart, discovering that he had made a mistake in 
 concentrating his cavalry at Beaver Dam Station, be- 
 gan to make great efforts to retrieve the error by try- 
 ing to get between Sheridan and Richmond. He 
 finally reached Yellow Tavern, six miles from that 
 city, on the morning of the nth of May. 
 
 Sheridan had confused the rebel leader by his baf- 
 fling tactics and, unmolested, reached the South bank 
 of the North Anna River near Ground Squirrel 
 Bridge, got a good night's rest for his men and horses, 
 and was able to start them the next morning with fresh 
 courage. From here he sent Davis's brigade to destroy 
 the track of the Fredricksburg Railroad at Ashland. 
 In moving there Davis had a severe fight with the 
 Virginia cavalry, but succeeded in destroying bridges 
 and trestles and miles of railroad track, besides a 
 
144 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 number of cars. This movement further deceived and 
 mystified the enemy as to Sheridan's intentions. 
 
 The appearance of Davis's brigade at Ashland threw 
 Stuart into a state of uncertainty again, and he made 
 the mistake of dividing his forces for the purpose of 
 harassing Sheridan's rear. This enabled the Union 
 commander to concentrate almost his entire corps on 
 Stuart at Yellow Tavern, while a small rearguard 
 fought and amused the pursuers of Davis. 
 
 Merritt, who was made aware of the presence of 
 the Confederates on the Ashland and Richmond road 
 as he neared the Brook turnpike, hurried forward to 
 attack them. He got possession of the turnpike and 
 drove the Confederates back several hundred yards 
 east of it. Then Sheridan sent Wilson, with an 
 additional brigade, to form for battle on the east side 
 of the road. The desperate but confident Confederates 
 opened a heavy fire from their cavalry; while their 
 artillery swept the Brook road with an enfilading fire, 
 making it uncomfortably hot for the Union cavalry. 
 
 At this, Sheridan sent the gallant Custer, supported 
 by Chapman's brigade, to charge the left of the enemy. 
 At a walk Custer began the advance, then quickened 
 his pace to a trot, and then to a run. With his long 
 hair streaming like a signal to his men, at full speed, 
 with clanking of sabers and clattering of hoofs, Custer 
 in the lead rushed like a whirlwind upon the foe, with 
 Sheridan's dismounted men following. This broke the 
 Confederate left and drove his center and right in rout 
 from the field. The Confederate grip was broken and 
 the battle of Yellow Tavern was won. 
 
SHERIDAN'S RAID AROUND LEE 145 
 
 It was at this moment that the daring and beloved 
 Confederate cavalry leader, Stuart, fell mortally 
 wounded in the thick of the fray. This loss of this 
 knightly officer was, to the Confederates, perhaps, a 
 greater loss than that of the battle itself. They could 
 get new men and new horses but never again such a 
 cavalry leader as Stuart. Though Sheridan had de- 
 feated him, he admired this great leader who had 
 hitherto fought so bravely and skillfully. But Stuart 
 had met, at last, a foeman worthy of his steel, — one 
 as daring as himself and as fervently in love with his 
 own cause. 
 
 During this battle Sheridan was among his men 
 wherever the fight was fiercest, urging, inspiring, and 
 encouraging them. His men and their commanders 
 fought the more bravely, because they knew they had 
 at last a general who was thoughtful for them, and 
 who required from them no exposure to danger that 
 he was not willing if need be to take upon himself. 
 
 Though Sheridan had inflicted a terrible, almost 
 irreparable, defeat upon his antagonists, yet he had 
 not annihilated them. One part retreated toward 
 Richmond and the other towards Ashland. Sheridan 
 knew that the intelligence of his presence near the' 
 Confederate capital was known there and that the 
 greatest efforts would be made to get together forces 
 for his defeat. 
 
 After the battle that we have described, Sheridan 
 sent out a reconnoitering force on the Brook turnpike. 
 With their commander following, this force dashed 
 across the South fork of the Chickahominy. It had 
 
146 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 been raining, and the roads were hard to travel; for 
 Virginia roads are unequaled for the quality as well 
 as quantity of mud that can be produced with but 
 little rain for mixing. The enemy were followed into 
 the exterior fortifications of Richmond. Here Sher- 
 idan found a road between the two lines of works of 
 the outer defenses, by which he thought he might 
 reach the South side of the Chickahominy and encamp 
 the next night at Fair Oaks. The colored people had 
 told him that General Butler had reached a point 
 within about three miles of Richmond, and he thought 
 if he could get through on this road, it would not only 
 shorten the way to Haxall's, but he might help Butler. 
 (But this information of Butler's position was after- 
 wards found to be incorrect.) So, after caring for 
 the wounded, about eleven o'clock that night he began 
 the march and massed his cavalry by daylight on the 
 1 2th south of Meadow Bridge. 
 
 This march during the night was at times in such 
 total darkness that a bugler on a white horse in rear 
 of the regiment in front was required to lead each 
 regiment. At some places that night the darkness 
 was lighted up by vivid flames of exploding torpedoes 
 that had been planted on the road. These were loaded 
 shell so fixed to a wire, that when struck by the 
 horses' feet they were exploded. Sheridan learned 
 from some prisoners whom he had set to work to re- 
 move them, that these torpedoes had been planted 
 there by the owner of one of the neighboring houses. 
 He therefore ordered them conveyed to the cellar of 
 the house, with arrangements to explode them if the 
 
SHERIDAN'S RAID AROUND LEE 147 
 
 enemy's cavalry came that way, while the owner and 
 his family were held until it was light. 
 
 At one time a portion of his artillery was guided to 
 a place by a man wearing the uniform of a Union 
 soldier. He led them into ambush on the grounds 
 of a near-by residence, where they were met by a blaze 
 of musketry from concealed enemies. The man who 
 had led them into this trap was shot without cere- 
 mony. 
 
 Richmond was meanwhile greatly frightened and 
 excited, for it was believed that the city was Sheridan's 
 objective. Three brigades of veteran soldiers were 
 hurried up from in front of the Union forces com- 
 manded by General Butler, which, with about five 
 thousand irregular troops in the city, made quite a 
 formidable force. 
 
 When, on the 12th, Wilson's division of Sheridan's 
 command had reached the Mechanicsville Pike, they 
 encountered the Confederate works and batteries 
 manned by Bragg's soldiers. Sheridan thought it was 
 not wise to attempt to pass to Fair Oaks between the 
 enemy's intrenchments and the Chickahominy, and 
 Custer was instructed to attempt a crossing of that 
 river at Meadow Bridge. When Custer reached there 
 he found that the bridge had been destroyed, and that 
 the Confederate cavalry was on the other side. On 
 learning this, Sheridan ordered the whole of Merritt's 
 division to repair the bridge. 
 
 The Confederates kept up an annoying fire, sweep- 
 ing the bridge with artillery and with musketry. 
 When at last Merritt was able to send over two regi- 
 
148 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 ments to drive them away, they were repulsed by the 
 enemy, who had intrenched behind logs and rails. The 
 construction of the bridge, however, was continued 
 and, when finished, the rebels were driven out and 
 went scampering toward Gaines's Mill. 
 
 While the foregoing incidents were taking place, 
 the situation of Gregg and Wilson before the defenses 
 of Richmond looked bad. They were within a line of 
 the Confederate defenses and threatened on all sides. 
 South of them, within the garrison of Richmond, was 
 an unknown force; on the east, Merritt was fighting 
 for the bridge, while on the north Gregg was fighting 
 to hold off Gordon's cavalry. It certainly looked like 
 a trap, with the Union cavalry on the inside and the 
 Confederate cat watching outside. 
 
 In this emergency a veteran artillery officer was 
 sending his caissons towards the bridge, as that looked 
 to be the only avenue of escape in case of the disaster 
 which seemed impending. Just then Sheridan rode 
 up, saw what was going on, and laughingly inquired, 
 " What are you doing with those caissons? " 
 
 " It looks to me," said the veteran, " as though we 
 were in a mighty tight fix." 
 
 " A tight fix ! " exclaimed Sheridan. " Why, there 
 is nothing before you but department clerks from 
 Richmond, and they are trembling in their boots! I 
 can take the city if I want to, but I could not hold it; 
 so what would be the use? Send back your caissons, 
 we are going to stay here for a while. Take it easy, 
 men!" 
 
 Sheridan had sent out some of his men to find fords. 
 
SHERIDAN'S RAID AROUND LEE 149 
 
 They were found, but Sheridan did not care to use 
 them except in an emergency. 
 
 While Merritt was building the bridge, the Con- 
 federates from Richmond advanced from behind their 
 works and attacked Gregg and Wilson. But Gregg 
 had prepared a surprise for them. He had placed 
 some of his dismounted men among the bushes of a 
 ravine, and when the enemy with a great deal of 
 pomp and display had reached the right spot, these 
 men opened lire with their repeating carbines. At the 
 same time the horse artillery belched shot and shell 
 into their ranks, causing this imposing force to 
 scamper back the way they came, but not with the 
 same confidence. It was said that this attack took 
 place under the eye of Jefferson Davis. 
 
 Sheridan in thus accepting battle under circum- 
 stances that would have appalled a less cool, courage- 
 ous, and confident soldier, showed here the same con- 
 fident spirit that was afterwards seen at Winchester. 
 After the defeat and discomfiture of the enemy, he re- 
 mained on the battlefield all day undisturbed, burying 
 the dead, caring for the wounded, and reading the 
 Richmond papers. 
 
 Two small boys from Richmond came into the 
 Union lines to sell newspapers. They were sharp little 
 fellows, and Sheridan, believing that they might have 
 other views than simply selling their papers, kept them 
 until his cavalry were across the Chickahominy and 
 then let them go. 
 
 The purpose of the expedition now having been 
 mostly accomplished, he joined Wilson and went into 
 
150 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 camp near Gaines's Mill. The march was then re- 
 sumed, and on the 14th of May he reached James 
 River with all his wounded and a large number of 
 prisoners. These were turned over to General Butler, 
 his wounded being nursed and cared for by Butler's 
 surgeons and nurses. By the 1 7th he had refitted and 
 provisioned his troops and started on his return march, 
 crossing the Chickahominy at Jones's Bridge. He did 
 not know where the Army of the Potomac was at this 
 time, and the problem of reaching it again was some- 
 what preplexing. He knew that reinforcements from 
 the south had reached Richmond, and that these might 
 be used to intercept his march. He sent to Fort 
 Monroe for a pontoon bridge on which to cross the 
 Pamunkey River, and then sent Gregg and Wilson 
 with their divisions to destroy a railroad bridge over 
 the South Anna River at Cold Harbor. 
 
 Finding that the railroad bridge near White House 
 Landing had been only partially destroyed, he recon- 
 structed it. He got the material for this by sending 
 out his men, who each brought back a board or plank 
 for flooring, and in one day it was ready for use. 
 On the 22d the forces that he had sent out under 
 Gregg, Wilson, and Custer had returned, and then the 
 whole command crossed the river on the reconstructed 
 bridge, and rejoined the Army of the Potomac at 
 Chesterfield Station, on the 24th of May. 
 
 Sheridan had accomplished all, and more, than he 
 had promised. In the fifteen days of his absence he 
 had destroyed railroads, bridges, and munitions of 
 war, and had helped Grant's army by so disconcerting 
 
SHERIDAN'S RAID AROUND LEE 151 
 
 Lee that he was forced to make a retrograde march, 
 thus enabling the Union army to move its great trains 
 unmolested by the enemy. He had, moreover, inflicted 
 an almost irreparable defeat on the enemy's cavalry. 
 The loss of Stuart, its commander, was a terrible blow 
 for Lee, who said, " I can scarcely think of him with- 
 out weeping." 
 
 Grant and Meade were profoundly satisfied with 
 what Sheridan had accomplished; while he, on his 
 part, had demonstrated the correctness of his views in 
 regard to the use of the cavalry, so that there were no 
 more disagreements with Meade as to the proper 
 method of its management. During this expedition, 
 with clear insight of his surroundings in the midst of 
 dangers and uncertainties that shook strong hearts, 
 Sheridan showed that spirit of undaunted courage and 
 confidence which marks a great leader of men. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE FIGHT FOR COLD HARBOR 
 
 When Sheridan again joined the Army of the 
 Potomac, the twelve days' terrible conflict that had 
 centered around Cold Harbor had been fought and 
 Grant, by a series of complicated movements, was 
 swinging his great army across the North Anna River. 
 
 Both armies were disappointed at the results of the 
 fighting since Grant had crossed the Rapidan River. 
 The Confederates who had been accustomed to see the 
 Army of the Potomac fall back after every indecisive 
 battle, had hoped, or expected, that Grant would fol- 
 low the example of its former commanders. But 
 Grant was not the kind of general to turn back and go 
 home after an uncertain conflict. He was, however, 
 disappointed at not gaining greater results; for the 
 twelve days' battle before Spottsylvania convinced him 
 that the position of Lee, as defended, was impregnable; 
 and that to deal his antagonist a crushing blow he must 
 adopt other tactics. It was, however, significant to his 
 mind, that Lee no longer cared to come out from be- 
 hind his defenses and give battle on equal terms. 
 
 Baffled in his earlier purpose, Grant now began a 
 turning movement by a flank march to the left. 
 Wilson's division of Sheridan's cavalry was sent to the 
 right flank of the army to shield and protect the 
 
 152 
 
THE FIGHT FOR COLD HARBOR 153 
 
 infantry, and to hold the fords left behind on its 
 march south. 
 
 While Wilson was thus engaged, Sheridan, with 
 [Torbett's and Gregg's division, shielded the crossing 
 of the army over the Pamunkey River, near Hanover 
 Town. To do this in the face of a vigilant enemy was 
 (difficult, for if the Confederates knew where the Army 
 of the Potomac was to make the crossing they could 
 gather such a force on the opposite side as to make it 
 impossible to cross without a battle. My readers may 
 be interested to know how the Union army was 
 shielded, or covered, and the enemy deceived, so as to 
 make the crossing of this great army possible and 
 easy. 
 
 Sheridan sent Torbett's division to Taylor's Ford 
 and Gregg to Hanover Town Ford, and these were 
 followed by Russell's division of infantry. At these 
 points they made a great parade as though about to 
 make a crossing there. Then, when night came, leav- 
 ing a small force still to guard these fords, they 
 marched back to Hanover Town and, after driving 
 away about a hundred of the enemy's cavalry, the 
 crossing was successfully made, and by the 28th the 
 whole army was on the south bank of the Pamunkey 
 River. 
 
 After this, General Grant, being very uncertain 
 where Lee's army was and what it was doing, asked 
 Sheridan to find out by making a reconnaissance. 
 With this in view Sheridan sent Gregg's division to 
 Haws' Shop, and when about a mile beyond he found 
 the Confederate cavalry behind a breastwork of rails, 
 
154 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 logs, and earth. As soon as possible Gregg dis- 
 mounted his men and attacked. The fight was very 
 sharp and stubborn, for he had encountered the two 
 cavalry divisions of Hampton's and Fitzhugh Lee's, 
 and also Butler's brigade of South Carolina mounted 
 troops armed with long-range rifles. The fight con- 
 tinued until late in the evening. Sheridan sent Custer 
 to help Gregg; and after a desperate fight they cap- 
 tured several parts of the enemy's intrenchments. 
 But the Confederates still persisted in fighting for the 
 position, since Lee desired to hold it to protect the 
 roads to Richmond, while he marched his army to the 
 Tolopotomy River. 
 
 Grant having, meanwhile, discovered the value of 
 this place as a protection to his new base of supplies 
 at the White House, and also as a direct route to 
 Cold Harbor, was equally desirous to possess it, and 
 therefore an obstinate effort was made by both the 
 Confederates, and the Union troops under Sheridan. 
 Finally, late in the evening, Custer on foot formed in 
 rear of Gregg's division and attacked the enemy 
 through an opening which had been made near the 
 center, while the other two brigades attacked and 
 captured their intrenchments. 
 
 The Confederates, seeing they were beaten, re- 
 treated, leaving their dead and wounded in the hands 
 of the Union troops, and also a number of prisoners, 
 from whom it was learned that Longstreet's and 
 Ewell's corps were but a few miles in the rear. The 
 battle was a severe one, and took place almost in 
 sight of some of the Union infantry that were throw- 
 
THE FIGHT FOR COLD HARBOR 155 
 
 ing up intrenchments to hold the place. The Con- 
 federate five brigades outnumbered Sheridan's three 
 brigades, and he thought that he should have been 
 assisted by the infantry close at hand. This action 
 not only gave Grant the crossroads at this point, but 
 also revealed to him the fact that Lee was moving his 
 army by the right flank and still interposing between 
 him and James River. 
 
 This will illustrate to my readers that when a gen- 
 eral cannot gain information of his enemy's purpose 
 in any other way, he has to fight to get it. 
 
 After the battle, waiting only to bury his dead, 
 Sheridan marched all night, reaching a place called Old 
 Church in the morning. Here, pushing his pickets to- 
 wards Cold Harbor, he discovered that the Con- 
 federates were occupying it with a considerable force. 
 Grant realized that it was necessary to occupy Cold 
 Harbor, not only to secure his communications with 
 the supplies at White House, but also to disguise the 
 fact that his troops were marching towards James 
 River. It was also a point from which many roads 
 radiated, not only to different crossings of the Chicka- 
 hominy River, which were absolutely indispensable 
 to Grant, but to other important points. The Con- 
 federates also realized its importance, as by its pos- 
 session they constantly endangered Grant's trains as 
 they passed to and from the White House conveying 
 supplies to the Union army. 
 
 When Sheridan, from his position at Old Church, 
 discovered the Confederates at Cold Harbor, some 
 sharp fighting took place, each side dismounting and 
 
156 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 stubbornly contesting the ground. Finally Sheridan 
 sent Merritt's and Custer's brigades into the fight, 
 when the enemy fell back and were pursued within a 
 mile of Cold Harbor, on the Old Church road. 
 
 On the morning of the 31st, in conference with 
 Torbett and Custer, Sheridan formed a plan to capture 
 Cold Harbor. With this in view he sent Merritt's and 
 Custer's brigades on the road direct to Cold Harbor, 
 while Devens's brigade was sent by a road at the left 
 to get in rear of the enemy's lines. When the whole 
 division got into line it was confronted by Fitzhugh 
 Lee's cavalry, supported by an infantry brigade, be- 
 hind an improvised breastwork of logs, rails, and 
 earth. These opened a heavy fire at once upon Sher- 
 idan's cavalry, and it seemed impossible to dislodge 
 them from the position, for Gregg's division had not 
 arrived. The fight went on with varying success for 
 a while, when Merritt, with the First and Second 
 Cavalry, got around the Confederate left flank and 
 attacked his rear, while the remainder of the division 
 attacked them in front. Exposed to a fire in front and 
 rear, the Confederates broke and retreated, and Sher- 
 idan was in possession of their works. He then moved 
 forward on the Bottom Bridge road, and Cold Harbor 
 was in his possession. 
 
 He at once sent word to Meade that he had captured 
 Cold Haror, but could not hold it, as the Confederate 
 infantry, under Hoke, were marching on that point. 
 During the night he withdrew his division, but was 
 scarcely on the road before he got word from Gen- 
 eral Meade to hold the place at all hazard. He at 
 
THE FIGHT FOR COLD HARBOR 157 
 
 once reversed his march and, before the enemy had 
 discovered his absence, again reoccupied the place. 
 His men at once availed themselves of the breastworks 
 of logs and rails built by the Confederates, reversed 
 them in some places, strengthened them in others, or 
 moved them so as to take advantage of the ground. 
 When these intrenchments were made as strong as 
 circumstances would permit, the ammunition boxes 
 were taken from the carriages and ranged conveniently 
 for supplying ammunition to the force along the 
 breastworks. The men took their places and word 
 was passed along that the place must be held. 
 
 Before daylight Kershaw's division of Confederate 
 infantry marched up with confident step and began an 
 attempt to drive them out by moving against Sher- 
 idan's right flank from Bethesda Church. They were 
 confident because they knew that the force holding the 
 position they were about to assail was " nothing but 
 cavalry." Their confidence was misplaced, for Sher- 
 idan, a host in himself, was behind the frail barricade, 
 directing the fight. He instructed his men to hold their 
 fire until the Confederates were close up to the in- 
 trenchments; then an awful fire from his horse 
 artillery and repeating carbines made the enemy break 
 in confusion, leaving their dead and wounded to mark 
 the terrible repulse they had received. Again they 
 tried to take the position, but with less confidence, and 
 were easily driven back. After this second repulse 
 Sheridan was left undisturbed, and he sent the follow- 
 ing dispatch to army headquarters, dated June 1st, 
 9 A. M. : 
 
158 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 " General : In obedience to your instructions I am 
 holding Cold Harbor. I have captured this morning 
 more prisoners; they belong to three different infantry 
 brigades. The enemy assaulted the right of my line 
 this morning, but were handsomely repulsed. I have 
 been very apprehensive, but General Wright is now 
 coming up." 
 
 About ten o'clock in the morning the Sixth Corps 
 relieved Sheridan, who then sent out Torbett and 
 Davis to cover the left of the infantry, where they re- 
 mained until, in the afternoon, Hancock's corps took 
 their place. Then he took a position on the north side 
 of the Chickahominy River near Bottom Bridge, where 
 he remained until June 6. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 BREAKING LEE'S COMMUNICATIONS 
 
 While Sheridan was resting his cavalry at Bottom 
 Bridge, the battle of Cold Harbor had been fought by 
 Grant. This assault, which was made on Lee's in- 
 trenched lines June 3, 1864, was Grant's one great 
 mistake. He lost at this time nearly six thousand of 
 the flower of his army, — seasoned veterans who could 
 not be replaced by raw recruits. In his " memoirs " 
 Grant deals himself this severe criticism: " I have al- 
 ways regretted that that last assault at Cold Harbor 
 was ever made. . . . No advantage whatever was 
 gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained." 
 In agreeing with this candid acknowledgment, we are 
 apt to lose sight of his motives for fighting that battle. 
 Both the right and left wings of Lee's army were 
 practically unassailable, and it was contrary to Grant's 
 resolute nature to go to the south side of James River 
 without one more attempt to destroy Lee's army north 
 of Richmond. He knew that the task was difficult; it 
 proved to be impossible. 
 
 When convinced of this, Grant determined to con- 
 tinue the turning movement to the south side of James 
 River. This movement was a dangerous one and 
 hampered by many obstacles ; for Lee held an interior 
 line from which he could cover all the roads to Rich- 
 
 159 
 
160 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 mond with his infantry, leaving his cavalry free to 
 hinder and spy out the movements of Grant's army 
 on the south bank of the Chickahominy. 
 
 In view of this dangerous situation, Grant resolved 
 to send Sheridan on another raid, not only for the pur- 
 pose of drawing off the Confederate cavalry, but to 
 disconcert and hinder all of Lee's operations by de- 
 stroying his communications. We are now about to 
 tell how this was done and how Sheridan acquitted 
 himself in doing it. 
 
 On the 5th of June Sheridan received the following 
 instructions from Meade : " With two divisions of 
 your corps you will move, on the morning of the 7th 
 instant, to Charlottesville and destroy the railroad 
 bridge over the river Anna near that town; you will 
 then thoroughly destroy the railroad from that point 
 to Gordonsville ; and from Gordonsville towards 
 Hanover Junction, and to the latter point if practi- 
 cable." 
 
 After receiving these instructions, Sheridan received 
 from General Grant verbal instructions, and a letter 
 to General Hunter, who was operating from the 
 Shenandoah Valley, — instructing the latter to advance 
 as far as Charlottesville. The two commands were 
 there to destroy the James River Canal, the Virginia 
 Central Railroad, and then rejoin the Army of the 
 Potomac. 
 
 On the 7th of July, taking Gregg's and Torbett's 
 divisions, Sheridan started out on his adventure of 
 arms. He carried with him a train of canvas pon- 
 toons, in other words frames over which canvas was to 
 
BREAKING LEE'S COMMUNICATIONS 161 
 
 be stretched for boats, with " balks " or string pieces, 
 which were to be placed five each from boat to boat, 
 and " chess," as the planks for flooring of the bridge 
 are called. Each cavalryman carried for himself three 
 days' rations, and on his saddle two days' short forage 
 for his horse. 
 
 After he had crossed the North Anna River and 
 was marching along its north bank, Sheridan learned 
 from some Confederate soldiers whom he had cap- 
 tured, that the enemy's cavalry had left the south side 
 of the Chickahominy and were marching toward 
 Gordonsville, and also that Breckinridge, of their in- 
 fantry, was on its way to that place, moving by the 
 road parallel to Sheridan's line of march. 
 
 On the evening of the ioth Sheridan bivouacked 
 Hampton, with a cavalry division, had encamped about 
 about three miles from Trevillion Station; while 
 three miles north-west of the same place and Fitzhugh 
 Lee's division was about six miles from that place. 
 So, as my readers will see, the cavalry of the two 
 armies were drawing together for the inevitable con- 
 flict. The Confederates had separated their forces, 
 Hampton on one road and Fitzhugh Lee on another, 
 with the purpose of uniting later. This, in a wooded 
 country, is generally risky, and especially so with a 
 watchful enemy, like Sheridan, before them. 
 
 On the morning of the nth, while advancing on 
 the road to Trevillion, Sheridan encountered the 
 pickets of the enemy, and, driving them before them, 
 Torbett's division came upon the Confederates, under 
 Hampton, in some thick timber behind intrenchments 
 
1 62 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 extending across the road for some distance. Mean- 
 while Sheridan had instructed Custer to take a road 
 through the woods to the left, to get in the rear of 
 Hampton's cavalry. In doing this Custer got sand- 
 wiched between Fitzhugh Lee and Hampton, without 
 knowing it. When, however, he had got in Hampton's 
 rear, he captured the station, and a large number of 
 horses, wagons, and caissons, and sent them to the 
 rear; in all about three hundred and fifty men and 
 their horses were among the captures. Meanwhile 
 Fitzhugh Lee, while attempting to join Hampton's 
 cavalry, came upon the wagon train and took all that 
 Custer had captured from Hampton, except the 
 prisoners, besides some of Custer's own wagons, in- 
 cluding his headquarters' wagon, in which was his 
 colored cook, Eliza, or as the men called her, the 
 " Queen of Sheba." 
 
 When one of his guns were captured his artillery- 
 man told Custer that he thought the " rebs " in- 
 tended to keep that gun. Custer, in a great rage, ex- 
 claimed, " They sha'n't do it! " and leading a charge 
 he re-captured it and had it dragged away by hand. 
 
 Custer had so cut up and disconcerted Hampton, 
 that the latter sent Rosser's brigade to fight him. This 
 brought Custer between two fires, Fitzhugh Lee's and 
 Rosser's, and there ensued a desperate struggle for 
 the possssion of the captured teams, wagons, and 
 other property. 
 
 When Sheridan heard the quick pop, pop, crack, 
 crack, of carbines and rifles that announced the pres- 
 ence of Custer in Hampton's rear, he dircted Torbett 
 
BREAKING LEE'S COMMUNICATIONS 163 
 
 with his division and a brigade of Grgg's to attack. 
 This drove Hampton back to Custer's lines, and the 
 latter took his revenge for the injuries which we have 
 recounted, by capturing about five hundred of Hamp- 
 ton's men, while the rest got off in disorder to the 
 west of Trevillion Station before their commander 
 could rally them. This defeat of the rebel cavalry 
 left Sheridan in undisturbed possession of the Station, 
 the Confederates being so disunited that they did not 
 effect a junction of their scattered forces until next 
 day at noon. 
 
 After tearing up the railroad track for some dis- 
 tance, Sheridan, well satisfied with his day's work, 
 encamped for the night. The next morning, June 12, 
 he ordered Gregg to destroy the railroad to Louisa 
 Court House, and the work was continued all 
 day. 
 
 Learning by this time that General Hunter was 
 marching from instead of towards him, Sheridan saw 
 that it was impracticable to form the junction desired 
 by Grant; he therefore determined to return to the 
 Army of the Potomac as soon as possible, having 
 performed all that was contemplated, except that part 
 given verbally by the Commander-in-Chief. With this 
 in view he sent Torbett out on the Gordonville road to 
 find a direct route for his return march. About a 
 mile out Torbett came upon the Confederate cavalry 
 intrenched across the fork of two roads, one of them 
 leading to Charlottesville. The concentration of the 
 Confederate force at this point obstructed the shorter 
 route, by way of Mallory's Ford, by which Sheridan 
 
164 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 wished to take his corps back to the Army of the 
 Potomac. 
 
 Torbett sent one of his brigades to an open field to 
 attack the left of the enemy's position, while his second 
 brigade was held in reserve. The fight began, but 
 Torbett, outnumbered, had all and more than he could 
 attend to; for with Hampton in front and Fitzhugh 
 Lee on his right the coveted road, when night came, 
 was held by the enemy. 
 
 Though Sheridan might by a battle next day gain 
 the road, yet it would consume the ammunition he had 
 left and he thought it not prudent to fight another 
 battle. So, when night came, he gave orders to with- 
 draw. 
 
 General Sheridan reported his losses in this battle 
 as 575, and of this number 490 were wounded. 
 Hampton's report shows that he lost in killed, 
 wounded, and missing 612. 
 
 On the night of June 12 Sheridan began his return 
 march to Grant's army by the same road on which he 
 had come. He took with him all the injured that 
 could be moved, leaving his most desperately wounded 
 under care of one of his surgeons, with plenty of food 
 and medical stores. On the following morning they 
 halted at Carpenter's Ford on the north side of the 
 North Anna River, where they unsaddled their horses 
 and let them graze; for the poor animals had had 
 neither food nor water for two days. Late that after- 
 noon they continued their march and proceeded to 
 Twyman's Store. He learned, meanwhile, that the 
 Confederate cavalry, under Hampton, was moving 
 
BREAKING LEE'S COMMUNICATIONS 165 
 
 down the south side of the North Anna to intercept 
 their return to the Army of the Potomac. The march 
 was resumed on the 14th, when they reached Shady 
 Grove Church; and on the following day they passed 
 over the old Spottsylvania battleground. Here, in the 
 neighboring houses, they found many wounded Union 
 and Confederate soldiers of whom they brought away 
 all that were able to travel. 
 
 Nothing could exceed Sheridan's solicitude for the 
 wounded. His tender care for both Confederates and 
 his own men was constant, and was marked by all who 
 were with him. Though his heart seemed adamant in 
 of conveyance for their comfort, from ordinary army 
 men came under his charge. He utilized every kind 
 battle, he was as pitying as a woman when wounded 
 wagons, to family carriages, decrepit buggies, and 
 gigs. His own headquarters' wagon was turned over 
 by him to his medical director, that there might be 
 ample conveniences to treat the wounded. 
 
 His prisoners were a great burden for him to feed 
 and guard; but when some one suggested that he 
 parole them and let them go, he said, " In that case it 
 might be hard to convince people that we have taken 
 any prisoners." 
 
 The difficulty of feeding those in his charge was 
 complicated by about two thousand " contrabands," 
 as the negro slaves were called, that had joined them 
 from time to time with bundles that seemed to contain 
 all their earthly possessions. They had joined him in 
 the belief that freedom and the " day of jubilee " lay 
 in his path, or at least was ahead where Sheridan was 
 
1 66 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 going, and he had not the heart to turn back these 
 poor people who had put their trust in him. 
 
 He had heard nothing about the Army of the 
 Potomac, except rumors from Southern sources, since 
 starting out, and therefore did not think it prudent, 
 encumbered as he was with prisoners and his wounded, 
 to pass between the Mattapony and Pamunkey rivers. 
 He therefore marched down the north bank of the 
 Mattapony to Queen's Court House, where he learned 
 that the Union depot of supplies at the White House 
 had not been abandoned and that supplies for him 
 were waiting there. So, sending his prisoners, con- 
 traband followers, and the wounded to West Point on 
 the York River under escort, he bridged the Mattapony 
 with his pontoons and crossed at Dunkirk to the south 
 bank. 
 
 The weather was hot and the roads were dusty ; but 
 no longer encumbered with the prisoners, wounded, 
 and colored contraband followers that had made their 
 marches short and slow, — for the trains had stopped 
 often to refresh the wounded as well as to make it easy 
 for those afoot, — he marched speedily forward to 
 White House on the Pamunkey River. While on the 
 march he received intelligence that the place was about 
 to be attacked. But a party that he had hurried for- 
 ward previous to this time sent back word that he had 
 better not push his jaded horses, as the crisis would 
 pass, in any case, before he could arrive. 
 
 Arriving at White House he found the enemy on 
 the surrounding hills, but they were soon driven away. 
 A small force of invalid soldiers and colored infantry 
 
BREAKING LEE'S COMMUNICATIONS 167 
 
 was here, commanded by the brave General Getty, who 
 was on his way to join his command. While here 
 Sheridan got orders to break up the White House sta- 
 tion and bring the trains to Petersburg. All being in 
 readiness, he began his march with nine hundred 
 wagons in charge, on the 14th of June. That night 
 the train was parked on the south side of the Chicka- 
 hominy, guarded by the men mentioned as under the 
 command of the veteran General Getty. 
 
 Torbett pushed out to secure the crossing at Jones's 
 Bridge, when, on the 23d, he was attacked and driven 
 back; but Getty came to his help and drove the Con- 
 federates in turn. 
 
 Sheridan had been ordered to cross James River at 
 Deep Bottom, where there was a pontoon bridge, and 
 the route by which he was to march would carry him 
 by Harrison's Landing, Charles City Court House, 
 and Malvern Hill. The enemy held nearly all of this 
 ground from the Chickahominy, except the crossing 
 itself; and so, encumbered with an immense train of 
 five hundred wagons, his route was strewn with dif- 
 ficulties. 
 
 Hampton, believing that Sheridan intended to cross 
 his trains at Bottom Bridge, concentrated most of his 
 force except one brigade, which he planned to throw 
 across Sheridan's path on the river road. Guessing 
 at his purpose, Gregg got his men behind hastily con- 
 structed barricades in readiness to fight. The storm 
 came at about four o'clock in the afternoon, when 
 Hampton assailed Gregg along his whole line. He 
 sent back word to Sheridan, but the messages did not 
 
168 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 reach him until darkness came. Meanwhile, becoming 
 convinced that he could no longer hold out, after 
 getting his lead horses and wounded on their way, 
 stubbornly resisting, Gregg retreated until Hampton 
 gave up the pursuit. His brave fight against superior 
 numbers had saved the trains, though his losses were 
 heavy, and he was obliged to abandon his dead and 
 desperately wounded. 
 
 It looked as though the task of saving the trains was 
 hopeless, for, as we have already hinted, all the Con- 
 federate cavalry would be thrown across the path while 
 on its way. 
 
 Meade seemed to have divined this, and sent a 
 ferryboat to convey Sheridan across James River, 
 while the trains were moved back to Douthard's Land- 
 ing and brought across the James in the same manner. 
 
 When at last, on the 29th of June, the cavalry 
 crossed the James and went into camp, a little rest 
 seemed in store for them; but instead Sheridan was 
 ordered to go to the relief of Wilson who, it will be 
 remembered, had been left behind to act as an infantry 
 auxiliary. He was returning from a raid he had made 
 on the Confederate railroads south of James River, 
 when he met an overwhelming force of the enemy. 
 But Wilson escaped from the network of enemies and 
 returned to the Union army before Sheridan could 
 reach him. 
 
 The final operations of the cavalry, previous to 
 Sheridan's being sent to command in the Shenandoah 
 Valley, were brilliant. It participated in a cooperative 
 movement by a force under General Hancock, by pass- 
 
BREAKING LEE'S COMMUNICATIONS 169 
 
 ing the Appomattox and taking two hundred and fifty- 
 prisoners at an affair called the Battle of the Point of 
 Rocks. This service completed his work with the 
 cavalry corps of the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 Sheridan had found the corps a subject of derision, 
 a mere appendage performing the duties of an auxiliary 
 force to infantry. He had converted it from videttes 
 and guards into a conquering army of horsemen, a 
 mobile and effective force having confidence in itself 
 and in its great commander. From being a subject of 
 derision it had become, under him, a powerful, ad- 
 mired, and respected arm of the service; he had lifted 
 it from degradation into a place of power. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 SHERIDAN LEADS AN ARMY INTO THE SHENANDOAH 
 VALLEY (AugUSt, 1 864) 
 
 After the dreadful losses at Cold Harbor the Army 
 of the Potomac and that of Northern Virginia took a 
 breathing spell, in order to plan and prepare for fresh 
 struggles. Grant moved to the south side of James 
 River, where he began to invest Petersburg and to send 
 out troops to cut off the railroads on which Lee de- 
 pended for supplies. Lee, as well as Grant, was well 
 shielded by earthworks, from which he made frequent 
 sallies for the defense of his " life line," for an army 
 can fight only so long as it can be fed. Grant also 
 decided that he would, once and for all, put an end 
 to the danger that constantly threatened his army 
 from the Shenandoah Valley. 
 
 The rivers of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge flow 
 in a southeasterly direction, and an overland march 
 to Richmond meant that each river had to be forded, 
 a difficult and dangerous thing for an army to do in 
 the face of an enemy. But west of Blue Ridge the 
 Shenandoah River flows northerly, falling into the 
 Potomac at Harper's Ferry. This valley, accessible 
 by numerous gaps in the Ridge, not only made the 
 easiest kind of highway between Virginia and the 
 North, but it was a rich farming region capable of 
 
 170 
 
THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY. 
 
ARMY IN THE SHENANDOAH 171 
 
 yielding abundant supplies to the Confederate army; 
 and it was defended, at first, by the famous Stonewall 
 Jackson, whose home it was and who knew every inch 
 of the ground. 
 
 Again and again during the war a Confederate 
 force had dashed up the Shenandoah Valley, menaced 
 Washington, threatened to invade the North, gathered 
 a train of plunder for the Confederate army, drawn off 
 the Union army from its advance on Richmond, and 
 then scurried back to Lee's army before any effective 
 pursuit could be made. A large force had to be with- 
 drawn from the Union army to guard this Virginia 
 highway, and several generals had suffered defeat 
 there. If the Shenandoah Valley could be closed 
 against raiders Grant could give his entire attention to 
 moving against Richmond and Lee's main army. 
 
 So late as May, 1863, General Siegel, commanding 
 the Union army in the Valley, had been defeated and 
 Grant and Halleck were dissatisfied with him. Gen- 
 eral Hunter, a veteran soldier, was appointed in his 
 stead. He moved forward with great energy and de- 
 feated the Confederates under General Jones at Pied- 
 mont, June 5, and then marched to Lynchburg. But 
 Lee, recognizing the vital importance of this place to 
 the Confederacy, hurried forward reinforcements, and 
 Hunter had no choice but to retreat by way of Kan- 
 nawha instead of up the Shenandoah Valley. This 
 left the Valley undefended, a situation by which the 
 Confederates were prompt to profit. And when Lee 
 found himself held in the clutches of Grant's army 
 before Petersburg, and the Valley undefended, he 
 
172 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 sent General Early through the Valley to threaten 
 Washington, hoping that the alarm of the people and 
 government would compel Grant to withdraw a large 
 force from his front. 
 
 Early crossed the Potomac and levied a contribution 
 of one hundred thousand dollars on Hagerstown, 
 Maryland. Consternation prevailed among the people ; 
 men, women, and children, with droves of cattle and 
 wagons filled with their household goods, thronged the 
 roads. On the nth of June Early arrived in front of 
 Fort Stevens, which guards the outer portals of the 
 National Capital. He was about to advance on the 
 fort when, to his dismay, he learned that the Sixth 
 Corps from the Army of the Potomac had arrived for 
 the defense of Washington. A severe battle, of which 
 President Lincoln was a spectator and in which 280 
 men were killed and wounded on the Union side, took 
 place in sight of the city; but at night, after being 
 defeated, Early withdrew his troops and was soon 
 across the Potomac again. 
 
 Grant had not been long in command of the Army 
 of the Potomac before he discovered the importance 
 of the Shenandoah Valley; that it was not only a 
 protected lane through which the Confederates could 
 pass to assail the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania 
 and the National Capital, but that it supplied to Lee's 
 army a large part of its subsistence as well as feeding 
 the army operating there. He grimly determined to 
 cancel the valley henceforth from the map of future 
 operations, not only by driving out Early's army but 
 also by destroying its mills, livestock, and whatever 
 
ARMY IN THE SHENANDOAH 173 
 
 else would feed or sustain an army there. With this 
 firm purpose in view he looked over his forces, to 
 select, if possible, a general who would be able to 
 perform a task which had tried to the uttermost every 
 other soldier who had fought in this difficult field. 
 
 General Sheridan possessed the entire confidence of 
 his chief. He was bold, enthusiastic, and daring, with- 
 out being rash; cool, far-seeing, and energetic in exe- 
 cution; painstaking in detail, yet broad and compre- 
 hensive in his planning ; he had an eye for topography 
 telescopic in its breadth and miscroscopic in its details 
 of perception. He seemed to carry in his memory and 
 mind a map of the country, with all its details, for his 
 use in campaigning. It had not been luck or favoritism 
 that had brought him to the attention of Grant, but 
 victories honestly earned in every position, however 
 difficult, in which he had been called to act. In war, it 
 is true, success is the criterion of merit; but success 
 can only be gained and held by real ability. And so it 
 was that Grant chose his young chief of cavalry for a 
 service which had so far baffled every commander by 
 whom it had been tried. 
 
 At first neither the President nor Secretary Stanton 
 had been willing to permit that three geographical 
 districts should be consolidated and put under Sher- 
 idan's command; but the success of Early in bringing 
 war to the very defenses of Washington led to their 
 agreeing to it, in substance, when they accepted Grant's 
 proposition that Sheridan should command all the 
 forces in the field that were to operate against Early. 
 
 On the 4th of August Sheridan arrived in Wash- 
 
174 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 ington and got orders to report to General Grant at 
 Monocacy Junction, whither he had gone from City 
 Point. Before reporting to Grant, Sheridan called on 
 the President with Secretary Stanton, and in sub- 
 stance the following conversation took place : 
 
 " General Sheridan again," said Lincoln, heartily 
 extending his hands. " You are going to take the job 
 of whipping Early, General Grant tells me. Most of 
 those who have so far got into the Valley to fight have 
 bitten off more than they could chew; but I sincerely 
 hope that you will do the job." 
 
 " I shall do all I can," said Sheridan, modestly, " but 
 I hope, and am sure, I shall get the hearty support of 
 you and the Secretary of War." 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Lincoln, candidly, " Stanton and 
 I both thought, at first, that you were too young for 
 such a command ; besides, we didn't like to have three 
 important departments consolidated into one; but 
 Grant has plowed around that difficulty by having you 
 put in command of all the boys in the field fighting 
 against Early. I feel satisfied with what he has done, 
 and hope for the best." 
 
 Mr. Stanton, meanwhile, did not express himself one 
 way or the other; but after leaving the White House 
 he said to Sheridan : " I hope you see the importance 
 of your appointment, General Sheridan. It is of great 
 consequence that you should succeed." 
 
 " I shall do my best," said Sheridan, " as I always 
 have." 
 
 On August 6 Sheridan met Grant, as arranged, and 
 received his instructions, which, in substance, were: 
 
ARMY IN THE SHENANDOAH 175 
 
 " Concentrate all your available force in the vicinity of 
 
 Harper's Ferry If the enemy has but a small 
 
 force north of the Potomac, then push south the main 
 force and detach a sufficient force to look after the 
 raiders and drive them to their homes. . . . There are 
 now on the way to join you three other brigades of 
 the best cavalry, numbering at least five thousand men 
 and horse. 
 
 " In pushing up the Shenandoah Valley, as it is ex- 
 pected you will have to go first or last, it is desirable 
 that nothing should be left to invite the enemy to re- 
 turn. Take all provisions, forage, and stock wanted 
 for the use of your command. Such as cannot be 
 consumed, destroy. It is not desirable that the build- 
 ings should be destroyed — they should rather be pro- 
 tected, but the people should be informed that so long 
 as an army can subsist among them recurrence of 
 these raids must be expected, and we are determined 
 to stop them at all hazards. 
 
 " Bear in mind that the object is to drive the enemy 
 south." 
 
 From his conference with General Grant Sheridan 
 went at once to Harper's Ferry. Here, with Lieu- 
 tenant Meigs, the chief engineer officer, he first made 
 a study of the maps of the country in which he was to 
 operate. His singular ability to learn the topography 
 of a country enabled him quickly to fix in his mind 
 every important road and stream and all points of 
 note west of the Blue Ridge. Meigs' intimate knowl- 
 edge of even the farmhouses was readily imparted and 
 quickly absorbed by Sheridan. 
 
176 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 He began by massing his army in front of Harper's 
 Ferry. His infantry force comprised the Sixth Corps, 
 commanded by Major-General H. G. Wright; one 
 division of the Nineteenth Corps, commanded by Gen- 
 eral William Dwight; two divisions of West Virginians 
 under General George Crook, who had not only been 
 a classmate of his at West Point but a boy friend be- 
 fore either entered the Military Academy. Torbett 
 had been made chief of the cavalry corps, and General 
 Wesley Merritt had been placed in command of the 
 first cavalry division, which was a part of Sheridan's 
 force. In all, his force numbered about 26,000 
 men. 
 
 Sheridan was as anxious as either President Lin- 
 coln or General Grant to " put himself south of the en- 
 emy; " and though, in the end, he gained his successes 
 over Early by a front attack, he was always hoping to 
 get in his rear and there fight a battle. " I will strike 
 Winchester," he said, " which is the key, and pick up 
 the parties on the north side of the Potomac." 
 
 On the 10th of August, with the cavalry guarding 
 his flanks, he started out from Halltown to take up a 
 line between Clifton and Berryville. Early was not to 
 be caught napping but, suspicious of Sheridan's inten- 
 tions, fell back through Winchester with Sheridan 
 pursuing until he came to a halt and took up a strong 
 defensive position behind earthworks which extended 
 across a narrow valley between Massanutten and 
 North mountains. Lee was about to send reinforce- 
 ments to him, and Early had asked to have these rein- 
 forcements, consisting of Kershaw's division of in- 
 
ARMY IN THE SHENANDOAH 177 
 
 fantry and Fitzhugh's cavalry from Lee's army, join 
 him by way of Port Royal. 
 
 When Sheridan learned of this it gave him great 
 anxiety, since his real effective force for battle was 
 only about 22,000 men. About this time he got a dis- 
 patch from Grant informing that there were two divi- 
 sions on their way to reinforce Early and urging him 
 to be cautious and act on the defensive, until he had 
 compelled Lee by heavy fighting to withdraw a con- 
 siderable force from the Valley. In obedience to this 
 warning Sheridan examined his maps for a defensive 
 line, but could find none short of Halltown; all others 
 invited flanking movements from an enemy. So he 
 reluctantly retraced his steps, destroying as he went 
 mills, forage, and grain, and taking with him all the 
 mules and horses that he found, according to Grant's 
 instructions, with which he heartily agreed ; " For pov- 
 erty," says Sheridan in his " Memoirs," " brings 
 prayers for peace more quickly than does the destruc- 
 tion of human life." 
 
 On a high hill that almost overhung the town of 
 Strasburg the enemy had a signal station from which 
 could be seen every movement made by Sheridan. 
 This gave an advantage in following up the Union 
 army as they fell back. When Sheridan learned that 
 Merritt had been attacked by Kershaw's division at the 
 crossing of the Shenandoah River, he saw that he 
 had fallen back none too soon; for though Merritt 
 had captured three hundred prisoners and two battle 
 flags, the attack confirmed the intelligence that Early 
 was being reinforced from Lee's army. 
 
178 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Sheridan's retrograde movement caused great alarm 
 in the North, for it was expected that Early was 
 again about to invade Pennsylvania and Maryland or 
 march on Washington ; and there were even those who 
 clamored for Sheridan's removal from his command. 
 
 On the 226. of August the Confederates moved 
 close to Sheridan's defensive position at Halltown. 
 At one time he thought and hoped that Early was 
 about to cross the Potomac again, and he left the way 
 " open for him," as he wrote Grant. For, leaving An- 
 derson to disguise his movement, Early had moved to 
 North Shepardstown, dealing Torbett a rough blow 
 on his way. Custer had been able to save his division 
 of cavalry only by crossing the river. Sheridan seized 
 the Gap of the South Mountain, prepared to get in his 
 rear if he should advance on Washington. 
 
 Sheridan was prudent and resisted the temptation 
 to attack; but no doubt he was chafing all this time to 
 be unleashed. About this time Grant telegraphed him 
 that in view of the heavy fighting that had taken place 
 near Petersburg for the Weldon Railroad, he believed 
 Lee would ask Early to return the troops that he had 
 sent him. " Watch closely,'' he said, " and if you find 
 this theory correct, push with all vigor." 
 
 August 28th Sheridan moved forward again; but 
 it was simply or principally for a reconnaissance to 
 find out whether Early had abandoned his projected 
 movement into Maryland, if he had ever seriously 
 contemplated such a thing. 
 
 Merritt having taken possession of a bridge which 
 threatened to interpose a force between Early's right 
 
ARMY IN THE SHENANDOAH 179 
 
 and left flank, Early attacked him to recover the 
 bridge. A severe, fight took place in which Merritt 
 was driven back with considerable loss; but as the 
 forces neared Sheridan's infantry lines, a division was 
 sent to Merritt's help, the Confederates were driven 
 back, the bridge retaken, and the Smithfield crossing 
 held by Lowell's brigade. 
 
 The next morning Sheridan sent his cavalry, under 
 Merritt and Torbett, to Berryville. This alarmed 
 Early, and as Averill's cavalry was creating some 
 havoc in his rear, he recrossed to the west side of the 
 Opequan River, massed his troops so that he could 
 protect Winchester, and at the same time tried to break 
 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. 
 
 While Sheridan was moving his infantry, Anderson 
 had started on his way to return to Lee's army; but 
 on his way to cross the Blue Ridge at Ashby's Gap he 
 blundered upon Crook's lines at Berryville, and a se- 
 vere fight took place, which resulted in Early's decid- 
 ing to retain Anderson with him for some time. But 
 for this encounter Anderson would have gone back to 
 Lee's army and Sheridan would have attacked Early 
 sooner than he did by a fortnight. 
 
 All this time Sheridan was constantly vigilant and 
 busy preparing for a final battle. Lowell in his let- 
 ters to his wife gives us a picture of him, when he 
 writes in substance as follows : " He seems never to 
 sleep, is never out of temper, and he works like a mill 
 owner, as though he had a personal interest in his 
 work. You can't report too often to him. If he 
 doesn't succeed, he deserves to ! " 
 
180 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 As a defensive movement the campaign was now 
 evidently ended. Sheridan, however, skirmished with 
 his cavalry so as to maintain a space of about six miles' 
 width between the two armies, so that, when ready, 
 he could get his men into position for a surprise at- 
 tack upon Early. 
 
 The Union general, not satisfied with the informa- 
 tion of the enemy that he had thus far received from 
 doubtful citizens and Confederate deserters, now 
 originated a new force of scouts. These were made 
 up from among his own men, and were formed into 
 a battalion commanded by Major H. K. Young of the 
 Second Rhode Island Infantry. He disguised these 
 men, when occasion required, in Confederate uni- 
 forms, and they were paid from the secret service 
 fund. From them he learned that an old colored man, 
 who was loyal and true, had a written permission to 
 go into Winchester twice a week to sell vegetables. 
 He also learned from General Crook that a school- 
 teacher, by the name of Rachel Wright, was a de- 
 voted loyalist, and might aid Sheridan by giving in- 
 formation about the Confederate troops. So Sheridan 
 wrote a letter, which he concealed in tin foil rolled 
 up in shape of a bullet, and sent it to her by this col- 
 ored man. In this letter he said : " I learn that you 
 still love the old flag. Can you give me the position 
 of Early's army and its strength? " 
 
 Miss Wright was very much alarmed when she re- 
 ceived this message, for she knew that if it was known 
 that she gave information to the Union commander 
 her life would be worth little. But she loved the 
 
ARMY IN THE SHENANDOAH 181 
 
 Union, her father had died in a Southern prison for 
 the cause, and this love overcame her fears. She 
 wrote a reply, which was wrapped in the tin foil in 
 which Sheridan's letter had been sent, so that it could 
 be concealed in the mouth of the old colored man who 
 took it to Sheridan. In this letter she said : " I have 
 no cummunications with the rebels, but I will tell you 
 what I know. The division of General Kershaw and 
 Cutshaw's artillery . . . have been sent away, 
 and no more are expected, as they cannot be spared. 
 . . . I will take pleasure hereafter in learning if 
 I can of the strength and position, and the bearer may 
 call again." 
 
 When this message from the brave Union girl 
 reached Sheridan, giving him just the information that 
 he wanted, he knew that the hour to strike had come. 
 He had resolved to throw forward his whole force 
 the next day to fight Early, when a message was re- 
 ceived from Grant asking Sheridan to meet him at 
 Charleston, whither he was coming to see him. Be- 
 fore starting Grant had drawn up a plan of a cam- 
 paign for Sheridan, but he found him so confident 
 of success and so clear and positive in his views, that 
 he said nothing about it. " I saw," he said, " that but 
 two words of instruction were necessary; those were, 
 GO IN." 
 
 In the following chapter I shall show how Sheridan 
 went in and won not only a great battle, but the com- 
 mendations of Lincoln and Grant, and caused the 
 loyal North to rejoice. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 SENDING THE ENEMY WHIRLING 
 
 General Grant, as has been said, found Sheri- 
 dan's knowledge of affairs in the Valley so accurate 
 and his confidence in success so great, that he at once 
 authorized him to attack Early whenever and 
 wherever he thought best. 
 
 If Sheridan's opportunity was great, the need of 
 action was also great. To those who had not under- 
 stood the reason for Sheridan's comparative inactivity, 
 it looked, as President Lincoln said, as if " Sheridan 
 and Early were facing each other at a deadlock." 
 The condition of the public mind was very nervous 
 and uncertain. A presidential election was at hand; 
 the apparent inaction of Sheridan's army for two 
 weeks had begun to excite criticism from the news- 
 papers; and the enemies of Lincoln's administration 
 were using it as an argument for a change of ad- 
 ministration. It was feared that the defeat of Lin- 
 coln would mean the defeat of the cause for which 
 so much blood had been shed. For it was one of the 
 hopes of the Confederates that the election of a 
 Democratic administration would give them peace on 
 their own terms, — and those terms were an acknowl- 
 edgment of their independence, the breaking up of 
 the Union. 
 
 182 
 
SENDING THE ENEMY WHIRLING 183 
 
 The need of action was intensified by other small 
 considerations, such as the long-continued interrup- 
 tion of traffic because of Early's hold on the Ohio and 
 Chesapeake and the Baltimore and Ohio railroads, 
 which created such a dearth of coal that the gas com- 
 panies of Baltimore and Washington might be com- 
 pelled to stop their works. 
 
 Sheridan, from his interview with Grant, went to 
 work at once on his preparations for battle. While 
 thus engaged, he learned that Early was moving two 
 divisions of his infantry toward Martinsburg. This 
 gave him an opportunity to strike while his enemy 
 was divided, unless Early could reunite his divisions 
 by forced marches. 
 
 //'As the reader knows, Opequan Creek was between 
 the two armies, four or five miles west of the Union 
 army, and was jealously guarded by Early. Two of 
 his divisions, as we have said, were ten miles north 
 of Winchester and isolated from the rest of his army, 
 which occupied the hills and plains covering that city. 
 It was Sheridan's intention to strike Early's divided 
 army in detail, — in other words to defeat one part of 
 it before the other could come to its assistance. 
 
 At three o'clock on Monday morning, September 
 19, Wilson with his cavalry, by a quick dash through 
 a gorge, captured a small earthwork which he ob- 
 stinately held until the arrival of the infantry. The 
 Sixth and Nineteenth corps had followed Wilson in 
 the order named. 
 
 Opequan Creek is below the level of the surround- 
 ing country, and the road on its further side is, for a 
 
1 84 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 mile or more, on a level with that stream, which winds 
 through a long, crooked, wooded ravine through which 
 Wilson had attacked. As the Sixth Corps began to 
 file out of this ravine, lined with Wilson's wounded 
 cavalrymen, they found that Sheridan had already 
 preceded them. With his headquarters on an eleva- 
 tion, he was superintending the placing of his troops. 
 Though at that time there was no particular enthu- 
 siasm for him, their impressions gained by the way he 
 had so far handled his troops was favorable, yet both 
 officers and men expressed great satisfaction when, at 
 that early hour, they found him at the front, keenly 
 attending to details which they had been accustomed 
 to see intrusted to staff officers. The infantry of 
 the Sixth Corps at once relieved the cavalry and 
 formed, facing west. The direction of Sheridan's 
 advance brought his attack full upon Early's isolated 
 right. 
 
 At first everything seemed favorable to surprising 
 the Confederates and fighting them when divided. 
 But a vexatious delay unfortunately occurred, caused 
 by the wagon trains of the Sixth Corps and Wilson's 
 cavalry blocking the Winchester and Perryville turn- 
 pike. This delayed the march of the Nineteenth 
 Corps for over two hours and gave Early time to hurry 
 up his forces and unite them to ward off the threat- 
 ened disaster. While the Sixth Corps confronting the 
 enemy, wondered that no more troops appeared, the 
 cavalry was transferred to the south side of Abraham 
 Creek. 
 
 It was almost noon before the Nineteenth Corps 
 
SENDING THE ENEMY WHIRLING 185 
 
 reached its place and was formed in three lines on the 
 right of the Sixth. Almost any other general, upon 
 rinding his plans spoiled, would have waited another 
 day to elaborate new plans before giving battle. But 
 Sheridan was not made of such dilatory stuff; he had 
 come out to fight, and fight he would, in full confi- 
 dence that he could beat the enemy on any fair field. 
 So new plans were made on the spot, and this was 
 now the formation for battle : On the left the Sixth 
 Corps, its flank protected by Wilson's cavalry ; in the 
 center, the Nineteenth Corps; the Kanawah infantry 
 on the right, covered by a division of Merritt's 
 cavalry. 
 
 It was nearly noon when the signal gun was fired 
 and the men sprang to the ranks. Instructions had 
 been given to the advance of the Sixth Corps that the 
 direction of attack was to be by the road. As the men 
 of the Sixth rushed forward, their ranks were dis- 
 ordered by underbrush and small trees. When they 
 emerged from these entanglements and saw the ground 
 over which they were to attack, its difficulties were 
 such that their stout hearts almost failed them. For 
 a quarter of a mile before them the ground sloped to 
 an irregular and winding ravine, as far as they could 
 see. Beyond this was a steep hillside, the Confeder- 
 ates in force holding the crest, ready to sweep them 
 away with musketry and artillery as they approached. 
 The advance halted and threw themselves on the 
 ground to avoid the bullets that whistled around them. 
 At the farther side of the hollow, if it could be 
 reached, the hill was so steep that it gave cover to pro- 
 
1 86 BOYS' LIFE OF. SHERIDAN 
 
 tect those who could get there, from the fire of the 
 enemy above them. 
 
 After some waiting the men sprang to their feet, 
 their alignments were corrected, and then, at the top 
 of their speed, they ran forward into the hollow. 
 From the bottom of this marshy depression they 
 could see the steep slopes which they were to ascend 
 covered with small evergreen trees, and on the right 
 a regiment or more of the enemy, ready to deliver an 
 enfilading fire on their ranks as they passed. To re- 
 treat was as dangerous as to advance, but these brave 
 men had no thought of falling back. So, flounder- 
 ing through the marsh, they rushed up the hill until 
 the survivors — for many were shot — reached that part 
 which was so steep that they were in part sheltered 
 from the enemy above them. There getting their 
 breath and correcting their alignments, they rushed 
 forward to the crest and captured the Confederate 
 breastworks, sending to the rear as many prisoners as 
 there were men in the division that had made the 
 charge. This was on the left of the Union lines, and 
 considerable ground was gained; but a desperate re- 
 sistance on the right of the line showed that the time 
 lost by the delay of the Nineteenth Corps had enabled 
 Early to concentrate his troops in a connected line 
 of battle. 
 
 While the attack which I have faintly described was 
 taking place on the left, the second division under 
 Grover had attacked with decided success, defeated, 
 and driven before him Gordon's Confederate division. 
 But in pursuing the enemy a gap in the lines was made, 
 
SENDING THE ENEMY WHIRLING 187 
 
 which the gallant Keifer with a small brigade, tried 
 in vain to fill. At this moment the Confederates 
 struck this weak line and checked Sheridan's ad- 
 vance, driving back Ricketts' division and a part of 
 Grover's. 
 
 Sheridan was on the field and ordered Russell's re- 
 serve division to charge. The charge was a gallant 
 affair, led by both Russell and Upton. It struck the 
 Confederates with a shock that drove them back to 
 their original ground. This success enabled Sheridan 
 to reestablish his line, and the regiments that had been 
 broken by the attack of Gordon's infantry were re- 
 formed in rear of Russell's compact lines. 
 
 This success had, however, been gained at a ter- 
 rible loss, for the brave Russell, who was loved by his 
 troops, was killed and the gallant Upton wounded, 
 while the loss of the division had otherwise been 
 heavy in men and officers. Russell's death, especially, 
 occasioned great sadness. He had been Sheridan's 
 captain and friend in early army life and his loss was 
 a personal grief. But soldiers have no time to mourn 
 in battle, for all other thoughts than those of victory 
 are crowded out in the intensity of the conflict. 
 
 Two hours passed while Sheridan was rearranging 
 his lines, issuing fresh ammunition and getting ready 
 for a grand turning movement and a front attack, at 
 the same time. For this purpose he placed Crook on 
 the right of the Nineteenth Corps, with instructions to 
 push his men forward when the battle was begun, as a 
 turning movement in conjunction with the Nineteenth 
 Corps, while Wright swung the Sixth Corps to the 
 
188 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 left in a half wheel, in concert with Crook's move- 
 ments. 
 
 While this was taking place, Sheridan got word 
 that Torbett's cavalry was driving the enemy in con- 
 sternation and confusion along the Martinsburg road. 
 This was what he was waiting for. Feeling that he 
 now had Early in his grasp, he rode with terrible 
 speed along the whole length of the skirmish line, 
 without heeding the storm of bullets which cut the 
 air around him, crying out to the men, " Crook and 
 Averill are on their left and rear, and, by George, 
 men, we've got 'em bagged ! " 
 
 The order came to advance. The line of blue, with 
 flags fluttering all along the ranks, swept forward like 
 a mighty wave with a crest of glittering steel. " As 
 terrible as an army with banners " was no metaphor: 
 it was a living reality along that wall of blue. The 
 line reached within easy musket shot of the enemy, 
 with the artillery rattling up close behind, — closer than 
 veteran soldiers ever before saw it in a fight. For it 
 was Sheridan's expressed wish that the artillery 
 should have their part in the work of the day. 
 
 " The enemy contested the ground in front with 
 great obstinacy and courage. Crook had swept around 
 Gordon toward the right of the Confederate line held 
 by Breckinridge as a protection for their rear. The 
 ground was open in front of Breckinridge, and Tor- 
 bett drove Fitzhugh Lee before him until, in the shel- 
 ter of Breckinridge's ranks, he attempted to make a 
 stand. Then Torbett, taking advantage of the open 
 ground, charged with such momentum as to break the 
 
SENDING THE ENEMY WHIRLING 189 
 
 Confederate left, while Averill was passing in its rear. 
 Meanwhile Merritt's brigades, under the brave Cus- 
 ter, the devoted Lowell, and the brave Deven, literally 
 rode down the Confederates, taking a battery of guns 
 and 1200 prisoners. 
 
 Pressed on flank and front, the Confederates with- 
 drew into some old fortifications in front of Winches- 
 ter in a vain attempt to hold back the Union advances. 
 They bravely received and endured the heavy fire for 
 a while, and then the soldiers of the Sixth and Nine- 
 teenth corps saw them break and melt away. Then 
 the left of the Confederate line rushed in mad confu- 
 sion past the Union left. The cavalry pursued and 
 caught up with the mass of fugitives, capturing flags, 
 cannon, and thousands of prisoners. The whole in- 
 fantry line, seized as with a common impulse, in a cir- 
 cling crescent rushed joyfully forward with tumultu- 
 ous shouts and cheers of victory. The enemy at- 
 tempted to rally, but soon fled precipitately up the 
 Valley pike, a disorganized and defeated mob. 
 
 Up to this time, the tired soldiers had found no 
 time to eat during the day, and they brought sharp 
 appetites to their evening meal. While they were thus 
 engaged, Sheridan rode by; and many of the soldiers 
 of the old Army of the Potomac, who had not cheered 
 a general since McClellan had commanded them, rose 
 simultaneously to their feet with cheers that came 
 from their very hearts. 
 
 The cavalry pursued the enemy for a while; but 
 they had been afield since early morning, and the pur- 
 suit was abandoned when darkness fell. 
 
i 9 o BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Sheridan's losses in this battle were nearly five thou- 
 sand, 4500 of whom were killed and wounded. He 
 had captured five pieces of artillery and nine battle 
 flags. 
 
 This unheralded and unexpected victory was re- 
 ceived all over the North with an outburst of en- 
 thusiasm by the people and the press. Sheridan in- 
 dited a dispatch which told, in soldier-like phrase, the 
 result of his day's battle. " We have just sent them 
 whirling through Winchester and we are after them 
 to-morrow! " This phrase was soon repeated through 
 every village and city of the North. Grant, rejoicing, 
 fired a salute of one hundred shotted guns in honor of 
 the great victory. President Lincoln wrote Sheridan 
 a letter of personal congratulation, in which he said: 
 " Have just heard of your great victory. God bless 
 you all, officers and men. Strongly inclined to come 
 up and see you. A. Lincoln." 
 
 Sheridan did not forget his obligations to Miss 
 Wright, the little Winchester school-teacher who had 
 given him information that had decided him to strike 
 Early. He visited her and thanked her, writing at 
 her desk the dispatch which I have quoted. She was 
 fearful that the Confederates would learn that she 
 had given the information and would kill her. Sheri- 
 dan replied, " Never fear ; the rebels will never come 
 here again." Years afterwards, when it was known 
 that she had given this information, Union men of 
 Winchester took her hand and said, " Why, my lit- 
 tle girl, there was not a man in the place who would 
 have dared do such a thing." After the war, in 1867, 
 
SENDING THE ENEMY WHIRLING 191 
 
 when Sheridan commanded the Department of the 
 Gulf, he wrote to her sending her a gold watch and 
 chain, saying : " I shall always remember this coura- 
 geous and patriotic action of yours with gratitude, 
 and beg you to accept the watch and chain, which I 
 send you by General J. W. Forsyth, as a memento of 
 September the 19th, 1864." 
 
 The battle of the Opequan had been fought with 
 mathematical precision, or, as has been said, " like 
 clockwork." It was one of the first battles in which 
 cavalry, infantry, and artillery were used systematic- 
 ally together. Its effects on the public mind were to 
 give renewed confidence to the defenders of the Union; 
 it freed the Shenandoah Valley from Confederate 
 control and the soil of Maryland and Pennsylvania 
 from invasion; while the National Capital was never 
 again to be insulted by an enemy. 
 
 It was Sheridan's first independent command and 
 demonstrated his ability as a great captain. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 the battle of fisher's hill (September 22, 1864) 
 
 The morning after the battle of the Opequan, or, 
 as the Confederates called it, the battle of Winchester, 
 Sheridan set his troops in motion before daybreak to 
 pursue Early's army. The enemy had continued their 
 retreat all night, and during the day the Union troops 
 met with no resistance until they were brought to a 
 halt at Fisher's Hill, two miles south from Strasburg, 
 where Early had established his army. 
 
 The magnificent Shenandoah Valley at this point 
 narrows from a breadth of twenty miles to five miles. 
 The Shenandoah River here winds along the eastern 
 base of the mountains, while a line of hills follows the 
 windings of a little mountain stream known as Tum- 
 bling Brook, and stretches across the country from 
 the Shenandoah to the Little Mountains of the Blue 
 Ridge. 
 
 Late in the afternoon of September 20, Sheridan's 
 infantry came into line in sight of these hills, and a 
 few cannon shot announced that they were in front of 
 the enemy. Early had established his army on these 
 hills, with his right protected by the mountains and 
 the right fork of the Shenandoah River, while his left 
 was posted at the base of Little Mountain, in a posi- 
 tion that at first glance looked so formidable as to 
 be safe from attack. Let my readers bear this posi- 
 
 192 
 

THE BATTLE OF FISHER'S HILL 193 
 
 tion in mind, for it was the key-point which Sheridan 
 attacked and where he gained a victory as complete 
 as it had seemed impossible. 
 
 Here the Confederates had placed the dismounted 
 cavalry commanded by Lomax, who had thrown out 
 guards or pickets on the hill as far up as they thought 
 a goat could climb. His right wing, under Wharton, 
 rested on the Shenandoah River and the mountains, 
 while the space between right and left was filled by 
 Gordon's, Ramseur's, and Pegram's divisions of in- 
 fantry. Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry was in the Luray 
 Valley to guard against an attack on Early's right. 
 .This last position was fortunately chosen by Early 
 for, as will be seen later, it was the means by which 
 his army was saved from a still greater disaster than 
 finally overtook it. 
 
 To the soldiers from the Army of the Potomac, who 
 had participated in many battles, the enemy's position 
 looked impregnable. High and commanding hills rose 
 on their front, crowned with earthworks and armed 
 with artillery. The ravines, which were blocked by 
 fallen timber, were further guarded from attacks by 
 abattis and rifle-pits filled with veteran soldiers, brave 
 and tried in battle. Fisher's Hill itself is a steep hill 
 overhanging Tumbling Run. This position had been 
 selected by Stonewall Jackson in the early days of the 
 war as the strongest in the Valley, and was fortified 
 and used by him as a rallying place when outnum- 
 bered, or hard pressed by his enemy, or as a place 
 from which to sally forth to attack them. 
 
 No wonder that the old soldiers said, when viewing 
 
i 9 4 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 the enemy's position, " What is little Phil going to 
 do about this ? " The Confederates regarded it as 
 a haven of rest. To attack them in front the Union 
 troops would have to cross Tumbling Brook and as- 
 sault the apparently impregnable positions on the hills. 
 Once before, readers will remember, Sheridan had 
 been in front of this position, and then marched away. 
 But at that time he was held in check by Grant's in- 
 structions; now he was free to use his own discretion. 
 One thing was evident, and that was that bravery 
 alone could not give Sheridan victory. 
 
 At break of day on the 21st Sheridan rode the en- 
 tire length of the lines, studying the enemy's position, 
 and after hours of careful consideration made such 
 plans as gave the Union a brilliant victory without 
 its usual cost of blood. He began marshaling his divi- 
 sions in order, posting the Sixth Corps on the right 
 and the Nineteenth Corps on the left, covering a front 
 of three miles or more, — seizing, while under fire, such 
 protection as he could for his army. The Confederates 
 were, meanwhile, busy with axes and shovels strength- 
 ening their position by digging more rifle-pits and 
 falling trees. They were so well assured of the se- 
 curity of their lines that they had dismounted their 
 ammunition boxes from the caissons. 
 
 The difficulties of the situation seemed to make our 
 little general all the more determined to overcome 
 them. The morale of his army, that indefinable 
 quality made up, in part, of confidence, faith, and 
 hope, was high. The successes so far gained had 
 given to it a buoyancy of spirit and a confidence in it- 
 
THE BATTLE OF FISHER'S HILL 195 
 
 self and its commander that added to its efficiency in 
 a wonderful degree. The Confederates, on the other 
 hand, had lost faith in Early's leadership and in 
 themselves in a direct ratio as the Union troops had 
 gained confidence in the generalship of their com- 
 mander. Confidence, or the want of it, are things 
 that must be reckoned with in an army, as much as 
 guns and bayonets. 
 
 While Sheridan was viewing the Confederate lines, 
 he found them occupying an eminence called Flint Hill 
 on the north, or what might be called the Union side, 
 of Tumbling Brook. " We must have that hill," he 
 said, " and put some guns there." It was a good 
 point for observation, as well as a good place for his 
 artillery. In any case, it would not do to leave the 
 enemy in possession of so formidable a place on the 
 north side of the Run. A part of Warner's brigade 
 of the Sixth Corps was ordered to attack the position, 
 but the enemy also understood its importance and de- 
 fended it so stubbornly that the first attack failed. 
 Then the whole of Warner's brigade, composed of 
 stalwart Vermonters, among the bravest and most 
 tenacious fighters of the army, went to the attack. 
 They advanced to the assault at about sundown and 
 drove the Confederates from the hill, but not without 
 a loss amounting to more than the total of the casual- 
 ties of the army on the morrow. 
 
 That night the position so gallantly won was 
 heavily intrenched on the front of the hill curving to 
 the rear. When morning dawned the Confederates 
 were, from this position, in plain view a half mile 
 
196 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 across Tumbling Brook. In a short time Sheridan, and 
 some of his generals, among them Crook and Wright, 
 rode up with their staffs and orderlies. Here a tele- 
 scope was put in place on a tripod and the country was 
 examined right and left. After Crook had taken a 
 survey of the country, he held a hurried conversa- 
 tion with Sheridan and rode off to execute the task 
 which Sheridan had given him, — a task which the 
 reader will soon see was the most important one of 
 the day. 
 
 After the other generals had left, Sheridan was still 
 examining through his powerful glass the enemy's 
 lines, and he was heard to say to his staff, " I'll get 
 'em! I am going to get a twist on 'em! " and utter 
 other confident expressions. But how was he going 
 to do it? Neither by a desperate assault in front nor 
 by gradual approach was it to be attempted; but the 
 Union general was resolved on turning the left flank 
 of the enemy, posted at the formidable hill that we 
 have already viewed. But how was this to be accom- 
 plished? It must be a secret move, and how was this 
 to be made, when the Confederates, from a hill just 
 in their rear which was a natural watch-tower, could 
 see every part of the Union lines and the roads and 
 turnpikes as far as Winchester, except the woods that 
 here and there concealed or masked the ground. Gen- 
 eral Crook, to whom the task had been intrusted, had 
 concealed his men in these woods and then, when 
 Sheridan gave the command, had moved silently and 
 secretly to his work of turning the flank of the Con- 
 federates on yonder distant and difficult mountain. 
 
THE ASSAULT ON FLINT HILL. 
 
THE BATTLE OF FISHER'S HILL 197 
 
 While Crook is on his circuitous route to strike 
 their flank, let us see what Sheridan is doing to en- 
 gage the attention of the Confederates. He began 
 by moving his men by degrees further to his right, 
 placing Ricketts' division of the Sixth corps on the 
 extreme right, hardly a half mile from the enemy's 
 lines. This division swept over the ground in grand 
 display, driving before it the enemy's skirmishers and 
 halting at an oblique angle to the general line. This 
 occupied the instant and concentrated attention of the 
 Confederates, who began with renewed energy throw- 
 ing up stronger defenses to resist from this quarter 
 an expected flanking attack. They believed this to be 
 Sheridan's extreme right flank and supposing that 
 Ricketts' was the turning column, neglected to ob- 
 serve the vital point to which Crook was secretly mov- 
 ing. Still further to carry this conviction to the 
 enemy, Sheridan had directed -Averill to picket his 
 cavalry on a bare hill near by, as though they were 
 so placed in order to take part in such a movement. 
 
 Many of the Union soldiers had now become aware 
 of what was contemplated by Sheridan. They could 
 catch an occasional glimpse of flashing muskets in the 
 woods that masked Crook's line of march as it pursued 
 its long, circuitous journey. The march was made 
 with admirable stillness and secrecy, and every pre- 
 caution was taken to keep out of sight and hearing of 
 the ordinarily watchful Confederates. During the 
 night they marched by road or open fields, but by day 
 they were kept in concealing woods. 
 
 It was near sundown when Crook's men had 
 
198 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 climbed the steep hill and reached the right position. 
 Then, like an avalanche, they swooped down on the 
 unsuspecting Confederates and were upon them, over 
 their works, in their rear, and on their flank before 
 they realized what had happened. It was as surprising 
 and sudden to them as lightning from a cloudless sky. 
 On Crook swept, without pause and with resistless 
 vigor, upon defenses that, but a moment before it had 
 been believed impossible to reach. 
 
 As Crook's men swept down like an eagle from 
 some mountain height, taking the intrenched lines of 
 the Confederates, Ricketts, driving the astounded 
 enemy before him, joined his lines with those of Crook 
 to complete the turning movement. Then the whole 
 Union line, taking advantage of the paralyzing effects 
 of the movement, swept across Tumbling Brook, up 
 the steep hills, over rocks and fallen trees and en- 
 tangling impediments that it would have seemed mad- 
 ness to attempt but an hour before, driving the 
 Confederates from their intrenchments in disorderly 
 rout. Sheridan and his staff were all along the line 
 urging on the pursuit, shouting, "Go on ! Go on ! 
 Forward men! If you can't run, yell at the top of 
 your voices ! " And on they went, with a headlong 
 rush impossible to describe, but which readers can 
 imagine if they recognize the exaltation of men under 
 the excitement of a great success, when almost im- 
 possible obstacles are overcome. 
 
 " My whole force," said General Early in his re- 
 port to Lee, " retired in considerable confusion." If 
 he had said " consternation " it would have described 
 
THE BATTLE OF FISHER'S HILL 199 
 
 their flight more accurately. Nor were these brave 
 Confederates greatly to blame; for soldiers, suddenly 
 attacked on the flank without time to make new dispo- 
 sitions, can make little resistance; they are driven into 
 masses and cannot fire without shooting each other. 
 Sheridan had counted on the effect that the sudden 
 appearance of Crook on their flank would have on 
 troops that had been recently defeated, as the Confed- 
 erates were a few days before at Opequan. The at- 
 tack was a wedge which, when driven home, shattered 
 and scattered the enemy in consternation and defeat. 
 Before darkness came all the positions held by the 
 Confederates but an hour before were captured, and 
 with them sixty cannon, a thousand prisoners, and 
 many battle flags. 
 
 The Confederates fled under cover of darkness four 
 miles beyond Woodstock, Sheridan pursuing all night 
 with his cavalry. Torbett, who had been left, as we 
 have before said, in Luray Valley for the purpose of 
 cutting off the enemy's retreat, not knowing that the 
 Confederates had been defeated at Fisher's Hill, did 
 not act with spirit or promptness. Finding the enemy 
 in a strong defensive position at Mil ford, he did not 
 succeed in driving them from their intrenchments, and 
 so that part of Sheridan's plan failed. 
 
 It was not until the afternoon of the 23d that Tor- 
 bett learned of Sheridan's victory at Fisher's Hill and 
 got instructions to march up the Luray Valley. Had 
 he moved on the 226. through Massanutton Gap, he 
 would have been in the rear of the enemy when they 
 were retreating after their defeat. But Early had 
 
200 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 guarded against this by placing Wickham's force in 
 such a strong defensive position that Torbett did not 
 think it prudent to attack. If he had executed his 
 part of the plan that Sheridan had made, the whole 
 Confederate army would have been captured or de- 
 stroyed. 
 
 Sheridan's loss in this battle, by which he captured 
 the strongest position in the Valley, was scarcely four 
 hundred men. 
 
 During the night following the battle Sheridan 
 found time to write Grant : " I have the honor to an- 
 nounce that I have achieved a signal victory over the 
 army of General Early at Fisher's Hill to-day. I 
 found the rebel army posted with his right resting on 
 the north fork of the Shenandoah and extending 
 along the Strasburg Valley west towards the North 
 Mountain, occupying a position which appeared almost 
 impregnable. After a good deal of maneuvering dur- 
 ing the day, General Crook's command was trans- 
 ferred to the extreme right of the line on North Moun- 
 tain, and then furiously attacked the left of the 
 enemy's line, carrying everything before him. While 
 Crook was driving the enemy, .... sweeping 
 down behind their breastworks, the Sixth and Nine- 
 teenth corps attacked the rebel works in front, and 
 the whole army appeared to be broken up ... . 
 . . Only darkness has saved the whole of Early's 
 army from total destruction." 
 
 The wonderful day at Fisher's Hill is one of the 
 most brilliant victories of Sheridan. To the thinking 
 old soldiers who participated in this campaign, its 
 
THE BATTLE OF FISHER'S HILL 201 
 
 careful, well-considered plan showed more military 
 genius than any of his other battles in the Valley. 
 For several days they had faced the Confederate in- 
 trenchments, wondering if it were possible to dislodge 
 the enemy from so formidable a position; and to see 
 it done without great loss commanded their admira- 
 tion. They have always applauded this victory, for 
 they could understand its difficulties. The plan was 
 matured in a short time and was as original as it was 
 effective. 
 
 To show that I do not exaggerate this victory, I will 
 quote from General Wright's report : " The annals 
 of the war present, perhaps, no more glorious victory 
 than this. The enemy's lines, chosen in an almost 
 impregnable position and fortified with much care, 
 have been most gallantly carried by assault, capturing 
 most of his artillery, a large number of prisoners, and 
 sending his army on the run in the most disorderly 
 manner, — and all this from the impetuosity of the at- 
 tack, with an absurdly small loss on our part." 
 The battle was in keeping with Sheridan's general 
 principles in fighting; that is, to achieve as great re- 
 sults as possible with as little loss of life. 
 
 This battle is but little dwelt upon by historians be- 
 cause there were so few losses; but this we consider 
 its greatest glory. The overwhelming victory of 
 Fisher's Hill was the result of great generalship rather 
 than of stubborn fighting at the expense of human life. 
 It proved that Sheridan was not only an impetuous 
 fighter, and the impersonation of warlike energy, but 
 that he was also versed in tactics and strategy, and 
 
202 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 with a fiery zeal controlled by unusual discretion. The 
 enemy, hitherto deemed almost invincible in their tac- 
 tics in the Valley, were broken almost as much in spirit 
 as in their ranks; while the reverse was true of the 
 Union army, which had been converted to the belief 
 that General Sheridan was an invincible commander 
 of men, who was to be followed and obeyed implicitly. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 LAYING WASTE THE VALLEY 
 
 On the morning of September 23, after a night's 
 pursuit urged on with fiery zeal by Sheridan, the ad- 
 vance of the Union army was halted at Woodstock, 
 twelve miles from Strasburg. A supply train, reach- 
 ing there almost as soon as the infantry, was wel- 
 comed by the soldiers as one more proof of Sheri- 
 dan's thoughtful care for their comfort. While rest- 
 ing his troops here he learned with surprise that 
 Averill, commanding one of his cavalry divisions, had 
 taken no part in following up the enemy. When at 
 about noon that general came up, the chief sent him 
 forward to assist Deven, who with great spirit had 
 with his cavalry attacked the enemy at Mount Jackson 
 and driven him from his position. 
 
 As Averill, even under these advantageous condi- 
 tions, failed to accomplish anything and was about to 
 retire from the Confederate front, Sheridan was in- 
 dignant and sent him this characteristic message : " I 
 do not want you to let the enemy bluff you or your 
 command, and I want you distinctly to understand this 
 note. I do not advise rashness, but I do desire resolu- 
 tion and actual fighting." Even this drastic reproof 
 had no effect; and when, a short time afterwards, 
 
 203 
 
204 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Sheridan learned that Averill had actually withdrawn 
 his men from the front and gone into camp, he re- 
 lieved him from his command, appointing Colonel W. 
 H. Powell in his place. This failure of Averill's to 
 attack Early gave the latter valuable time in which to 
 collect his scattered forces. 
 
 Sheridan could not tolerate officers who were dila- 
 tory, and whose failures to move with spirit endan- 
 gered success. He understood, better than most gen- 
 erals, the value of time in campaigning; he wanted 
 prompt action on the part of his generals and, so far 
 as it was in his power, would have it. It was this dis- 
 position, as we shall see in coming pages, which led 
 him to relieve General Warren from his command in 
 the final campaign that ended at Appomattox. A sol- 
 dier must act instantly and often must give vehement 
 impulse to action, if he would succeed, and to this 
 marked characteristic of Sheridan's must be attrib- 
 uted not a little of his success. 
 
 Sheridan was now not simply trying to defeat, but to 
 capture, Early's army. He had for this purpose or- 
 dered Torbett to advance in such a way as to bring 
 him in the rear of Early. A few miles beyond Mount 
 Jackson, Early had deployed his army in a strong po- 
 sition, and a little way beyond his lines could be seen 
 the road, winding down the mountain, by which Tor- 
 bett had been ordered to come from the Luray Valley 
 to take the Confederates in the rear. But after the 
 enemy had passed Newmarket, all hopes that Torbett 
 would get in their rear was abandoned. 
 
 Early left the Valley pike and took the road to 
 
LAYING WASTE THE VALLEY 205 
 
 Keezletown, — a road that not only facilitated his 
 junction with reinforcements expected from Lee, but 
 which, by a rugged ridge that rose on one side of the 
 road, gave his flanks protection. At Brown's Gap he 
 halted to await the arrival of Kershaw's infantry and 
 Cuttshaw's artillery, which had been ordered to rejoin 
 him. He was joined the next morning by his cavalry 
 from the Luray Valley, also Lomax's from Harrison- 
 burg. His whole army then fell back, and by the 
 morning of the 25th wholly disappeared from the 
 Union front. 
 
 During the day several prisoners were captured, 
 among whom Sheridan recognized a former comrade 
 who had served with him as a lieutenant in Washing- 
 ton Territory. The poor fellow was hungry, worn, 
 and discouraged. For the sake of the comradeship of 
 other days the general took him to his headquarters, 
 fed him well, and made him comfortable until a batch 
 of prisoners was sent to the rear, when he was sent 
 with them. 
 
 When the Sixth and Nineteenth corps reached Har- 
 risonburg, they encamped; while the cavalry, with the 
 exception of Merritt, who was sent to Port Republic, 
 went forward to Waynesboro by way of Stanton to 
 destroy the railroad bridge. They had succeeded in 
 its partial destruction when they were attacked by 
 Wickham's cavalry and a Confederate division of in- 
 fantry. This caused them to fall back to Spring Hill, 
 destroying supplies and gathering in cattle as they 
 marched. About this time Merritt's cavalry ran into 
 Kershaw's division, that was on its way to join Early, 
 
206 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 and being sharply attacked, retreated to Cross 
 Keys. 
 
 It was near Harrisonburg that Sheridan's engineer 
 officer, Lieutenant Meigs, was murdered while out 
 with two assistants making a survey. Riding along 
 the road, Meigs overtook two men dressed in the uni- 
 form of Federal soldiers. Not suspecting that they 
 were otherwise than what their dress indicated, for 
 they were within a mile of Sheridan's headquarters, 
 he rode along with them until they suddenly turned 
 upon him and killed him without giving him a chance 
 to surrender, or without resistance of any kind. One 
 of his assistants made his escape and reported the 
 facts to Sheridan. Ever since the Union army had 
 come into the Valley every train or isolated guard had 
 been bushwhacked by the people, and Sheridan now 
 determined to teach them a lesson that would end 
 the practise. The fact that this murder was com- 
 mitted within his lines was evidence that the murder- 
 ers had their homes there, or that they had been har- 
 bored by the people, and so he ordered all the houses 
 within a circuit of five miles to be burned. After a 
 few houses near the place of the murder had been 
 burned, however, he countermanded the order. Such 
 orders may seem cruel ; but a general must protect his 
 soldiers, and to Sheridan it was evident these men 
 were Confederates who had been on a secret visit to 
 their homes or to friends in that neighborhood and it 
 was these facts that prompted him to take the stern 
 measures recorded. 
 
 While at Harrisonburg, Sheridan determined it 
 
LAYING WASTE THE VALLEY 207 
 
 would not be good policy to pursue Early beyond the 
 Blue Ridge into Eastern Virginia, although Grant ad- 
 vised this should be done. Sheridan with his usual pru- 
 dence, argued that such a move would include the re- 
 building the Orange and Alexandria Railroad; that 
 many men must be left to guard this road from raids 
 and to keep it in operation; that another large force 
 must be left in the Valley to guard the Baltimore and 
 Ohio Road; and that so many men left for special 
 duty would so weaken his army as to defeat their 
 main object. For these reasons he thought the project 
 of following Early beyond the Blue Ridge not a wise 
 one, and said so emphatically. 
 
 Sheridan never quarreled with his superiors, — ex- 
 cept in the instance we have given of his misunder- 
 standing with Meade, — but he always gave his opin- 
 ions boldly and then let the decision rest with his com- 
 mander. He wrote to Grant that he thought the cam- 
 paign should end by destroying all provisions that 
 would invite a return of the Confederate army, and 
 then that he should unite his forces with the main 
 army before Petersburg. 
 
 Grant, while seeing the force of Sheridan's views, 
 was affected by considerations outside of purely mili- 
 tary ones. A pressure of public sentiment at the North 
 was one of these, as well as the wishes of those in con- 
 trol at Washington. But finally, as Sheridan was on 
 the spot, and because Grant had confidence in the 
 soundness of the general's judgment, he left him to 
 decide what it was best to do. 
 
 On the 6th of October Sheridan began his return 
 
208 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN, 
 
 march down the Valley with his cavalry, following 
 his infantry, stretched from the Blue Ridge to North 
 Mountain, burning mills, crops, and barns, but sparing 
 dwellings. Clouds of smoke, filling the air from 
 mountain to mountain, told that the whole country 
 was being made a waste and untenable for the Con- 
 federate army, which had hitherto drawn so much of 
 its subsistence from this fertile region. 
 
 Early had, meanwhile, been reinforced by Lee, so 
 that his army was stronger than at any time since the 
 battle at Winchester. He had been told by the Con- 
 federate commander-in-chief that he must if possible, 
 defeat Sheridan, and his desire to retrieve his own repu- 
 tation made him alert. So, when he saw that Sheridan 
 was marching down the Valley, he followed in pursuit. 
 Remember that " down the valley " was northward. 
 
 No enemy was seen by the Union army, but the ques- 
 tion of supplies had become quite serious. There was 
 not transportation enough in the Department to con- 
 vey full supplies to them at so great a distance from 
 their base, and guerillas were attacking every train 
 that passed to them through the Valley. 
 
 A new Southern cavalry leader, General Rosser, 
 who had had some successes elsewhere, had come 
 from Richmond, ambitious to distinguish himself. He 
 and his followers had been decorated with laurels at 
 Richmond and were styled the "Laureled Brigade." 
 Great things were expected of them, and they pro- 
 claimed Rosser as the " Saviour of the Valley." The 
 rear of Sheridan's army was soon attacked and har- 
 assed by them, and Sheridan, somewhat annoyed by 
 
LAYING WASTE THE VALLEY 209 
 
 their audacity, called a halt of his army to finish off 
 this new Confederate hero. He said to General Tor- 
 bett, " I want you to go in and whip this blusterer, or 
 get whipped; and I am going to stay and see you do 
 it." 
 
 A spirited fight took place. The country being open 
 and favorable to cavalry evolutions, the combatants 
 fought on horseback and with the saber. At first the 
 " Laureled Brigade " met their foe with great stub- 
 bornness and courage ; but finally they gave way, right 
 and left, and fled with ridiculous haste, so that even 
 the Southerners were afterwards known to refer to 
 that battle (Tom's Creek) as the " Woodstock Races," 
 and to joke about Rosser s somewhat rapid and in- 
 glorious flight. Of this battle Torbett reported, " The 
 cavalry covered themselves with glory, and added to 
 their long list of victories the most brilliant one of 
 them all, and the most decisive the country ever saw." 
 Three hundred and thirty prisoners and eleven cavalry 
 guns were captured and about " everything the rebels 
 had on wheels," including ambulances, caissons, and 
 the headquarters' wagons of all the generals. 
 
 In his letter to Grant, reporting this battle, Sheridan 
 said : " I directed Torbett to attack at daylight this 
 morning and finish this ' Saviour of the Valley.' The 
 enemy . . . broke and ran; they were followed by 
 our men on the jump twenty-six miles through Mount 
 Jackson and across the North Fork of the Shenan- 
 doah. I deemed it best to make this delay of one day 
 and settle this new cavalry leader." Some of the 
 horse artillery that was captured was fresh from the 
 
210 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 foundry at Richmond, and some wag had labeled it, 
 " To General Sheridan, care of General Early." 
 
 The moral effect of the battle of Tom's Creek was 
 very great; it broke the spirit of the Confederate cav- 
 alry in the Valley, and influenced the fighting of the 
 cavalry in Lee's army in the final campaign in a marked 
 degree. The battle also had its effects on the action 
 of the Union cavalry at Cedar Creek, where it showed 
 great staunchness and spirit. 
 
 On the ioth Sheridan continued his march until he 
 reached the north side of Cedar Creek, where he went 
 into camp. He soon started to send back the Sixth 
 Corps to Grant, but believing that Early intended to 
 attack him, he recalled it to Cedar Creek. 
 
 On the 13th of October Sheridan received the fol- 
 lowing dispatch from Secretary of War Stanton: " If 
 you can come here, a consultation on several points is 
 extremely desirable. I propose to visit General Grant, 
 and would like to see you first." Sheridan was getting 
 ready to attack Early, as the enemy had again ap- 
 peared in his front in full strength and had attacked a 
 force which he had sent out towards Strasburg. He 
 thought it best, however, to defer making an attack 
 until he had been to Washington for the conference 
 requested by the Secretary of War and had reached 
 an understanding as to his future operations. 
 
 When on his way to Washington, Sheridan received 
 a message from General Wright, who had been left in 
 command of the army, enclosing the following dis- 
 patch which had been read from the Confederate sig- 
 nals at Three Top Mountain : " To General Early : 
 
LAYING WASTE THE VALLEY 211 
 
 Be ready to move as soon as my forces join you. 
 Longstreet, Lieutenant-General." Sheridan believed 
 this to be a false signal, but with his usual prudence he 
 ordered Wright to draw in the cavalry and to be ready 
 for an attack. What happened during his absence will 
 appear in the coming chapter. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK AND SHERIDAN'S RIDE 
 
 Perhaps the most wonderful battle of the Civil 
 War, if not in all history, was the battle of Cedar 
 Creek. It is of this battle that I am about to write, 
 showing how the Union army met with a terrible de- 
 feat in the morning, which in the afternoon, by the ar- 
 rival of General Sheridan, was turned to a glorious 
 victory. 
 
 When Sheridan left on his trip to Washington, his 
 army was encamped on the left bank of Cedar Creek 
 near where it joins the Shenandoah River. The water 
 at that time was so low that both river and creek could 
 be crossed by wading. The Confederate army occu- 
 pied its old position at Fisher's Hill. From his natural 
 watch tower at Three Top, Early could view Sheri- 
 dan's army as though spread out on a map before 
 him, and could study all its alignments. His army 
 had been recruited and reinforced from Richmond by 
 more than five thousand men. When sending him 
 these men Lee had said, " The enemy must be de- 
 feated, and I depend upon you to do it." 
 
 Meanwhile the provisions for Early's army were 
 running low, and as he could not, as in former times, 
 feed his army from the Shenandoah Valley, he had 
 either to fight or to retreat up the Valley again. TT- 
 
 212 
 
CEDAR CREEK AND SHERIDAN'S RIDE 213 
 
 was an able and brave soldier and naturally chose the 
 former course. 
 
 From his watch tower he discovered that Sheridan's 
 left flank was but lightly picketed. The difficulties, 
 however, of getting around that flank were very great. 
 It was protected by the Shenandoah River, and at this 
 point the mountain rises precipitously and the river 
 hugs closely around it, with only a narrow, rugged 
 pathway between the cliff and the river. The river 
 had to be crossed twice in order to reach his enemy's 
 flank. Yet notwithstanding these difficulties he 
 planned to accomplish the feat. 
 
 Leaving behind them their swords and canteens and 
 every other thing that could make a clinking sound to 
 betray their march, at half -past three in the morning 
 the Confederates came in sight of the Union camp 
 fires. By moonlight, while the Union army slum- 
 bered, they crept stealthily along the base of Mas- 
 sanutton Mountain to gain Sheridan's rear. They 
 had left behind them forty pieces of artillery, to be 
 rushed down the pike at a given signal. Everything 
 seemed to favor their success. As though to shield the 
 Confederates that she had so far lighted on their 
 way, the moon veiled herself behind a misty cloud as 
 they neared the Union flank and gained the position 
 from which to attack. 
 
 The surprise was complete. As the Confederates 
 under Gordon swept away the Union pickets, with a 
 crackle of rifle shots, the Union soldiers rushed from 
 their tents to see what was the matter just as the 
 enemy came through the mist like an army of ghosts 
 
214 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 and with wild, exulting yells drove everything before 
 them. Then, as soon as the success of this flank at- 
 tack was assured, Early with the rest of his army 
 crossed Cedar Creek and atacked the Union army on 
 the right, while the artillery swept down and joined in 
 the uproar of musketry and drove the Union lines in 
 disorder. Attacked on flank and front and rear, the 
 soldiers of Sheridan's army could not fight, for they 
 were driven into confused masses upon each other. 
 They were too old in the business of soldiering not to 
 know that the best thing for them to do was to get 
 away. Except here and there, they got no chance to 
 rally and resist the impetuous attack. They fled, for 
 it was madness to resist, or attempt to resist, until the 
 ranks could be re-formed. 
 
 General Wright, roused by the uproar, attempted to 
 form a line to hold them back, only to see it swept 
 away again, as Gordon with his three Confederate 
 brigades came thundering like phantom soldiers from 
 out the cloudlike mists on flank and rear. Crook's 
 corps first broke and drifted away in flight. This left 
 the Nineteenth Corps uncovered, and they, though still 
 resisting, soon followed. The heroic Sixth Corps, 
 farther in the rear, found time to fall back with some 
 semblance of order, Getty's staunch Vermonters stem- 
 ming the torrent and keeping up their formations and 
 partially keeping the Confederates in check in their 
 front. 
 
 Three hours passed; the Union army had been 
 driven back over four miles. General Ricketts had 
 thrown forward the Sixth Corps at right angles to its 
 
CEDAR CREEK AND SHERIDAN'S RIDE 215 
 
 former position to cover the retreat. The enemy, 
 meanwhile, was endeavoring to cut off the Union 
 army from its line of retreat in order to destroy it in 
 detail. 
 
 The mists had now drifted away, so that the Union 
 generals could view the field and judge what the enemy 
 were doing and what they themselves could do. The 
 sight was not reassuring; the army was being steadily 
 driven back. Still, there were some successful at- 
 tempts to stem the tide of disaster. Take courage, 
 brave men, for Sheridan — a host in himself — is com- 
 ing up from Winchester ! 
 
 After his interview with the Secretary of War on 
 the afternoon of October 18, Sheridan returned from 
 Washington on a special train. He arrived at Win- 
 chester in the afternoon, and thinking that nothing 
 special called him to the front that night, looked over 
 the ground around the town with his engineer officer, 
 with a view to putting it in a condition of defense, so 
 that it could be held by a small number of men. He 
 then went to bed for the night. 
 
 Early in the morning, before he was up, the officer 
 of the pickets around Winchester came to his room 
 to inform him that there was artillery firing in the 
 direction of Cedar Creek. 
 
 " Is it a continuous fire? " inquired Sheridan. 
 
 " No, it is not a sustained fire," replied the officer. 
 
 " That's all right, then," said Sheridan. " It's prob- 
 ably Granger making a reconnaissance." He tried to 
 get another nap, but he could not sleep. 
 
 Then the officer came again, saying that the firing 
 
216 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 at the front could be heard more distinctly, but that 
 it was not continuous. 
 
 " It's all right," said Sheridan again. " It is Gran- 
 ger banging away to find out what the rebs are up to." 
 Feeling uneasy, he went down to an early breakfast, 
 at the same time ordering his black horse, Rienzi, to 
 be groomed and saddled ready to mount. 
 
 It was half-past nine o'clock as he rode through 
 Winchester on his way to his army. As he passed 
 through the town he noticed that the rebel women of 
 the place made insulting gestures. He thought little 
 of this, for he knew that they did not love him. He 
 halted for a moment, with his ear down to his saddle. 
 The sound was now unmistakable ; it was nearing him, 
 and there was a continuous roar of cannon. He then 
 knew that the women of Winchester had in some in- 
 definable way got intelligence which to them was 
 " good news," which he had not received. Did that 
 mean defeat and disaster to his army? 
 
 He rode now at a tremendous pace until he reached 
 the top of a hill just beyond Abraham's Creek, when 
 there burst upon his vision a sight that made even his 
 brave heart almost stand still. It was the unmistakable 
 signs of a beaten and retreating army. There were 
 wounded men, stragglers, baggage wagons, ambu- 
 lances, crowding the road in confusion, all hastening 
 towards Winchester. 
 
 He considered for a moment what it was best to 
 do. He decided with a flash of inspiration. It was 
 to ride to the front, re-form his army, and fight it out, 
 sharing the fate of his men, who had fought so 
 
CEDAR CREEK AND SHERIDAN'S RIDE 217 
 
 gallantly under his command. With this resolution, 
 first ordering the commander of the infantry at Win- 
 chester to stretch a guard across the road to stop the 
 fugitives, he urged forward his horse at the top of 
 his speed, halting a moment among the crowd of 
 stragglers and wounded to inquire, " What has hap- 
 pened, men ? " " The army," they replied, " is all 
 smashed to pieces ! " 
 
 " Face the other way! " said Sheridan; " we'll get a 
 a twist on them yet ! " 
 
 At the sound of his voice their apathetic faces lit 
 up; they did face the other way, with hurrahs and 
 exclamations of delight. Then, ordering the baggage 
 wagons to be parked by the roadside, he and his escort 
 rode on at a swinging pace. The crowd of stragglers, 
 wounded men, and baggage wagons grew thicker and 
 thicker, so that he was obliged to take to the fields. 
 To every group he swung his cap and called out, 
 " Face the other way, men ; we are going to get a 
 twist on the rebs ! We are going back to our camps ! " 
 
 The men began to cheer. Their faces lighted up 
 with confidence. The current that had been drifting 
 to the rear was seen moving to the front. Hope and 
 enthusiasm had taken the place of despondency and 
 listlessness ; or, as Sheridan afterwards phrased it, 
 " Men who, on reflection, found that they had not 
 done themselves justice, came back with cheers." 
 
 On reaching still nearer the front, among the drift- 
 ing masses of his army, he was greeted with a tempest 
 of cheers, and word ran through the masses, " Sher- 
 idan is here." His eyes gleaming with eager con- 
 
218 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 fidence, he called out to them as he swung his hat : 
 " Get into line, men ! We are going back to our 
 camps ! Face the other way, men ! " Enthusiasm in 
 place of discouragement began to shine in the men's 
 faces as they shouldered their muskets and turned 
 back, shouting, " Hurrah for little Phil ! Hurrah ! 
 Hurrah ! Hurrah ! " and marched back to the field from 
 which they had fled. 
 
 On Sheridan rode with terrible speed, his black 
 horse flecked with foam, with nostrils distended, seem- 
 ing to understand the necessity for its very best 
 efforts. 
 
 The first officer he met was General Wright. " My 
 God, Sheridan," he exclaimed : " Oh ! I am glad you 
 have come!" After a few words with Wright the 
 general sped on to the farthest front, where, galloping 
 around a line of ambulances, he drew rein on a slight 
 hill in full view of the battle-field. It was a terrible 
 sight for the commander of an army. On the road 
 and in the fields was a wreck of material : artillery, 
 caissons, ammunition trains, broken wagons, stretcher 
 bearers, cavalrymen with led horses, — in fact, all the 
 signs of a badly defeated army. It took a clear head 
 and a stout heart to plan and think under such dispirit- 
 ing conditions. 
 
 The general rode to a division of infantry formed 
 on a hillside. They were Getty's Vermonters, whose 
 staunchness had been tested in many battles. The flags 
 were flying on their front, and near them was a battery 
 engaged in a savage duel with a battery of the enemy's. 
 Further to the right, across a little valley, was a larger 
 
CEDAR CREEK AND SHERIDAN'S RIDE 219 
 
 force upon a hillside facing the enemy. There was 
 a pause just then on the part of the Confederates, for 
 an army becomes disorganized in pursuit as well as in 
 defeat, and they were straightening out their lines, to 
 finish the Yankee army with a final knockout blow. 
 It took time to make their formations for the finishing 
 attack which they believed themselves about to deliver. 
 
 Sheridan turned to a member of his staff who was 
 with him and, pointing, said, " Go there to that 
 skirmish line and report the condition to me as soon as 
 possible." He then rode over to Getty's men, and 
 was greeted with a tumult of cheers. From all along 
 the line numerous flags were waved that did not belong 
 to Getty's division. The brave color bearers of other 
 regiments had stopped here when the men had de- 
 serted them. He was greeted by them with joyous 
 and repeated cheers and waving of the flags. 
 
 The member of his staff who had been sent to the 
 skirmish line came up and reported, " Colonel Lowell 
 says he can hold the line where he is forty minutes, 
 and will try to hold it longer if need be." " Go to the 
 right," said Sheridan, " and find the other two divi- 
 sions of the Sixth Corps and have them come in on 
 the right of Getty. See General Emory, and have him 
 bring up what is left of the Nineteenth Corps." 
 Then, hesitating, he sprang to his saddle, saying, " I 
 will go with you." 
 
 General Emory was found about a mile away with 
 his force on a hillside, partly protected by a ledge, his 
 troops thinned but not disorganized. Forsyth came 
 to Sheridan and reported, " General Emory thinks 
 
220 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 that he is in a good position to attack the enemy s flank, 
 should they advance on the Sixth Corps, and that you 
 may wish to have them remain where they are." 
 
 " Go back and say to General Emory, he must 
 bring up his men at once; don't lose a moment! " 
 
 The line was formed under Sheridan's direction, 
 and a group of officers gathered around him, among 
 them two who were afterwards Presidents of the 
 United States, — Lieutenant William McKinley and 
 General Rutherford B. Hayes. It was suggested that 
 Sheridan should ride down the line to let all the men 
 know that he had returned to his army. At first he 
 said no; but, being urged, he rode in front of the battle 
 line from one end to the other. One glance at his 
 cofident, inspiring face and at the black horse that 
 bore him was enough; the soldiers knew that their 
 commander whom they loved and trusted was with 
 them. Cheers, loud and joyful, ran down the line 
 as at a tremendous pace he rode along the ranks to 
 reassure his men. " We are going back to our camp, 
 men! Never fear; we are going to whip them out of 
 their boots ! " he repeated. 
 
 At that time it was twelve o'clock or later. The 
 men had been fighting or marching since early morn- 
 ing, with little or nothing to eat. As soon as the 
 skirmishers were formed they were commanded to rest 
 in place. The rest was short. The Nineteenth Corps 
 was formed in the edge of a wood. The rustling 
 in the woods soon gave warning that the enemy was 
 advancing to attack. Then the sharp snap, snap, crack, 
 crack, of musketry and the long gray line, with 
 
lflV6 AUWAV3 
 
 oil •'"^•fc 
 
CEDAR CREEK AND SHERIDAN'S RIDE 221 
 
 a rushing sound, swept through the wood with con- 
 fident step. With a long-drawn-out, piercing yell they 
 delivered a volley and rushed forward. The blue 
 line crackled and a flame of fire came from the whole 
 line of rifles. The fire of the Confederates slackened, 
 then grew fainter, until it died away. They had 
 fallen back. A tumult of cheers burst from the throats 
 of the Union soldiers when they knew that they had 
 repulsed this first attempt of the enemy on their newly 
 formed line. 
 
 While re-forming his lines Sheridan had received 
 a report that Confederate troops were coming up in 
 his rear from the Front Royal pike, and was waiting 
 to find whether or not the report was true. Mean- 
 while, every moment, the line was being strengthened. 
 One by one tired men came up from the rear and 
 dropped down into line by the side of their comrades. 
 In addition to these, two thousand of different regi- 
 ments had been got together and placed under the 
 command of General Crook. 
 
 It was three o'clock in the afternoon when the 
 orders came to move forward. The Sixth was ordered 
 to attack at once, and the Nineteenth Corps was to 
 keep well closed up on the Sixth. All of Crook's 
 forces and Merritt's cavalry were on the left of the 
 pike, while Custer covered the right flank with his 
 cavalry. The right division of the Nineteenth Corps 
 was ordered to outflank the enemy and wheel towards 
 the pike. 
 
 The tidings that Sheridan was going to " get a twist 
 on the rebs " ran through the line like electricity. The 
 
222 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 despondency of the morning had given place to con- 
 fidence; hope and enthusiasm shone in every face. 
 The men pulled down the visors of their caps as though 
 about to breast a storm and were ready for their 
 best. 
 
 Then came the orders : " Attention ! Shoulder 
 arms! Guide left." And then, with long-drawn-out 
 emphasis, came the command, " Forward — left — left,'' 
 and the whole line swept forward like a mighty wave. 
 Then, as they encountered the enemy, a crackling fire 
 ran along the line. "Forward. Forward, men! 
 Forward! " came the commands, all along the ranks. 
 As they met a staggering fire of musketry from the 
 enemy that left a trail of dead and wounded behind 
 them, there was heard the command, "Steady, men! 
 Steady!" Then, "Fire!" A volley at short range 
 burst from the line of blue ! " Keep it up, men ! 
 Give it to them ! Don't let up on them ! " and similar 
 inspiriting commands were heard all along the Union 
 lines. There was no need for encouraging commands, 
 for the men were terribly in earnest; they wanted re- 
 venge for the morning's defeat. The Confederate 
 fire slackened, and then died away. Cheers loud and 
 triumphant ran down the line; for they had repulsed 
 the enemy that but a few hours before was in the full 
 tide of victory. 
 
 Sheridan's army was now well together in the order 
 named : Wright on the left, Emory on the right, Custer 
 and Merritt on the right and left flanks. Sheridan 
 was not satisfied simply to repulse the enemy; he in- 
 tended to overwhelm him. He had promised his men 
 
CEDAR CREEK AND SHERIDAN'S RIDE 223 
 
 that they were going back to their camps, and he 
 intended to keep his promise. Early was prepared for 
 vigorous resistance. He was behind breastworks 
 thrown up in his front, and stubbornly resisted the 
 attack, especially in front of the Nineteenth Corps. 
 
 The latter's flank, which was overlapping the Union 
 right, was charged at a weak spot by a brigade of 
 cavalry. It was broken and melted away amid a tu- 
 mult of musketry fire. Wright's corps sprang for- 
 ward, driving the Confederates before them; Merritt's 
 cavalry charged, driving them through Middletown in 
 confusion. The refluent wave of battle was resistless. 
 The Confederate line of battle went to pieces in a con- 
 fused and disorderly rout, with the triumphant soldiers 
 of Sheridan's army pursuing. 
 
 Sheridan's infantry halted at their old camp, whence 
 they had been so unexpectedly driven in the morn- 
 ing; while the cavalry pursued to Hupp's Hill, where 
 a broken bridge blocked the road. Here they gathered 
 a great harvest of guns, wagons, and material of all 
 kinds. All the cannon that had been abandoned in the 
 morning were recaptured, besides twenty-two other 
 guns and one thousand five hundred prisoners, which 
 fully made up for those lost in the morning's surprise. 
 
 With this defeat, all operations in the Shenandoah 
 Valley ended forever. Early's defeat was so com- 
 plete that his army was scattered, never again to 
 achieve anything worthy of mention. Sheridan's face 
 expressed great satisfaction when he learned of the 
 complete rout of the Confederates and the great cap- 
 ture of material. He had cause for pride. 
 
224 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 The victory achieved over Early, whose veteran 
 soldiers were as fine as the Confederacy produced, was 
 received throughout the country with acclamations of 
 joy. It gave Sheridan the confidence of the people 
 and government, which he retained to the end of the 
 war, and the enthusiastic devotion of his troops. His 
 name was a synonym of victory. Grant said of Cedar 
 Creek, " It stamped Sheridan, what I have always 
 thought him, one of the ablest of generals." Congress 
 passed resolutions commendatory and eulogistic. The 
 different Northern States followed its example. The 
 President sent a dispatch saying, " With great pleasure 
 I tender to you and your brave army the thanks of the 
 nation, and my own personal admiration and gratitude, 
 for the month's operations in the Shenandoah Valley ; 
 and especially for the splendid work of October 19, 
 1864." 
 
 Sheridan was appointed a major-general in the 
 regular army on the 8th of November, and his com- 
 mission for that rank was accompanied by a letter from 
 Abraham Lincoln, expressing his appreciation " of the 
 personal gallantry, military skill, and just confidence 
 in the courage and patriotism of your troops, displayed 
 by you on the 19th day of October, at Cedar Run, 
 whereby, under the blessings of Providence, your 
 routed army was reorganized, a great national disaster 
 averted, and a brilliant victory achieved over the 
 rebels for the third time, in pitched battle, within 
 thirty days." 
 
f/L£A&£* 
 
 6££yPl^' 
 
 As a Major-general. Appointed November S, 1S64. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 SHERIDAN REJOINS GRANT (March, 1 865) 
 
 After the battle of Cedar Creek, Sheridan did not 
 think it prudent to send any part of his force to 
 Grant's army. Early's army might, in such a case, be 
 temporarily reinforced by Lee, and in any case his 
 army was as strong in numbers as after the battle 
 of Fisher's Hill. Sheridan's successes gave his views 
 weighty consideration, both with Grant and with those 
 in authority at Washington. 
 
 After his defeat at Cedar Creek, Early had fallen 
 back to New Market, where he remained three weeks, 
 receiving additions to his army, of conscripts, con- 
 valescents, and detail men, as well as Crosby's cavalry. 
 In November, 1864, Sheridan withdrew his army to 
 Kernstown in order to gain a better and shorter line 
 for receiving supplies, and also better quarters for 
 his men. Early, thinking this indicated that Sher- 
 idan had sent a part of his army to Grant, hurriedly 
 formed his whole army to attack in case this conjecture 
 proved true. He was not left long in doubt. Merritt's 
 cavalry went out and attacked Rosser and the other 
 divisions of Early's cavalry, drove it across the 
 Shenandoah River and up the Luray Valley, capturing 
 two of their cannon, twenty officers, two hundred and 
 twenty-five men, and two battle flags. This was 
 enough to satisfy Early that it was not prudent to 
 
 225 
 
226 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 remain longer in the vicinity of Sheridan ; and he went 
 back without delay to New Market again. Soon after 
 this he sent Kershaw's division back to Lee and 
 Crosby's brigade to soutwest Virginia. 
 
 Grant, hearing that the whole of Early's army had 
 been transferred to Lee's lines, wrote to Sheridan, "If 
 you are satisfied this is a fact, send the Sixth Corps 
 to me without delay;" and then, with his usual 
 persistency, he went back to his old plan, saying: " If 
 your cavalry can cut the Virginia Central road, now is 
 the time to do it." 
 
 Sheridan at once made a reconnaissance with cav- 
 alry and reported that Early had about ten thousand 
 infantry and a division of cavalry at least, that 
 Kershaw's infantry was the only force that had left 
 the Valley, and that — unless there was some great 
 necessity it was better to wait until the season was a 
 little further advanced. 
 
 At the beginning of November, Lee ordered Early 
 to send all of his Second Corps to Petersburg. Almost 
 at the same time Grant ordered Sheridan to send him 
 the Sixth Corps. Early had, meanwhile, broken up 
 his camp at New Market and removed with his re- 
 maining troops into winter quarters at Stanton, but 
 leaving a signal station at Three Top Mountain to in- 
 form him of Sheridan's movements. 
 
 At the close of the year Sheridan had only the 
 Nineteenth Corps and his cavalry with him, and early 
 in 1865 one of the divisions of his infantry was sent 
 South, leaving him but one. December 19, Torbett, 
 with eight thousand cavalry, was sent to strike the 
 
SHERIDAN REJOINS GRANT 227 
 
 Virginia Central Railroad. After blowing up a bridge 
 and capturing to of the enemy's guns and several 
 gunners, he returned, driving before him a herd of 
 two hundred cattle. On the 20th Custer attacked 
 Rosser, and moved down the Valley again after a loss 
 of twenty-two men killed and wounded. 
 
 February 2j, 1865, Sheridan moved up the Valley 
 for a final cleaning up of the Shenandoah. He had 
 a grand array of ten thousand cavalry with which to 
 complete the work of destroying the Central Railroad, 
 and, if possible, to capture Lynchburg. At first Rosser 
 made an ineffectual attempt to resist the march at Mt. 
 Crawford. He started to burn the bridge at the 
 Middle Fork of the Shenandoah; but Sheridan's men 
 were in the mood to undertake anything, and they 
 swam the river, defeated him, and captured thirty 
 prisoners and twenty ambulances and wagons. 
 
 On March 2, Early was found behind strong in- 
 trenchments near Waynesboro, which is on the west 
 side of the Blue Ridge. He had boasted that Sheridan 
 would never be permitted to pass through Rock ford 
 Gap; but Custer, finding that Early's left flank was 
 somewhat exposed, without waiting for supports sent 
 a dismounted regiment against that flank, while his 
 mounted men attacked the breastworks in front. Some 
 fierce fighting ensued ; the cavalry leaping their horses 
 over the breastworks, while the Confederate infantry 
 made a stubborn resistance with muskets, bayonets, 
 and clubbed muskets. The flanking movement 
 stampeded the Confederates, while two regiments of 
 cavalry, charging through the break made by Custer, 
 
228 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 passed through the town and did not stop until they 
 had crossed the South River, where they were in 
 Early's rear. Here they formed and held the east 
 bank till the whole of Early's men had surrendered, 
 except Rosser, Early, and a dozen or more other 
 officers and men, who made their escape to the woods 
 and got across the Blue Ridge. Sheridan captured 
 seventeen battle flags, eleven pieces of artillery, and 
 sixteen hundred officers and men, besides all the 
 wagons, tents, and ammunition of Early's army. 
 
 This effectually cleaned out the Shenandoah Valley. 
 The prisoners and captured material were sent by 
 guard to Winchester, and on the 3d of March the 
 railroad bridge across the South River was destroyed. 
 
 The Union column now moved across the Blue 
 Ridge, in a cold and drenching rain, on March 3d. 
 The trains were left behind to be brought up later, 
 while the troops were pushed on to Charlottesville. 
 This place was occupied by the Union troops by noon 
 of the 4th of March, the authorities coming out in 
 advance to meet the cavalry and delivering the keys 
 of public buildings in the style of ancient times. 
 Heavy rain had been falling, and the roads were al- 
 most bottomless. 
 
 The Valley being now at Sheridan's mercy, railroads 
 were broken up, the canal disabled by destroying every 
 lock from Scotsville to New Market, the iron bridge 
 across the South Fork of the Shenandoah wrecked, 
 and mills, factories, and subsistence destroyed with re- 
 lentless hand. The few Union citizens suffered alike 
 with the disloyal. One of the former said to the Union 
 
SHERIDAN REJOINS GRANT 229 
 
 soldiers, "If you don't burn it, the rebels will take it 
 when they come this way ; " and then he set fire to the 
 last stack of wheat that remained on which to feed 
 his family. 
 
 The war in the Valley was ended. Before Sheridan 
 began operations there it was, and had been almost 
 continuously, in the undisputed possession of the Con- 
 federates. He left it with the power of the Confed- 
 eracy there broken forever. 
 
 Grant's instructions prescribed that Sheridan should 
 cross to the south side of James River and capture 
 Lynchburg. The river was, however, too swollen by 
 heavy rains for him to do so. But this did not disturb 
 Sheridan's equanimity. With admirable poise of judg- 
 ment and fertility of recourse, and nowise discouraged, 
 he abandoned the taking of Lynchburg and went for- 
 ward with the purpose of crossing the James between 
 Lynchburg and Richmond. Then, finding the enemy 
 had destroyed all the bridges, he was reduced to the 
 alternative of going back down the Valley again or of 
 reaching Grant's army by way of White House. With 
 characteristic boldness and courage he chose the latter 
 course. Though it was not the original plan, it pro- 
 duced as good an effect. 
 
 On March 9, 1865, Sheridan's main column started 
 eastward, destroying locks and dams, while Devens' 
 division was sent on a forced march with instructions 
 to destroy everything below Columbia. On the 10th of 
 March Sheridan reached that place and sent word to 
 Grant, reporting what he had done and requesting that 
 rations and forage be sent him at White House, and 
 
230 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 also a pontoon bridge to enable him to cross the 
 Pamunkey River. With his usual prudence and fore- 
 sight he considered it too dangerous to march down 
 the south side, where troops from Richmond might 
 destroy him. 
 
 He had to wait a day for his trains, for the mud 
 greatly hindered them. The cavalry, preceding them 
 in formations of four, threw up windrows of mud 
 making the roads so bad as to wear out the mules. 
 Sheridan says that he would have been obliged to 
 abandon his trains but for the timely help of two thou- 
 sand negroes who had joined his march, who lifted 
 the mud-encompassed wagons through the sloughs. 
 
 Shortly after this Custer captured some of the men 
 who had been with Early, with two of his escaping 
 staff officers. Early, however, escaped and crossing 
 the South Anna River, reached Richmond, — the last 
 man of the Army of the Shenandoah, probably, in 
 arms. 
 
 On the 1 8th of March Sheridan arrived at White 
 House after overcoming almost insurmountable dif- 
 ficulties, and there found supplies awaiting him. He 
 had learned of the intention of the Confederates under 
 Longstreet to cut off his force before reaching White 
 House, but he had calculated his march so judiciously 
 that the Confederates, after reaching Hanover Court 
 House and finding they were unable to do so, retired 
 to Richmond again. On the 25th of March Sheridan 
 reached City Point by boat, which he had taken at 
 General Grant's request. 
 
 His march from the Valley has been characterized 
 
SHERIDAN REJOINS GRANT 231 
 
 by him as one of greater hardships than was ever 
 before encountered by the cavalry. In his report of 
 it he says : " There perhaps never was a march where 
 Nature offered such impediments and shrouded her- 
 self in such gloom as this. Incessant rains, deep and 
 almost impassable streams, swamps, and mud, were 
 overcome with a constant cheerfulness on the part of 
 the troops that was truly admirable. Both officers 
 and men appeared buoyed up by the thought that we 
 had completed our work in the Shenandoah Valley." 
 Sheridan had been anxious to join Grant, for he 
 foresaw that the end of the Confederacy was drawing 
 near and he wanted to be in at the death. At this 
 time the net which Grant had thrown out around the 
 Confederate armies was being drawn closer and closer 
 together. Fort Fisher and Wilmington had been cap- 
 tured; Thomas had defeated and almost destroyed 
 Hood's army at Nashville, Tennessee; Sherman had 
 captured Atlanta and marched in triumph up the coast, 
 causing the fall of Charleston and Savannah and de- 
 stroying the Southern Railroad, as well as mills, work- 
 shops, and warehouses. On the 23d of March he had 
 reached Goldsboro, North Carolina, and was joined by 
 the Union column from Wilmington and New Bern. 
 Most of the Confederate forces were now closed in 
 between Sherman, the Army of the Potomac, and the 
 Atlantic Ocean, James River, and the Alleghanies. 
 The Confederate armies were hopelessly entangled in 
 Grant's great net, and the last days of the Confederacy 
 were at hand. Sheridan had arrived in time to give 
 the final blow, as we shall see in forthcoming pages. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS 
 
 Upon Sheridan's arrival at City Point, the general 
 went at once to the little hut where Grant made his 
 headquarters. The Commander-in-Chief greeted him 
 in his usual simple manner : " How are you, Sher- 
 idan?" And then, as was his custom, waited for his 
 visitor to begin the conversation. 
 
 Sheridan gave a brief narrative of what he 
 had done since leaving Winchester and his reasons 
 for departing from the instructions he had re- 
 ceived. 
 
 " Very good," said Grant. " There are not many 
 who would give up an independent command, as you 
 have, voluntarily; but I will see that you don't lose 
 anything by it." And then he began talking about 
 a plan he had formed for Sheridan to strike the rail- 
 roads; and as he talked he handed him a letter of 
 written instructions which gave the details of the plan. 
 These were, besides cutting the Danville and South 
 Side railroads, to cut loose and go to Sherman, and 
 then both march to Petersburg and help finish Lee's 
 army. 
 
 Sheridan at once objected to that part of the plan 
 that was to take him from the Army of the Potomac, 
 and said: "We can finish Lee without Sherman's 
 
 232 
 
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS 233 
 
 help and with what men we have. If you carry out 
 your plan people will say that you couldn't whip Lee, 
 and had to send for Sherman to do it. That will hurt 
 the pride of the Army of the Potomac. I tell you we 
 can whip him without any help ! " 
 
 Sheridan was looking very gloomy and disappointed, 
 when Grant said quietly : " That part is put in for a 
 blind. The peace men of the North say we can't end 
 the war by fighting, but must make terms with the 
 Confederates; if we meet with a check, they will say 
 we are defeated. It is my intention to end the war 
 right here." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it," said Sheridan, slapping his 
 knee and his face lighting up with pleasure. " And 
 we can do it ! " 
 
 Grant had set the 29th of March for beginning 
 operations against Lee's army. Before that time ar- 
 rived President Lincoln came to City Point, and not 
 long after Sherman followed. There was an inter- 
 esting conference between the President and the three 
 famous brother soldiers. 
 
 Lincoln was far from cheerful. He did not tell 
 even one of his little stories to illustrate his talk, ac- 
 cording to his usual custom. It is possible that he felt 
 the overhanging shadow of the violent death that so 
 soon befell him. His mind, it was evident, was dwell- 
 ing upon the possibilities of the coming campaign ; for 
 he asked if it were not possible to end the war with- 
 out another battle. He said to Sheridan also, as 
 though dreading the issue of battle : " What effect 
 will it have if, while you are moving on the Confed- 
 
234 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 erate left, Lee should come out and capture City 
 Point?" 
 
 " Lee wouldn't do such a rash thing," said Sheridan ; 
 " he had enough of it when he got worsted at Fort 
 Steadman the other day." 
 
 On the night of March 28 Sheridan received his 
 instructions to move at an early hour on the following 
 day, with the assurance from Grant that he would 
 follow or engage the enemy. His instructions were to 
 cut the Southside and Danville railroads, by which Lee 
 received supplies for his army and by which he might 
 retreat, and, having done this, to return to the Army 
 of the Potomac or join Sherman in North Carolina, 
 just as he thought best. 
 
 In compliance with these instructions, on the morn- 
 ing of the 29th Sheridan moved out towards Ream's 
 Station, on the Weldon Railroad, — the general move- 
 ment of all his divisions being westward. The frost 
 had thawed, the roads were almost hub-deep for his 
 wagons and knee-deep for his horses. With a part 
 of his cavalry he reached Dinwiddie, a place of great 
 strategic importance, for it was on the Five Forks 
 Road, which led directly to Lee's right flank. So far 
 he had gained a bloodless but not mudless advantage 
 over the enemy. 
 
 The evening of his arrival a heavy rainstorm set in, 
 and as his headquarters' wagon was stuck in the mud, 
 far back on the road, he had neither food nor tent. He 
 and his staff took up their quarters for the night in a 
 dilapidated tavern which had been propped up with 
 pine poles to keep it from falling over. While here he 
 
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS 235 
 
 got a message from Grant to abandon all thoughts of 
 the raid that had been planned, and to prepare to act 
 in conjunction with the rest of the army against Lee. 
 The rain, which had been falling for hours, had turned 
 the roads, seemingly into bottomless bogs and quick- 
 sands. So many complaints had come to Grant about 
 the impossibility of continuing operations, that he had 
 sent a message to Sheridan intimating that he might 
 be compelled to suspend movements until the mud dried 
 up. This did not suit Sheridan, and he rode over to 
 see Grant. While waiting to see the general, Sheridan 
 talked to some of his staff officers about the situation. 
 " I am ready," said Sheridan to them, " to start out 
 and smash things! " 
 
 " But how," said they, " are you going to get forage 
 for your horses? " 
 
 " Forage? " he said. " I'll get all the forage I need, 
 if I have to corduroy every mile of road. I tell you, 
 now is the time to smash Lee's army ! Mud ? What's 
 a little mud ! " 
 
 I suspect that he must have talked to Grant in the 
 same hopeful, vehement manner; for, after listening 
 to him in imperturbable silence, Grant said, in that 
 simple way of his which showed that his decision was 
 irrevocable, " We will go on." 
 
 Sheridan's cheerful views seemed to infect those 
 with whom he came in contact. " If you will let me 
 have the Sixth Corps," he said to Grant, " I believe 
 I can break through the Confederate right without 
 any other help." 
 
 " No," said Grant, " the roads are too bad for mov- 
 
236 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 ing infantry at present; you will have to seize Five 
 Forks with your cavalry." 
 
 At that time the left flank of the Union army, 
 under Warren, rested on the Boydtown road not far 
 from where it joined the Quaker road; then came 
 Humphry's, Wright's, and Park's corps, in the order 
 named, with the right flank resting on Appomattox 
 River. 
 
 When the Army of the Potomac had moved to the 
 left, Lee advanced his infantry to the White Oak road, 
 and by drawing in his cavalry protected the cross- 
 roads at Five Forks. Here he had also intrenched and 
 otherwise strengthened the position, as though it were 
 a city instead a junction of country roads. 
 
 Returning from his conference with Grant, Sheridan 
 stopped to see General Warren, who spoke discourag- 
 ingly of the prospects. Warren was an able soldier, 
 but was slower and more deliberate than Sheridan. 
 The muddy roads discouraged him, and the mud 
 seemed to have befogged his ordinarily clear brain. 
 
 Upon Sheridan's arrival at Dinwiddie things began 
 to move, in spite of mud. He sent out Merritt with his 
 cavalry to find out the location and strength of the 
 enemy. This reconnaissance brought on a sharp fight, 
 during which the Confederates were forced back to 
 Five Forks. There they took position behind their 
 heavy line of intrenchments. Sheridan learned that 
 Pickett's division of Confederate infantry had arrived 
 to support the cavalry, and saw by this that the enemy 
 intended to fight for the possession of the coveted 
 cross-roads. He reported the situation to Grant, who 
 
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS 237 
 
 offered him the Fifth Corps to help him capture the 
 position. Sheridan replied, " Give me the Sixth 
 Corps; I know what I can do with them, and they 
 know me." Grant, however, said that the Sixth Corps 
 could not be taken from the line. 
 
 Sheridan had at this time three divisions of cavalry, 
 numbering in all about nine thousand horsemen. On 
 the night of the 30th the two brigades of Devens' were 
 camped on the road leading to Five Forks, while 
 many other cavalrymen were trying to get the wagons 
 out of the mud. On the 31st it had stopped raining, 
 and Sheridan made preparations to capture Five Forks. 
 
 Merritt advanced and, notwithstanding an obstinate 
 resistance by the rebel picket, had but little trouble in 
 getting possession of the coveted cross-roads, for the 
 enemy at that time were turning their attention to 
 something else. General Pickett, who was now in com- 
 mand of both the Confederate cavalry and five 
 brigades of infantry, was marching to get in Merritt's 
 rear by crossing Chamberlain Creek. Sheridan had 
 already seized a ford of much importance on the creek, 
 but the enemy succeeded in crossing higher up, but not 
 without a sharp fight. In the fighting and maneuvers 
 that followed Pickett got between the forces of Merritt 
 and Crook, cutting off both Devens and Davis from 
 the road to Dinwiddie and compelling them to retreat 
 across the country and reach the rest of Sheridan's 
 army by a long and difficult march. 
 
 At four o'clock in the afternoon things looked 
 critical for Sheridan. He, however, concentrated his 
 forces at Dinwiddie, about a mile northwest from the 
 
238 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 cross-roads, and determined to hold on at all hazards. 
 His line was a semi-circle in form, with the left in 
 some woods half a mile west of the Court House 
 and his right near the Boydtown road. His horse 
 artillery had been brought up and every gun placed 
 in line. It was near sunset when the Confederates, 
 thinking the victory was theirs, made a dash over an 
 open field with wild yells when, whew! one of Sher- 
 idan's divisions attacked their left flank with such sud- 
 den vigor that it fell back in astonishment. This 
 enabled the division of Smith, that had held the ford, 
 to come up in line with the rest of the forces. 
 
 Just before sundown the enemy, in a long, dense, 
 gray line, marched over an open field to the attack. 
 Sheridan, accompanied by some of his officers, rode 
 along his lines to encourage his men, and was re-- 
 ceived with loud cheers and exclamation of confidence. 
 
 " We are going to stay here, men," said Sheridan ; 
 " we aren't going to allow that crowd to drive us! " 
 
 The Confederates, seeing the group, opened on it 
 with their artillery, emptying several saddles. The 
 horse artillery replied by opening fire upon the Con- 
 federate lines. The cavalry, dismounted, awaited until 
 the enemy were within short range, and then opened 
 fire with their repeating rifles. The Confederates 
 stood the devastating fire but a short time and then 
 broke for the woods in a greater hurry than when they 
 advanced. 
 
 Sheridan sent word to Grant that he had just re- 
 pulsed the Confederate infantry and, though outnum- 
 bered, he proposed to stay at Dinwiddie. Grant re- 
 
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS 239 
 
 plied that he had ordered Warren with the Fifth Corps, 
 and also Mackenzie's cavalry, from the Army of the 
 James, sent to him. At the same time he gave him 
 full authority to use this force as he thought best. 
 
 Pickett was at this time completely isolated from 
 Lee's army, and Sheridan planned to destroy him, if 
 possible, before he could get back to the main Con- 
 federate lines. With this plan in view, he sent a 
 courier to General Warren to inform him of the 
 position of the enemy in his front, saying, " Any force 
 moving down the road I am holding, or on the White 
 Oak road, will be in the enemy's rear." He closed his 
 message with the words, " Do not fear my leaving 
 here. If the enemy remains, I shall fight at daylight." 
 
 Meade had sent word to Sheridan that Warren 
 would be up by midnight. When daylight dawned 
 and Warren had not come, Sheridan was angry. 
 Warren, instead of marching through the night, had 
 encamped and at daylight was just breaking bivouac. 
 So the golden opportunity of destroying Pickett at that 
 time had passed; for as soon as Lee was informed of 
 Warren's movement he instructed Pickett to fall back 
 with his whole force to Five Forks. 
 
 Sheridan, however, knew that Pickett must fight 
 at Five Forks, for its possession was of vital im- 
 portance to Lee. Leaving only a cavalry picket be- 
 hind, the Confederates fell back to that place. Sher- 
 idan drove back the cavalry pickets and followed up 
 the retreating enemy vigorously. At last, at seven 
 o'clock in the morning, he was joined by Warren's in- 
 fantry, consisting of three divisions, under command 
 
240 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 of General Ayres, Griffin, and Crawford, about half- 
 way between Dinwiddie Court House and Five Forks. 
 
 As Warren was now in position where he could act 
 in concert with his cavalry, Sheridan hurried up to 
 Five Forks, leaving Warren to bring up the Fifth 
 Corps. Though filled with intense ardor, his judg- 
 ment and control of his troops were never more com- 
 prehensive and strong. The plan which he made for 
 the coming battle was ingeniously conceived and skill- 
 fully executed, matching in generalship Napoleon's 
 best efforts. It was to attack Pickett's whole front 
 with Merritt's two divisions of cavalry, make believe 
 that he was about to turn the right flank of the enemy, 
 and then with the Fifth Corps attack his left. As the 
 Fifth Corps moved into battle, Mackenzie's cavalry 
 was to cover its right flank, in this way cutting off 
 Pickett's troops from communication with Lee. 
 
 Sheridan explained this plan to Warren, informing 
 him how the enemy were posted and how he wished 
 him to place his troops. Warren seemed to com- 
 prehend clearly what was required, but did not appear 
 solicitous. Sheridan interpreted his manner as being 
 apathetic and indifferent. He was irritated by this 
 seeming indifference, and was fearful lest his cavalry 
 should expend all their ammunition before the battle 
 began. 
 
 About four o'clock Warren began his attack, mov- 
 ing almost at an angle with the White Oak road, 
 where the Confederate intrenchments were. The 
 enemy's left formed a right angle, about one hundred 
 yards in length, to his main line, and was protected by 
 
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS 241 
 
 strong earthworks behind a veil of small thick pine 
 wood. Moving forward. Ayres' division formed a 
 pivot from which the two other divisions wheeled and, 
 therefore, encountered the enemy first at the angle de- 
 scribed. He received the enemy's fire alone and stag- 
 gered back, as though about to break. Seeing this, 
 Sheridan dashed along the line, where the enemy's 
 bullets were pattering like big raindrops, calling out to 
 the men words of cheerful encouragement and finding 
 something to say to every regiment : " Come on, men ! 
 We've got them in a tight place ! Go for 'em on the 
 jump ! They are all ready to run ! Hurry up or they 
 will get away from you ! " and similar words of con- 
 fident cheer. 
 
 Under the inspiration of their young general's 
 presence the veterans swung down toward the woods, 
 with steady, confident front that boded no good to 
 the Confederates. Sheridan, his face blackened with 
 powder, his black horse throwing mud from his heels, 
 with distended nostrils, as if entering into the spirit 
 of its rider, moved forward with his troops on the 
 enemy. As they entered the entangling underbrush 
 of the wood, the troops met with a terrific fire of 
 musketry that almost broke their lines. At this criti- 
 cal moment Sheridan seized his battle flag from the 
 sergeant who bore it and, waving the crimson and 
 white banner, rallied the men, while bullets hummed 
 around him like angry hornets. One tore his battle 
 flag, another killed the sergeant who had carried it, 
 others struck down members of his staff. Sheridan, 
 meanwhile, dashing from one part of the line to the 
 
242 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 other, was waving his flag and calling to the men: 
 " Keep at them, men ! We've got them ! Go for 
 them ! Don't let up on them ! " A soldier who was in 
 that line said afterwards to the writer, " A man who 
 wouldn't follow Phil Sheridan ought to die ! " 
 
 The blue line, rushing forward with fixed bayonets 
 and with tremendous cheers, swept over the Con- 
 federate intrenchments among a line of Confederates 
 who had thrown down their arms. Sheridan leaped 
 his horse, Rienzi, over the breastworks among this 
 crowd of surrendering Confederates and, greeting 
 them good-humoredly, called out : " Drop your guns ! 
 You will never need them again ! " One of them in- 
 quired, " Where shall we go ? " " Right over there," 
 said Sheridan. " We want every one of you ! We 
 will take good care of you! " About fifteen hundred 
 prisoners were captured at this point. 
 
 When Ayers went over the works, Devens' division 
 of cavalry went over in company with it and the 
 dismounted cavalry, intermingling with the infantry, 
 hardly stopping to re-form, swept down inside of the 
 Confederate defenses, capturing thousands of prisoners 
 and several pieces of artillery. 
 
 Griffin, meanwhile, fell upon the rear of the enemy's 
 left flank. At the same time Crawford moved farther 
 to the right and drove back the skirmishers of the 
 enemy's line, turning the left of any force fighting or 
 trying to fight Ayres and Griffin, till he got to the 
 Ford road. Then Crawford's men swung around and 
 faced southward, and rushed down the reverse side of 
 the enemy's lines. 
 
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS 243 
 
 The Confederates were now completely surrounded 
 and entrapped. The whole force, after all the re- 
 sistance they could make, surrendered. Great as was 
 this glorious and decisive victory, it had been won at 
 a comparatively small cost. Only six hundred of the 
 infantry were killed and wounded, while the loss of 
 the cavalry, all told, was but a few hundred men. 
 
 Only one sad thing remains to be told of this battle. 
 Before the victory was won Sheridan, dissatisfied with 
 Warren, relieved him from his command and put 
 Griffin in command of the Fifth Corps. The difference 
 in temperament of the two men had led to this action. 
 Sheridan moved faster than Warren, and he doubt- 
 less mistook for indifference and apathy the cool and 
 deliberate manner of Warren. The occasion was not 
 an ordinary one and Sheridan claimed that Warren 
 had not risen to the demand of that critical time; and 
 so he deemed it unsafe to retain him longer. 
 
 Sheridan's success was tremendous. He had cap- 
 tured thirteen battle flags, six pieces of artillery, nearly 
 six thousand prisoners, and had completely overthrown 
 Pickett. Lee's right had been violently wrenched 
 from his center and would give no more trouble to 
 Grant. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE BATTLE OF SAILOR'S CREEK 
 
 Upon learning of Sheridan's success, and realizing 
 its decisive character, Grant ordered an attack to be 
 made all along Lee's fortified line. Lee had not ex- 
 pected the defeat that had befallen him at Five Forks, 
 and his retreat was delayed by the necessity of getting 
 his trains with food and other supplies in motion. It 
 was also necessary for him to protect the Confederate 
 Government in its flight from Richmond. 
 
 On the evening of April i, Miles with his division 
 was ordered by Grant to report to Sheridan, who ad- 
 vanced towards Petersburg and attacked the enemy's 
 works where the White Oak road joined the Claiborn 
 road. Just as Sheridan was about to deal the enemy 
 a decisive blow, as he confidently believed, at a vital 
 point, Meade ordered the return of Miles's division. 
 
 Meanwhile Merritt's cavalry had been sent west- 
 ward to break up a line of Confederate cavalry north 
 of Hatcher's Run. This being easily done, the enemy 
 was driven in a northerly direction, while the Fifth 
 Corps was pushed on towards Sutherland Station, in 
 order to come in the rear of that part of the enemy 
 that was then confronting Miles. 
 
 The main forces of the Confederate army had, 
 meanwhile, begun their retreat along the river road 
 
 244 
 
[THE BATTLE OF SAILOR'S CREEK 245 
 
 south of the Appomattox. Though Sheridan picked 
 up a few prisoners, the darkness did not allow of much 
 being accomplished. The next morning, however, the 
 pursuit was resumed with great vigor, the Fifth Corps 
 all the while keeping close up to the cavalry, and press- 
 ing on the heels of Lee's retreating army. During the 
 day hundreds of prisoners were captured by Sheridan, 
 as well as five pieces of artillery and many wagons. 
 At Deep Creek the harassed Confederates turned on 
 Merritt, who was in advance, and attacked him so 
 furiously that he halted and waited for Crook's cavalry 
 to arrive before resuming the pursuit. Night, mean- 
 while, came and the enemy resumed their march under 
 the protection of darkness. 
 
 It was now apparent to Sheridan that the Con- 
 federates were heading for Amelia Court House, as a 
 point of concentration for their troops that were mov- 
 ing north and south of the Appomattox River. To 
 head off Lee's column Sheridan ordered Crook to strike 
 the Danville Railroad and then move south towards 
 Jettersville, and at the same time the Fifth Corps was 
 ordered to that place by a direct route, while Merritt 
 was sent to Amelia Court House. 
 
 After putting these forces in motion, Sheridan with 
 an escort of a hundred men hurried to Jettersville. 
 Upon his arrival he stretched out his small force to 
 cover the roads till the arrival of his troops. While 
 deploying for this purpose, he captured a man who, 
 upon being searched, was found to have concealed in 
 one of his boots this message from Lee's commissary- 
 general : " The army is at Amelia Court House, short 
 
246 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 of provisions. Send 300,000 rations quickly to Burke- 
 ville Junction." 
 
 This message at once revealed to Sheridan's quick 
 mind that Lee was concentrating his army at Amelia 
 Court House, and also that Crook had broken the 
 telegraph lines after this message had been written. In 
 view of this information, he immediately sent word 
 to hasten Crook up the railroad to Jettersville, while 
 Merritt was hurried forward close upon the heels of 
 the retreating Confederates. A staff officer was also 
 sent to hurry up the Fifth Corps. 
 
 Sheridan's men were destitute of rations, and instead 
 of delaying his march for his trains to arrive, he deter- 
 mined to capture for his men the supplies that were 
 ordered by Lee's commissary-general. With this in 
 view, he sent the messages, which were in duplicate, 
 by two of his scouts dressed in the uniforms of Con- 
 federate officers, to be sent as written, as soon as a 
 telegraph station was reached, to hurry up the provi- 
 sions. Farther along in this narrative the reader will 
 see how these trains fell into Sheridan's hands. 
 
 Sheridan's cavalry with the Fifth Corps reached 
 Jettersville in the evening of the 4th of April, and on 
 the afternoon of the next day General Meade arrived 
 in advance of his troops, and, being ill, requested 
 Sheridan to place his force in position. 
 
 Sheridan had sent out Davis's cavalry to make a 
 reconnaissace. While thus engaged, Davies captured 
 five pieces of artillery, as well as two hundred wagons, 
 several of which belonged to Lee's headquarters. 
 
 It was plain to Sheridan that Lee would attempt 
 
THE BATTLE OF SAILOR'S CREEK 247 
 
 to escape by the Pains cross-roads, as soon as his trains 
 were out of the way. He wanted to attack at once, 
 but Meade objected to doing this until all his troops 
 were up, when he proposed to advance to Amelia Court 
 House. Sheridan at once sent word to Grant telling 
 what he had done, saying: "The Second Corps is 
 coming up and I am satisfied that we can capture Lee 
 if we properly exert ourselves. I am going to put all 
 my cavalry on my left except Mackenzie, and with 
 such a disposition of my forces I can see no escape 
 for Lee." He also sent to Grant a captured letter from 
 one of Lee's colonels, which depicted the deplorable 
 state of the Confederate army and closed with the 
 words, " I wish you were here." 
 
 When Grant got this communication, he was ten 
 miles from Burkeville Junction; but, though it was 
 night when he received it, he set out at once for Jetters- 
 ville, arriving there at midnight. He agreed with 
 Sheridan that it was not simply enough to pursue the 
 Confederates, but that they should be headed off, add- 
 ing, " I have no doubt that Lee is moving now." 
 
 Meade requested the return of the Fifth Corps so 
 that he could have all the Army of the Potomac under 
 his command, and it was returned to him. But when 
 on the morning of the 6th Meade advanced to Amelia 
 Court House, he found, as Sheridan had predicted, that 
 Lee had got away. 
 
 Believing that Meade's march was useless, Sheridan 
 started out on the road running to Rice Station and 
 discovered the Confederate trains moving on this road. 
 They were so strongly guarded that little impression 
 
248 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 could be made on them by Crook. Sheridan first left a 
 force to harass the rear of the retreating trains, and 
 then moved in such a manner as to keep parallel to the 
 Confederate line of march. 
 
 Sailor's Creek, from which the battle takes its name, 
 is a small, shallow stream which flows across the road 
 (in a northwesterly direction) leading from Deatons- 
 ville to Rice Station. Merritt gained the Rice Station 
 road west of the stream and began destroying the 
 wagons while Crook threw his force squarely across 
 the road, blocking the Confederate troops under Ewell. 
 With the intention of fighting to the death, Ewell 
 placed Anderson's troops on some rising ground west 
 of the creek, behind barricades. His purpose was to 
 make so desperate a fight there that the rest of his 
 forces could get away on the road that led to Farmville. 
 To prevent this, Sheridan formed two divisions of 
 Crook's men and attacked all along Ewell's front, while 
 Merritt fiercely attacked on his right. This kept the 
 Confederates from escaping until the Fifth Corps 
 arrived. Then Ewell, while still contending with the 
 cavalry in desperate battle, found himself in greater 
 peril from the Fifth Corps in his rear. 
 
 The brave Confederate general never flinched, but 
 prepared to meet this new danger by placing Custis Lee 
 to the left and Kershaw to the right of the Rice Station 
 road, supporting the latter with the Marine brigade, 
 and held the line of Sailor's Creek with skirmishers. 
 
 Grant had ordered the Sixth Corps to follow Sher- 
 idan, saying, " The Sixth Corps will go in with a vim 
 any place you may dictate." When Sheridan had re- 
 
THE BATTLE OF SAILOR'S CREEK 249 
 
 quested Wright to hurry up, the soldiers of the Sixth 
 put their leg muscles into action with the greatest pos- 
 sible vigor, and tore through the mud to the scene of 
 battle. 
 
 A young soldier who was in one of the cavalry 
 charges, having cleared the enemy's barricades and 
 made his way through the Confederate lines, took care- 
 ful note of everything he saw and brought to Sher- 
 idan information of just how the Confederate lines 
 were posted. So, when Wright came up with his old 
 fighters of the Sixth Corps, he placed Seymour's divi- 
 sion on the right of the road, while Wheaton's divi- 
 sion, streaming with sweat and breathless with haste, 
 formed on Seymour's left. The artillery rattled up 
 with mud flying from the wheels, and went into posi- 
 tion without waiting for Getty's division ; for Sheridan 
 feared that the enemy might get away if there was 
 much delay in beginning the fight. 
 
 Ewell's force was attacked front and left by 
 Wheaton and Seymour, and Stagg's brigade went in 
 with them along with Devens' cavalry, while Merritt 
 and Crook resumed the fight with their accustomed 
 gallantry and courage. The Confederates, completely 
 hemmed in and seeing but little chance for escape, 
 fought with the desperation of despair. Pressed by the 
 confident Union troops, who were urged on by the 
 fiery zeal of their great commander, they fought with a 
 bravery and courage that commanded the admiration 
 of their enemy. Again and again they surged down 
 almost to the creek. They were bleeding with wounds 
 and were harassed in front and rear, but they still 
 
250 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 fought on in sudden attacks and furious sallies. One 
 must lack the common sentiments of manhood who 
 does not feel a thrill of admiration and pity for those 
 brave fighters of a losing cause. 
 
 Ewell could at last contend no longer, and all of his 
 immediate command were captured. Anderson's for- 
 mations were broken but he, with about two thousand 
 of his gallant men, escaped through the woods. 
 Though night had come, Sheridan pushed his cavalry 
 in pursuit for several miles, the tireless Sixth Corps 
 following after them that they might clinch the vic- 
 tory. 
 
 The battle had not only destroyed an army corps 
 of the Confederates, but it compelled Lee to abandon 
 his line of march to Danville and obliged Longstreet 
 to take a road leading towards Lynchburg. 
 
 Sheridan had captured six generals and over nine 
 thousand prisoners; he had destroyed several hundred 
 wagons, and, more important than all else, was planted 
 squarely across the Confederate line of retreat. At the 
 close of the battle he sent a staff officer to Grant, re- 
 porting what he had done. 
 
 The Sixth Corps now remained under Sheridan's 
 command until after Lee's surrender. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE END OF THE CONFEDERACY 
 
 On the morning of the 7th of April Sheridan moved 
 out in pursuit of the nearly exhausted Confederates. 
 He sent Crook's division towards Farmville, while 
 Merritt and Mackenzie were directed towards Prince 
 Edward's Court House to head off any effort of Lee 
 to escape by that route to Danville. 
 
 Crook overtook Lee's army moving on the north side 
 of the Appomattox, in the vicinity of Farmville. The 
 Confederates were in no mood for trifling with cavalry- 
 men, and savagely attacked and drove Crook across 
 the river. It was now clear to Sheridan's mind that 
 Lee had abandoned all thought of escaping by the way 
 of Danville and was heading for Lynchburg. He 
 therefore resolved to throw his cavalry squarely across 
 the path of Lee's retreat. With this relentless purpose 
 he quickly united his divisions and moved them with 
 fierce haste towards Appomattox depot. His scouts, 
 dressed in the uniform of Confederates officers, were 
 out in every direction, gathering information and at 
 times, it was said, distracting and hindering the Con- 
 federates by giving misleading orders. Theirs was a 
 dangerous occupation, needless to say, as all army oc- 
 cupations are. 
 
 Another feature of Sheridan's army was a large 
 
 251 
 
252 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 number of Confederate battle flags, borne unfurled as 
 trophies of the campaign. At every point there were 
 indications that the last days of the Confederacy were 
 at hand. In Sheridan's track baggage wagons, artil- 
 lery, and captured material of all kinds littered the 
 roads along which the enemy was fleeing. Sheridan 
 inspired all with whom he came in contact. No 
 soldiers ever did such marching before ; it was not un- 
 usual for his infantry to march thirty-five miles a day. 
 They were tired, muddy, and hungry, but they wanted 
 to " get there '" with Sheridan. 
 
 One of his scouts brought information to Sheridan 
 that there were three trains of cars at the Appomattox 
 railway station. These were the trains that had been 
 ordered by Lee's commissary-general from Lynch- 
 burg, which order, it will be remembered was captured 
 and forwarde'd by telegraph by Sheridan's scouts. As 
 one of these scouts had the original order and was 
 dressed in Confederate uniform, he had no trouble 
 in pursuading those in charge of the trains to bring 
 them east of Appomattox Station. Fearing, however, 
 that the true state of affairs might be discovered by 
 the Confederates, Sheridan sent out two regiments to 
 break the railroad, so that they could not be sent back 
 to Lynchburg. Custer took possession of these trains 
 just as the advance guard of Lee's army appeared to 
 secure them. With his customary dash, Custer drove 
 them away, capturing from them a hospital train, 
 twenty-five pieces of artillery, and a large number of 
 wagons that had been sent ahead of Lee's army in the 
 hope that they might be able to reach Lynchburg the 
 
END OF THE CONFEDERACY 
 
 -^j 
 
 next day. The trains were put in charge of some of 
 Sheridan's men, formerly locomotive engineers; and 
 they in a merry mood began running them back and 
 forth like mad, whistling as though destruction had 
 broken loose, — and it had! 
 
 The night of the 8th of April was one of great ex- 
 citement. Sheridan felt that if infantry could be got 
 up, the war would be ended by the capture of Lee's 
 army. Staff officers were sent to Grant and to General 
 Ord requesting them to hurry up the infantry. Ord 
 marched his corps all night, and before sunrise he 
 arrived and informed Sheridan that his men were at 
 hand. 
 
 The Confederates were now in great straits; they 
 had met with misfortunes and defeats on every side, 
 and their cause looked hopeless. Lee saw his brave 
 and devoted soldiers fainting with hunger and fatigue, 
 dropping out one by one from his ranks. They were 
 fighting against hope, as well as against their enemies, 
 with brave but failing hearts. Their army was crum- 
 bling in pieces. Finally, on the night of the 8th of 
 April, Lee held a council of war, at which it was de- 
 termined that in the morning they would, if possible 
 break through Sheridan's cavalry and try to reach 
 Lynchburg. 
 
 In the early hours Sheridan saw a heavy line of 
 soldiers in gray massed and bearing down upon his 
 troops near the village of Appomattox. He ordered 
 his men to fall back slowly, and in such a manner as to 
 leave space for the advance of Ord's infantry. The 
 men in gray advanced, brushing aside the cavalry with 
 
254 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 their old warlike vigor; but when they saw the dense 
 blue lines of Union infantry emerging from the woods, 
 they knew that all was over. They halted and began 
 to retire towards a hill in front of Appomattox Court 
 House, as the blue lines advanced over the ground 
 abandoned by the cavalry. 
 
 Sheridan decided to charge, and was making ready 
 by giving orders, when an aide-de-camp rode hastily up 
 to him and called out : " Don't charge ! Lee has sur- 
 rendered! " The long blue line of Ord's corps halted, 
 the men standing at rest, the flags along their front 
 fluttering in the warm spring air. Groups of officers 
 conversed and pointed toward the Confederate lines, 
 while the men stood wearily at parade rest. 
 
 Sending word to General Ord, Sheridan rode down 
 with his staff toward the Confederate army, when 
 from some woods there came the crackling of mus- 
 ketry and the hum of bullets. " We are under a flag of 
 truce ! " Sheridan called out. " You are violating the 
 truce ! " As they did not cease firing, Sheridan and 
 his party taking shelter in a ravine, again moved to- 
 wards the Court House, with a sergeant following 
 with his battle flag. In front, when near the Court 
 House, muskets were again leveled at him, and from 
 the rear he heard a Confederate soldier demanding 
 from his sergeant his battle flag. The sergeant had 
 drawn his sword and was about to cut down the Con- 
 federate when Sheridan interfered. He then sent 
 forward an officer to a group of Confederates demand- 
 ing an explanation. The officer returned bearing 
 apologies, and saying that Generals Gordon and Wil- 
 
END OF THE CONFEDERACY 255 
 
 cox were in the group and invited Sheridan to join 
 them. As he reached them, firing broke out in front 
 of his cavalry. 
 
 With his eyes fairly ablaze, Sheridan exclaimed : 
 " General, your men fired on me as I was coming 
 here, and are now undoubtedly treating Custer and 
 Merritt in the same way. We might as well fight it 
 out!" 
 
 " Oh ! no," said General Gordon, " there must be 
 some mistake." 
 
 " Why not send over a staff officer, then, and have 
 your people cease firing?" 
 
 '" I have no staff officers," said Gordon. 
 
 " Then," said Sheridan, " I will lend you one." 
 
 The officer delivered the message, but was held as a 
 prisoner of war by the South Carolina general com- 
 manding the force. 
 
 " But," said the officer bearing the message, " I am 
 under a flag of truce." 
 
 " I don't care for flags of truce," said the general ; 
 " South Carolinians never surrender." 
 
 Merritt's patience, as well as Sheridan's, was now 
 exhausted, and he ordered an attack that put a stop to 
 further violations of the truce and sobered the " last 
 ditch " Confederates who had violated it. 
 
 When this disturbance was over, Gordon explained 
 that General Lee had asked for a suspension of hos- 
 tilities while negotiations with General Grant were in 
 progress. 
 
 " I have been informed of it," said Sheridan, " but 
 it seems strange to me that, while the negotiations 
 
256 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 were going on, you attempted to break through my 
 lines this morning; and I will make no terms, except 
 that Lee must surrender when Grant gets here." 
 
 " There is no doubt," said Gordon, " of Lee's sur- 
 render; his army is exhausted." 
 
 Shortly after this General Longstreet came up and 
 renewed the assurance given by General Gordon. 
 
 Word was then sent to General Meade, by Colonel 
 Forsyth, that he might understand the situation and 
 further bloodshed be prevented. 
 
 The little village of Appomattox, consisting of less 
 than a dozen houses, is on rising ground with a broad 
 valley south and west of it. Sheridan had halted 
 his cavalry on a high ridge west of the village, while 
 Ord's infantry line was curved from west to south. 
 
 About one o'clock General Grant rode up at a fast 
 pace and, first addressing Sheridan, said, " How are 
 you, Sheridan? " 
 
 " First-rate, thank you," said Sheridan. " How are 
 you?" 
 
 " Is General Lee up there ? " said Grant, looking 
 towards the village. 
 
 " Yes," said Sheridan, " he's there in that brick 
 house." 
 
 " Very well," said Grant, " let's go up, then." 
 
 General Sheridan, with a few officers of his staff, 
 joined General Grant and together they went to the 
 McLean house at Appomattox village, where Lee was 
 awaiting Grant's arrival. 
 
 When Sheridan entered the McLean house Gen- 
 eral Lee, dressed in a new gray uniform, was stand- 
 
END OF THE CONFEDERACY 257 
 
 ing. His tall form and fine sword and other military 
 appointments presented a contrast to the slight figure 
 and simple dress of the Union commander-in-chief, 
 who was without a sword and with nothing to show 
 his rank but his dingy shoulder-straps. After being 
 presented to Lee, Sheridan retired until after the 
 terms of surrender were agreed upon. Then Colonel 
 Babcock came to the door, saying, " The surrender 
 has been made; you can come in." 
 
 When Sheridan reentered the room, General Grant 
 was writing; and General Lee, who was sitting with 
 some papers in his hand, said to Sheridan, who had 
 previously requested that the two dispatches should be 
 returned to him which he had written notifying Gen- 
 eral Lee that some of his cavalry were violating the 
 truce, " I am very sorry, but probably my cavalry did 
 not understand." 
 
 While the terms of surrender were being signed Lee 
 was seated, and Grant, at a small table, was facing 
 him. Colonel Marshall, Lee's chief -of -staff, stood 
 leaning against the mantel of the old-fashioned broad 
 fireplace. Colonel Babcock and General Seth Wil- 
 liams, of Grant's staff, stood leaning against the wall 
 back of their chief. General Ord was seated near 
 Grant. Besides these there were General Rawlins, 
 Grant's chief -of -staff, who stood near Grant, and five 
 of six other members of his staff. 
 
 Sheridan, standing back of General Grant, fell into 
 an unconsciously dramatic attitude, with his sheathed 
 saber resting on his left arm. His broad-shouldered 
 but slight form, his large head, his dark eyes, all ex- 
 
258 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 pressed the personification of activity, force, power, 
 and determination. 
 
 A few moments after this, Lee mounted his gray 
 horse and rode off to take his last farewell of his 
 army, and to write those parting words that even to 
 this day no men that wore the gray can read without 
 tears. The war was over, and the brave men of the 
 " lost cause," no longer enemies, were fellow-country- 
 men of the Northerners. 
 
 Sheridan had borne a great part in the battles that 
 gave the Union its final victory and peace. But his 
 work was not done; he had yet heavy duties to perform 
 as an officer in peace. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 SHERIDAN VS. LOUIS NAPOLEON 
 
 While on his return march to Petersburg after the 
 surrender, Sheridan learned of the assassination of 
 Lincoln. He was deeply stirred by the untimely death 
 of the great President. 
 
 Upon receiving the surrender of Lee's army, Grant 
 had at once gone to Washington, stopped recruiting, 
 and cut down the expenses of the army to as near a 
 peace basis as was possible at that time. He ordered 
 Sheridan to come there at once. Sheridan took the 
 boat for Washington, and, upon his arrival, was as- 
 signed to command west of the Mississippi. This 
 command embraced the whole of Mississippi and that 
 part of Louisiana held by the enemy. His instructions 
 from Grant were to compel the surrender of the Con- 
 federate forces in Texas and Louisiana in the shortest 
 possible time, and to hold the Rio Grande with a strong 
 force, whether the Confederates surrenderd or not; 
 and that no time was to be lost in getting there. 
 
 There was to be a grand review at Washington of 
 the great armies that had participated in the war, on 
 the 23rd and 24th of May, and Sheridan naturally 
 wanted to stop and take part in it; but Grant's orders 
 were imperative. A soldier cannot choose, he must 
 obey; for obedience is the first law of an army. So 
 
 259 
 
260 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Sheridan, after fighting during the war, did not stop 
 to visit his friends, and, without a chance to say 
 good-by to the men who had served so faithfully under 
 him and to whom he was much attached, set out at 
 once for the scene of his new duties. 
 
 Before arriving at New Orleans, he learned that the 
 Confederates in Louisiana and Texas had surrendered 
 on the same terms that were given to Lee and John- 
 ston. The surrender of these forces, however, was 
 not carried out in good faith by the Confederates, es- 
 pecially by the Texas troops, who in several cases 
 had, contrary to the terms of their surrender, marched 
 off, taking their arms and camp equipage and, in 
 some instances, their artillery with them, for the pur- 
 pose of joining the Imperialists in Mexico. 
 
 The reason why Grant had instructed Sheridan to 
 maintain a strong force on the Rio Grande, whether 
 the Confederates surrendered or not, was that the 
 French Emperor, Louis Napoleon, taking advantage of 
 the war in which the United States was engaged, had 
 landed an army in Mexico, overthrown the Mexican 
 Republic, and established an empire with Maximilian, 
 an Austrian prince, on its throne. Grant considered 
 the establishment of this government an act of hos- 
 tility, and a part of the rebellion itself. Every act of 
 that empire established on American soil had been hos- 
 tile to the government of the United States. Its rulers 
 had allowed the river Rio Grande to be an open port 
 to those in rebellion. The Confederates had received 
 arms, munitions, and other active assistance across the 
 Mexican borders, and those who had surrendered to 
 
SHERIDAN VS. LOUIS NAPOLEON 261 
 
 the United States were permitted to take refuge on 
 Mexican soil, protected by French bayonets. To se- 
 cure an honorable and permanent peace it was neces- 
 sary for the French to be compelled to leave Mexico; 
 and it was for the purpose of putting pressure upon 
 the Imperialists that Grant had ordered Sheridan to 
 occupy the line of the Rio Grande, which is the bound- 
 ary line between the two countries. 
 
 Sheridan sent four of his most trusted scouts, the 
 same who had served with him in the Army of the Po- 
 tomac, to glean information about the ex-Confeder- 
 ates who had crossed the Rio Grande, and also to dis- 
 cover the movements of the Imperial forces. Feeling 
 justified by the information that he gathered, Sheridan 
 caused a demonstration to be made along the Rio 
 Grande, and at the same time sent a demand for the 
 return of arms and other munitions of war that had 
 been turned over to the Imperial army by the ex-Con- 
 federates. This demand, together with the formidable 
 display of force, caused consternation among the 
 French troops, for they were aware of Sheridan's repu- 
 tation as a fighter and inferred that he would not 
 stand on the order of his coming and would strike 
 hard when he came. They began preparations for the 
 abandonment of northern Mexico, and, no doubt, if 
 Sheridan had not been interfered with, they would 
 have soon left for home with their whole army. But 
 Mr. Seward, Secretary of State, contented himself 
 with the return of some of the contraband artillery and 
 profuse apologies from the Imperial authorities. The 
 opportunity for crossing the Rio Grande, for which, 
 
262 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 under the circumstances, there was the best excuse, 
 was lost. The Imperialists' cause was strengthened, 
 till about the whole of Mexico fell under their domin- 
 ion. 
 
 Sheridan was very impatient of this dilatory, drag- 
 a-cat-by-the-tail slowness of Mr. Seward's method of 
 dealing, which seemed to strengthen rather than 
 weaken the Imperialists' control in Mexico, and deter- 
 mined to make another demonstration, to scare at 
 least some of the French conceit out of them. With 
 this purpose he went to San Antonio, a town on the 
 Rio Grande, and ostentatiously drew up Merritt's 
 cavalry and the Fifth Corps for review, making thus 
 an impressive show. There were many present to see 
 this review, and the rumor flew like wildfire that Sheri- 
 dan was about to cross the Rio Grande and invade 
 Mexico. To give still greater color to this rumor, 
 escorted by a regiment of cavalry he hastened to Fort 
 Duncan, which is just opposite the Mexican town of 
 Pierras Nagras, and there made inquiries about get- 
 ting forage on the other side of the Rio Grande. At 
 the same time he opened communications with Juarez, 
 the President of the Mexican Republic. This seemed 
 to corroborate the report that he was about to move 
 his troops across the border. 
 
 This encouraged the Mexican Republican or liberal 
 leaders, and they collected an army to restore the Re- 
 public. Further to encourage them, arms were left by 
 Sheridan to fall conveniently into their hands. The 
 Republic was about to get on its feet and stand alone. 
 The alarmed Imperialists withdrew their army from 
 
SHERIDAN VS. LOUIS NAPOLEON 263 
 
 about all of northern Mexico as far down as Monterey. 
 Had Sheridan been allowed to continue his policy of 
 bluff, the foreign invaders would no doubt have left 
 Mexico. 
 
 The French Minister in Washington complained to 
 Mr. Seward that Sheridan was violating the neutrality 
 that he had promised should be observed, and this let- 
 ter was sent to Sheridan by the Secretary of State with 
 directions to preserve that neutrality. Of course this 
 put a stop to his showing further sympathy with the 
 Republic of Mexico. 
 
 These proceedings at Washington tired and dis- 
 gusted Sheridan and his army. The troops, as well 
 as the general, knew that large organized bodies of ex- 
 Confederate troops had croosed the Rio Grande to as- 
 sist the Imperialists, and that there was on foot a 
 scheme by which the dissatisfied Southerners were to 
 colonize Mexico, and lend their support to seat Maxi- 
 milian more firmly on his throne. The Imperialists, 
 to encourage this scheme of colonizing Mexico, prom- 
 ised large grants of land and titles of nobility to the 
 Southerners, and also began to institute a system of 
 peonage, which, in effect, was equivalent to establishing 
 slavery in Mexico, as another bait for the Southerners. 
 Commissioners were appointed, among them Generals 
 Magruder and Price, in each of the Southern States, 
 to promote immigration. Sheridan informed General 
 Grant of the progress of this scheme who nipped it in 
 the bud by prohibiting the embarkation of any person 
 from the ports of Texas or Louisiana without a per- 
 mit from Sheridan's headquarters. 
 
264 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 Juarez, the Republican President, having mean- 
 while organized a good-sized army supplied with rifles 
 and munitions of war from the American side of the 
 Rio Grande with the knowledge of Sheridan, soon 
 were in possession of not only the whole line of the 
 Rio Grande, but nearly the whole of Mexico. The 
 empire of Maximilian, resting upon French bayonets, 
 began to totter. 
 
 In the distress of Maximilian, his wife, Carlotta, 
 was sent to plead with Louis Napoleon for help to 
 sustain him on the throne. But the French Emperor 
 had already given orders for the withdrawal of his 
 army from Mexico. Louis Napoleon, undoubtedly, 
 would have liked to stay, but he preferred going peace- 
 fully, to being driven out, as he knew he soon would 
 be. As my readers all know, after the withdrawal of 
 the French army Maximilian, with constancy and 
 courage worthy of a better cause, stuck to his throne 
 until the spring of 1867, when he was taken prisoner 
 by the Mexican Republicans, and was tried and exe- 
 cuted. 
 
 It is doubtful if this result would have been accom- 
 plished without the presence of Sheridan and his army 
 on the Rio Grande. His mere presence and sympathy 
 with the Republic had destroyed the empire instituted 
 by the French despot, Louis Napoleon, who had be- 
 trayed the republic of France and was anxious for the 
 downfall of the great American republic. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 SHERIDAN AND RECONSTRUCTION 
 
 In addition to his military duties along the Rio 
 Grande, Sheridan found himself drawn into the politi- 
 cal war which was waged over the manner in which 
 states lately in rebellion should come back to their 
 places in the Union. 
 
 You will remember that the deep-lying cause of the 
 war was the disagreement of opinion as to whether a 
 state might, of its own will, quit the Union of States. 
 After years of discussion, some of it very bitter and 
 hot, the Southern states made the appeal to arms for a 
 settlement of this question and in that terrible court 
 were defeated. When, therefore, by the stern arbi- 
 trament of war, it was decided that a state could not 
 secede from the Union, it was quite natural for those 
 most concerned to say that what could not be done 
 had not been done and, therefore, they were back in 
 the Union in their old standing, except that slavery 
 was abolished. They held that the state's lately in re- 
 bellion were simply restored. But those who had 
 poured out blood and treasure for the preservation of 
 the Union held that certain safe-guards against fu- 
 ture rebellion were needed and required that the gov- 
 ernment of those states should be reconstructed be- 
 fore their people could be full citizens again. 
 
 265 
 
266 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 This question of restoration or reconstruction, 
 which could have been managed by President Lin- 
 coln acceptably to both parties, was thrown into the 
 greatest confusion by his death. In Texas and Louisi- 
 ana there was such an outbreak of hostilities that Gen- 
 eral Sheridan was compelled to interfere in the inter- 
 ests of peace. 
 
 At the time of the surrender of the Confederates in 
 Texas and Louisiana, the government of the United 
 States had made no plan by which the states lately in 
 rebellion were to be governed. A provisional govern- 
 ment, however, had been set up in Louisiana as early 
 as 1864, which, though favored by Mr. Lincoln, had 
 not been sanctioned by Congress. The ex-Confeder- 
 ates, who had been restored to citizenship by a proc- 
 lamation issued by President Johnson, soon boldly as- 
 sumed control of the State. The legislature, as well 
 as many of the offices of the state and city, were in 
 their hands. They began to make laws discriminating 
 against the freedmen by enforcing labor contracts 
 which, if allowed, would have reduced them to partial 
 slavery again. Meanwhile, outrages, violence, and 
 even murders of the former slaves, to intimidate and 
 force them to work for their former masters and to 
 keep them from voting, prevailed. 
 
 To remedy this shocking condition of affairs, those 
 who had established the government of 1864 proposed 
 to reassemble the convention and remodel the consti- 
 tution of the State. As Congress had not sanctioned 
 this provisional government of 1864, it had, of course, 
 no legal status ; but Sheridan and his soldiers could not 
 
SHERIDAN AND RECONSTRUCTION 267 
 
 interfere with the action of its officers until they had 
 committed some overt or criminal act. A proclama- 
 tion, however, to call together the convention was is- 
 sued, and on the 30th of July they met in Mechanics' 
 Hall in New Orleans. It was claimed that, the even- 
 ing before, the friends of this convention had made 
 inflammatory speeches. But this statement must be 
 taken with allowance, as any talk that favored the col- 
 ored people did not agree with the ex-Confederates 
 and their wishes. 
 
 After the so-called convention of July 30 was as- 
 sembled, the mayor of New Orleans sent the police to 
 suppress the meeting. The police, first killing several 
 men on the street who were formed in procession, 
 forced the doors of Mechanics' Hall and fired on the 
 assembly, killing about forty men and wounding one 
 hundred and sixty. This massacre of blacks and 
 whites was done under pretense of keeping order, by 
 a police made up of men who had formerly been in 
 arms against the United States. 
 
 Upon Sheridan's arrival he investigated the circum- 
 stances of these wholesale murders, reported them to 
 Grant, and placed the city under martial law. Grant 
 laid this report before the President, and then sent 
 Sheridan this dispatch : " Continue to enforce martial 
 law so far as it may be necessary to preserve the peace ; 
 and do not allow any of the civil authorities to act, if 
 you deem such action dangerous." 
 
 A military commission which investigated the cir- 
 cumstances of this massacre reported, w There has 
 been no occasion during our national history where a 
 
268 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 riot has occurred so destitute of justifiable cause, re- 
 sulting in a massacre so inhuman and fiend-like, as 
 that which took place at New Orleans on the 30th of 
 July." 
 
 President Johnson published a part of Sheridan's 
 letter, which the latter criticised as a " garbled ver- 
 sion;" thenceforth Johnson was Sheridan's enemy. 
 
 This savage outbreak in New Orleans, and the fear 
 that the ignorant and helpless freedmen would, if not 
 protected, be practically enslaved again and the fruits 
 of a costly war be lost, greatly strengthened the recon- 
 struction policy. 
 
 The reconstruction acts passed by Congress pro- 
 vided for " the more efficient government of the rebel 
 states." It divided these states into military districts, 
 each district to be commanded by an officer not below 
 the rank of brigadier-general, and made it the duty of 
 that officer to protect the rights of all persons and 
 property and to suppress insurrection, violence, and 
 disorder. At the same time it gave him the power to 
 organize a military commission for the suppression of 
 crime or disorder. It also provided that when the 
 people of these states had framed a constitution in con- 
 formity with the Constitution of the United States, 
 and had adoped the Amendments to the Constitution 
 that had recently been made, then, with the approval 
 of Congress, those states should be entitled to send 
 Representatives to Congress. 
 
 After the passage of these laws Sheridan was as- 
 signed to the Fifth Military District, which embraced 
 the same territory that he had had charge of since the 
 
SHERIDAN AND RECONSTRUCTION 269 
 
 close of the war. In commanding this territory Sheri- 
 dan laid down a rule for the government of his own 
 conduct : it was non-interference with the state and 
 city governments so long as their action did not con- 
 flict with the laws. 
 
 He was, however, soon obliged to interfere in muni- 
 cipal matters in New Orleans. The mayor and sev- 
 eral officials took upon themselves to declare the re- 
 construction acts of Congress unconstitutional, and to 
 ignore and refuse to obey the law. Sheridan, there- 
 fore, removed them from office and appointed Edward 
 W. Heath as mayor. His reasons for these removals 
 were that the mayor had incited the massacre ; that tha 
 attorney-general was trying to punish the victims in- 
 stead of the murderers; and that the judge of the 
 criminal court used his position to bring about the 
 massacre, by making it appear that no one would be 
 tried for the deeds done in it. 
 
 This vigorous action of Sheridan's was the keynote 
 of his administration. He issued orders for those 
 who were qualified to vote under the reconstruction 
 laws to register between May 1 and June 30. Adju- 
 tant-General Thomas directing him in a dispatch not 
 to close the registration until the 1st of August, Sheri- 
 dan asked Grant if this was to be considered as a 
 mandatory order coming from the President. In 
 reply Grant said: " Enforce your own construction of 
 the military bill until ordered to do otherwise. The 
 opinion of the attorney-general has not been dis- 
 tributed to the district commanders in language or 
 order entitling it to the form of an order, nor can I 
 
2-jo BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 suppose that the President intended it to have sucK 
 force." Sheridan kept open the books of registration 
 until the 31st of July. 
 
 John A. Walker was charged with shooting a negro 
 in the parish of Saint John. The civil authorities, in- 
 stead of arresting him, connived at his escape. There 
 were several similar instances. Sheridan believed 
 that it was the purpose of the ex-Confederates to 
 frighten and intimidate the colored men in order to 
 keep them from voting and to compel them to make 
 contracts to work for their former masters. The 
 trial and conviction of Walker, which he brought 
 about, put a stop to this " bulldozing," as it was termed. 
 
 The legislature had passed an act requiring a resi- 
 dence qualification for the policemen of New Orleans. 
 The evident purpose of this was to exclude Union sol- 
 diers who had taken up their residence in New Orleans 
 from being policemen. Most of the police were ex- 
 Confederate soldiers. Sheridan did not object to this, 
 but he did object to their preventing the freedmen from 
 registering as voters and to a system of intimidation 
 inaugurated by them. When Sheridan discovered the 
 misuse of their office by the police, he annulled the law 
 which required a five years' residence before being 
 able to serve on the force. This enabled the mayor to 
 organize the force anew and appoint about one-half 
 of it from ex-Union soldiers. 
 
 This put an end to intimidation of the poor ex- 
 slaves. All of Sheridan's sympathies were with the 
 weak and down-trodden freedmen. Their freedom had 
 been given them by the nation, and he believed they 
 
SHERIDAN AND RECONSTRUCTION 271 
 
 should be protected from the bitter political resent- 
 ments that beset them and be given a fair chance. 
 
 Another illustration of the way that Sheridan used 
 his power as a military commander is seen when the 
 legislature appropriated $4,000,000 to repair the 
 levees, that were so badly broken that the waters of 
 the Mississippi were doing great damage to the agri- 
 cultural interests of Louisiana. This money was to 
 be distributed by a commission then in existence. But 
 the law which created this board would expire in the 
 spring of 1867. The legislature got around this diffi- 
 culty by passing a bill to continue the board. Gover- 
 nor Wells kept this bill until the legislature adjourned 
 and thus prevented its becoming a law; and then, 
 without either law or reason, appointed a board of his 
 own to distribute the money. This board the old 
 commission refused to recognize. 
 
 Sheridan, seeing that the quarrel would prevent the 
 much needed work on the levees from being done, ap- 
 pointed a new commission that would do the work 
 and distribute the money honestly. The legislature 
 was willing that this should be done, but the governor 
 requested the President to revoke Sheridan's order. 
 The Secretary of War directed him to make a report 
 of all proceedings in the matter. As was to be ex- 
 pected, Sheridan did not mince matters but told the 
 truth, in substance as I have given it here, and bluntly 
 added : " Governor Wells is a political trickster and a 
 dishonest man. I have seen him, myself, when I came 
 to this command, turn out all the Union men who had 
 supported the Government and put in their stead rebel 
 
272 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 soldiers who had not doffed their gray uniforms. 
 ... I have watched him since, and his conduct is as 
 sinuous as the mark left in the dust by the movement 
 of a snake. I say again he is dishonest, and that dis- 
 honesty is more than must be expected of me." The 
 same day that he made this report, determined that he 
 would not bear any longer with one who was obstruct- 
 ing in every possible way the reorganization of the 
 civil government of the state, he removed Governor 
 Wells from office. 
 
 The disloyal element, especially its newspapers and 
 politicians, were bitterly opposed to Sheridan's acts. 
 These agitators condemned everybody connected with 
 the Congressional plan of reconstruction, and as the 
 President and Congress were at sword's points with 
 each other, the President took sides with rather than 
 against those who opposed Sheridan. When, at last, 
 Sheridan removed from office the controller and the 
 treasurer of the cityy — who had already issued a quar- 
 ter of a million of illegal certificates, — and with them 
 twenty-two aldermen and other officials who had been 
 parties to illegal proceedings and who had reduced 
 the credit and financial affairs of New Orleans to a 
 disorderly condition and were also hindering recon- 
 struction, the anger of his political adversaries knew 
 no bounds. 
 
 Later Sheridan issued an order, dated August 24, 
 1867, declaring the registration of voters complete 
 and that no person not registered in accordance with 
 law should be considered as a duly qualified voter of 
 the state. Upon the promulgation of this order the 
 
SHERIDAN AND RECONSTRUCTION 273 
 
 President removed General Sheridan from duty and 
 his connection with reconstruction politics ceased. 
 
 During his whole career as a military commander, 
 whatever else may be said of him, Sheridan acted the 
 part of an honest, brave soldier. His fault was, from 
 a politician's standpoint, that he would not temporize 
 with dishonest methods or men. He was glad to be 
 relieved from such an uncongenial task and to be as- 
 signed to a position more in keeping with a soldier's 
 duties. He undoubtedly made mistakes that a more 
 politic man would not have made; but, as a whole, 
 history will justify his rule as commander of the Fifth 
 Military District. 
 
 In 1875, when the " White League " was so full of 
 menace and danger, President Grant was induced to 
 send him to New Orleans again to suppress disorder. 
 His mere presence there was sufficient to cause sub- 
 mission, sullen though it was. It is praise to say that 
 all disloyal elements and disorderly ones hated and 
 feared him. He showed here, as in all other positions 
 of responsibility, that he was capable and honest, and 
 time has justified his motives if not his judgment. 
 
 From 1867 until his death Sheridan remained clear 
 of political entanglements. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 
 
 In September, 1867, Major-General Sheridan was 
 assigned by the General-in-Chief to command the De- 
 partment of Missouri. His new command was one of 
 great responsibilities, involving as it did, heavy con- 
 flicts with the Indians as well as the execution of a 
 policy designed to prevent hindrances to the settle- 
 ment of the country and the building of railroads, 
 which the presence of antagonistic and strong tribes 
 was creating. 
 
 When the Civil War closed, there was not a mile 
 of railroad north of Jefferson City and west of the 
 Missouri River, — certainly not outside of California. 
 When Sheridan was transferred to this Department, 
 the Union and Pacific Railroads were nearing their 
 junction in Utah, and hundreds of miles of other rail- 
 roads had been put in operation. The Indians had 
 become restless and dissatisfied because of the build- 
 ing of the Pacific Railroad through their hunting 
 grounds and the coming of settlers into eastern Colo- 
 rado just after the war. The protection of these roads 
 and of the construction parties at work on them, as 
 well as the protection of the settlers, were a part of 
 Sheridan's duties. 
 
 At the time he took command of the Department 
 274 
 
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 275 
 
 there was comparative quiet there, though just previ- 
 ously the Indians had murdered isolated settlers, at- 
 tacked surveying and construction parties engaged in 
 building the Kansas Pacific Railroad, plundered stage 
 stations, and raided emigrant trains. As the general's 
 health had been somewhat impaired by the climate of 
 Louisiana, Sheridan took a leave of absence of several 
 months to recuperate before entering upon active 
 duties, leaving Colonel A. J. Smith in command of the 
 Department. 
 
 Upon his return to duty a delegation of prominent 
 chiefs called on him and proposed a conference. 
 Sheridan would not consent to this, as Peace Com- 
 missioners had made a treaty with the Cheyennes, 
 Arapahoes, Kiowas, and Comanches, at Medicine 
 Lodge, in which they, in substance, agreed to relin- 
 quish the country to white settlement, allow the 
 peaceful construction of the Pacific Railroad, and go 
 to a reservation in the Indian Territory. As Sheri- 
 dan's refusal left them without hopes of obtaining any 
 better terms than were already granted them, the 
 young men defiantly denounced the treaty and be- 
 came saucy and turbulent. Sheridan foresaw that un- 
 less he could in some way soothe their irritation, they 
 would be on the war-path when the buffalo returned 
 to their feeding ground in the spring. 
 
 The lives of the settlers would be endangered if 
 hostilities were resumed, and therefore, to keep the 
 Indians quiet, Sheridan supplied them with abundant 
 food and tried to placate them by sending among 
 them certain men who knew their language, had lived 
 
276 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 and hunted with them, and who had their confidence. 
 These men were Mr. William Comstock, Mr. Abner 
 Grover, and Mr. Richard Parr. They were placed 
 under the charge of Lieutenant Beecher, with instruc- 
 tions to make every effort to prevent hostilities and to 
 keep Lieutenant Beecher posted as to conditions 
 among the different tribes. 
 
 In August Sheridan's hopes of continued tranquillity 
 were rudely shattered. A party of Cheyenne Indians 
 had made an attack or raid on some friendly Kaws 
 who were peacefully living near Council Grove, stolen 
 their horses, and robbed the houses of white settlers. 
 Directly after this the Comanches and Kiowas came 
 to get their annuities, and were also expecting to get 
 arms and ammunition. They were refused them until 
 they had made reparation for their raid upon the 
 friendly Kaw Indians. 
 
 The Indians then went to General Alfred Sully, who 
 was in command of the District of Arkansas and who 
 had great experience with them, and made him be- 
 lieve that it was only a few bad young men that had 
 committed these depredations, and that if he would 
 issue arms to them, they would in future hold these 
 wild young fellows in check. Sully, thinking that he 
 could thus prevent hostilities, delivered the arms and 
 annuities to the crafty Indians. 
 
 The issue of these arms was a great mistake, for 
 even while these Indian diplomats were persuading 
 Sully, their warriors were on a raid of rapine and 
 murder among the settlers of Saline Valley, about 
 thirty miles from the post where General Sully was 
 
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 277 
 
 stationed. Here, pretending to be indignant because 
 hot coffee, to which the unsuspecting settlers had 
 treated them, had been served them in tin cups, they 
 threw the coffee in the faces of those who had treated 
 them, made prisoners of the men, and inflicted indig- 
 nities upon the women too horrid to relate. The ar- 
 rival of some of these unfortunates at Fort Harker 
 was the first intimation received by the military that 
 hostilities had commenced. 
 
 Leaving the Saline Valley this war-party, crossed to 
 the Solomon Valley, where the people, not knowing 
 that the Indians were on the war-path, treated them 
 hospitably and even gave them ammunition. In return 
 the Indians murdered thirteen men and two women, 
 committing horrible outrages and carrying away as 
 prisoners two little girls, who were never heard from 
 again. 
 
 Rumors of these murders and outrages having 
 reached Lieutenant Beecher, he sent Comstock and 
 Grover to a camp of Cheyenne's whose chief, Turkey 
 Leg, had been a great friend of Comstock's; they had 
 hunted together and lived in the same camp, and it 
 was thought that Comstock would have sufficient in- 
 fluence to keep them from the war-path. But they 
 met with a chilly reception, and were ordered out 
 of the village. Under pretense that they were sent to 
 protect them, they were accompanied when they left by 
 several young men. They had not gone far, however, 
 when in the midst of a friendly talk two of the young 
 Indians fell behind the party and fired on the whites. 
 Comstock was killed at the first volley, but Grover, 
 
278 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 sheltering himself behind his friend's dead body, 
 fought the seven Indians with his long-range rifle. 
 When night came, though desperately wounded he 
 reached a ravine, and got to Fort Wallace two days 
 after, exhausted and frantic from the pain of his 
 wounds. 
 
 Simultaneously with these occurrences, outrages, 
 murders, and pillaging began all along the upper Ar- 
 kansas River and the head-waters of the Cimarron, 
 and it was no longer doubtful that a general Indian 
 war had begun. The leaders in this mischief were 
 principally the Cheyennes and the Kiowas. Some of 
 the Arapahoes remained friendly, but their young men 
 were on the war-path with the hostiles. The four 
 tribes could put on the war-path about six thousand 
 warriors. As it would be no child's play to subdue 
 these tribes, Sheridan transferred his headquarters to 
 a military post known as Fort Hays, near the seat of 
 trouble. 
 
 At the time of which I write (1868) there were 
 vast herds of buffalo covering these Plains, which, 
 during the summer months, afforded abundant food 
 for the Indians, enabling them to continue on the war- 
 path without troubling themselves about subsistence. 
 Sheridan, with that genius of perception for which he 
 was distinguished, saw that this was the key to the 
 problem of subduing the Indians, and, notwithstand- 
 ing many protests of old Indian fighters, resolved on 
 a winter campaign against them as the only sure way 
 of bringing hostilities quickly to a close. 
 
 The reader will see how difficult a problem he had 
 
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 279 
 
 to solve, when I explain that Sheridan had only 
 2600 men with which to protect emigrant trains, 
 railroad construction parties, and the settlers, be- 
 sides garrisoning all the posts. This left but a small 
 movable column with which to operate against the 
 Indians. 
 
 It was very difficult to obtain scouts, but a few 
 good ones were at last obtained. Among these was 
 William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill), who is now known 
 to most American boys. His first service was ren- 
 dered when Sheridan wished to send important orders 
 to Fort Dodge, ninety-five miles south from his head- 
 quarters. It was a dangerous route. Several couriers 
 had been killed, and it seemed impossible to get any 
 one to carry a message. Though Cody had just been 
 on a long and dangerous trip, he saddled a fresh horse 
 and, halting but once on his way, rode 350 miles in 
 less than sixty hours. On his return he informed 
 Sheridan where the Indian villages would be likely 
 to be found in winter, but thought that they 
 would contain only old men and women while the war- 
 riors continued their raids north of the Arkansas 
 River. 
 
 Many fights occurred between the troops and these 
 marauders, but the most thrilling of these preliminary 
 encounters was made by Colonel George Forsyth, 
 who was one of Sheridan's aides during the Civil War. 
 He had organized a party of less than fifty scouts, and 
 on the 17th of September while near the Republican 
 River with forty of these, seven hundred Indian war- 
 riors came suddenly upon his party. With Forsyth 
 
280 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 was Surgeon J. H. Moore and Lieutenant Beecher. 
 With the quick decision of a veteran soldier, Forsyth, 
 seeing that the only chance for life was to make a de- 
 fense, took refuge on a small island in the Arickaree 
 River, with a channel only a foot deep on one side 
 and on the other completely dry. Here they threw 
 up shallow rifle-pits for defense, determined to fight 
 to the death. 
 
 The savages, confident that they could easily cap- 
 ture or kill the whole party, drew up their horses in 
 imposing array and formed for the attack. They were 
 led by a gigantic chief called Roman Nose and were 
 all of them naked and painted. With one hand on 
 their bridles and the other grasping their rifles, with 
 terrible war-whoops they dashed on the little band of 
 whites to ride over and annihilate them with one grand 
 charge. They were met with such a destructive fire 
 from the well-aimed repeating rifles of Forsyth's men 
 that the first charge was checked and many of the 
 savages killed. Forsyth was desperately wounded at 
 this first charge but still coolly continued to direct the 
 defense. The Indians charged again and again with 
 the same result, and with the loss of many of their 
 warriors, as attested by the mourning cries of hun- 
 dreds of their women and children on a near-by hill 
 viewing the fight. Of the little party of defenders, 
 Beecher was killed, Surgeon Moore mortally wounded. 
 Forsyth three times desperately wounded, and several 
 others of the scouts killed. The whole number of the 
 killed and wounded was in all twenty-one out of a 
 party of forty-seven. Many of the Indian warriors 
 

CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 281 
 
 had been killed, among them the chief, Roman Nose, 
 and their medicine man. 
 
 The hot sun made it terrible for the wounded, and 
 the party of whites had little to eat except the flesh of 
 their dead horses. The Indians finally gave up charg- 
 ing them and, dismounting, began a siege, thinking 
 to starve out their enemies. But though suffering 
 from wounds and almost hopeless of escape, the sur- 
 vivors kept up the defense until the Indians, despair- 
 ing of capturing or destroying them, began to draw 
 off. Forsyth's men managed to live four days longer, 
 when a column of troops from Fort Wallace came to 
 their relief; for during the first of the three days' 
 fight Forsyth had sent two men (Stilwell and Trues- 
 dell) through the Indian lines, and these had brought 
 the much-needed relief. 
 
 By the beginning of November Sheridan had com- 
 pleted his preparations for a winter's campaign. To 
 insure energetic action and to see that the different 
 columns were properly conducted, Sheridan went in 
 person with the main column, which had for its objec- 
 tive the Indians who had fled to the head-waters of 
 the Red River. This force was made up of the Nine- 
 teenth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry and eleven troops 
 of regular cavalry commanded by the gallant General 
 Custer; also five companies of infantry commanded 
 by Major Page. 
 
 In conjunction with this column two others were to 
 march into the Indian Territory. One was composed 
 of six troops of the Third Cavalry and two companies 
 of infantry under Colonel Evans, and the other of six 
 
282 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 troops of the Fifth Cavalry commanded by General 
 Carr. 
 
 The different columns having been set in motion on 
 the 15th of November, under circumstances that would 
 have discouraged almost any one but Sheridan from 
 undertaking a winter campaign, he started for Fort 
 Supply to give them personal attention. On his first 
 night out a blizzard blew away the tents, and the only 
 shelter that Sheridan, shivering with wet and cold, 
 could find for the night was under a wagon. On the 
 2 1st he arrived at Fort Supply, in a snow-storm that 
 had been raging for twenty-four hours. 
 
 Generals Sully and Custer with their troops had 
 arrived, but Colonel Crawford with the Kansas troops 
 had not put in an appearance. Without delay, Sheri- 
 dan ordered the working parties to be called in, and 
 on the 23d Custer was instructed to strike a trail that 
 had been discovered, which Sheridan was convinced 
 was that of a war-party that had come from the 
 Washita. 
 
 In a severe snow-storm Custer started out, and en- 
 camped the first night fifteen miles from his point of 
 departure. The weather the next day was clear and 
 cold, but the heavy wind had blown away the snow 
 on the high land so that the trail could be traced. 
 After getting the wagons across the Canadian River, 
 the Indian scouts came in saying that they had dis- 
 covered a fresh trail, which indicated that the war- 
 party was returning to the villages. In the early 
 morning of the 27th the scouts reported that they had 
 found a large herd of ponies in a valley. Custer with 
 
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 283 
 
 his officers made a reconnaissance by dismounting and 
 creeping to a little elevation; by moonlight they saw 
 the village of the Indians. 
 
 Custer decided to attack at daybreak by approach- 
 ing it from all sides. The plan having been explained, 
 at early light the party closed in around the village, 
 and then at a signal charged at a gallop on the sleep- 
 ing savages. Although completely surprised, after the 
 first confusion the savages rallied and fought desper- 
 ately, firing from behind trees and from the river 
 banks as a shelter. Finally, after their chief, Black 
 Kettle, and over a hundred of his warriors had been 
 killed, the entire village was captured, with fifty 
 women and children. Several Indians had, however, 
 escaped and informed the rest of the hostile Indians 
 of what had occurred. A party that had under Major 
 Elliott gone in pursuit of the escaping young war- 
 riors, was killed, though their fate was not known un- 
 til later. 
 
 While Custer was burning the village and securing 
 the herd of ponies, thousands of Indians had col- 
 lected and it was a question what he should do. He 
 shot all of the ponies, kept up a fight with the savages 
 until night came, and then got back to Fort Supply. 
 
 Although this victory was calculated to demoralize 
 the Indians, hard work was yet to be done before they 
 should be conquered. Crawford with his Kansas 
 troops, in undertaking to reach Sheridan by a direct 
 route, had lost most of his horses and men ; and though 
 a few of the men finally got to Fort Supply with 
 their commander they were of little use. 
 
284 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 On the 7th of December Sheridan, taking personal 
 command, started out through the deep snow and with 
 the temperature below zero towards the Wichita 
 Mountains. The second day they encountered vast 
 herds of buffalo, which were followed by a band of 
 wolves. Antelope were so tame that they sometimes 
 came into camp and were captured by the men. 
 
 Through storms and blizzards they at last reached 
 the Washita, within six miles of Custer's fight, and 
 then began a search to find out what had become of 
 the Elliot party. The poor fellows were found dead 
 in a circle, horribly mutilated, with little piles of empty 
 cartridge shells near each body, which showed they 
 had made a most desperate fight. 
 
 From here they rode down the Washita to the sites 
 of the abandoned Indian villages, and at the Kiowa 
 village found the body of a young white woman 
 and her child, who had been taken prisoners the 
 previous summer by the brutal Satanta and finally 
 murdered. 
 
 On the 12 of December Sheridan marched out from 
 his comfortable camp, following a trail. Another 
 snow-storm came up, which made it very difficult for 
 the guides to find the way; then a fog obscured all 
 landmarks; but at last, still keeping to the trail, with 
 the weather below zero at times, and at others encoun- 
 tering furious snow-storms, they at last came to a 
 place that indicated that they were nearing some In- 
 dian villages. On the 18th, after a march of a few 
 miles, some Indians appeared with a white flag and 
 bearing a letter from General Hazen, saying that he 
 
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 285 
 
 was carrying on negotiations with the Indians and 
 that all the tribes between Sheridan and Fort Cobb 
 were friendly. 
 
 The Indians at hand, as well as the Comanches and 
 Kiowas, were thus placed practically under the protec- 
 tion of the Indian Department of the United States, 
 and Sheridan gave up his intention to attack. Sheri- 
 dan told the representatives of the Kiowas that if they 
 would come into Fort Cobb and give themselves 
 up, he would heed the letter of General Hazen, 
 which proved, afterwards, to have been obtained by 
 trickery and fraud by the chiefs Satanta and Lone 
 Wolf. 
 
 After several days of delay and bad faith, Sheridan, 
 by threatening to hang Lone Wolf and Satanta, pur- 
 suaded their tribes to come in according to their agree- 
 ment. But he had first to issue an order for their 
 execution before these chiefs sent out runners with a 
 message imploring their people to save their lives. 
 This resulted in their coming into the post. Sheridan 
 was afterwards sorry that he had not hanged these 
 chiefs, for several years afterwards both were guilty 
 of horrible murders and atrocities in Texas. 
 
 All of the Comanches were now in Sheridan's hands 
 but one small party, which had fled. This band, which 
 was made up of desperate outcasts and very bad Indi- 
 ans, was finally practically annihilated by Evans, who, 
 in the cold and snow on Christmas Day came upon 
 their village, captured most of the women and chil- 
 dren, killed twenty-five warriors in the fight, and de- 
 stroyed all their property. 
 
286 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 This sudden attack in midwinter caused the 
 Arapahoes and Cheyennes, whose children and women 
 were suffering and complaining, to enter into negotia- 
 tions through their chiefs, Little Robe and Yellow 
 Bear, for terms of peace. While these negotiations 
 were pending, Sheridan began establishing a new mili- 
 tary post not far from the base of the Wichita Moun- 
 tains, so as to keep an oversight in future on the 
 Kiowas and Comanches. This post he named Fort 
 Sill, after his classmate who was killed at Stone River. 
 Here he required all the Indians to go until they were 
 settled permanently. 
 
 There was, however, much trouble in getting the 
 Cheyennes there. Finally Sheridan started Custer 
 with forty picked men and with Yellow Bear and Little 
 Robe for interpreters and guides, with instructions to 
 give them a good thrashing or compel them to sub- 
 mit. The Cheyennes could not be found, and Custer 
 was compelled to return to save his party from perish- 
 ing. 
 
 In February, 1869, Sheridan had begun to make 
 preparations for another expedition by Custer for the 
 same purpose, and prepared to establish a new depot 
 to feed the command. For the purpose of making 
 these arrangements in person he returned to Fort 
 Supply, where, much to his surprise, he received a dis- 
 patch from General Grant ordering him to Washing- 
 ton, and informing him that on the day of his inaugu- 
 ration as President, he had commissioned him as Lieu- 
 tenant-General of the Army of the United States. 
 Upon Sheridan's arrival in Washington the President 
 
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE INDIANS 287 
 
 desired him to go to New Orleans to take command 
 there. But Sheridan did not like this, and so Grant 
 appointed him to command the Division of Missouri 
 in place of General Sherman, whom he had made 
 General of the Army. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 SHERIDAN VIEWS THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 
 
 Sheridan at once assumed command of his Mili- 
 tary Division, with his headquarters in Chicago. In 
 this city he became a social favorite, on account of his 
 personal qualities as well as for the distinguished 
 position he occupied. 
 
 My young readers may suppose that because he was 
 now lieutenant-general, he would have an easy time. 
 But the duties of such a position required work enough 
 to satisfy the ambition of any man competent to fill 
 it. He had not been in the office long before he saw 
 that, in order to inform himself of the needs of the 
 different posts, it would be needful for him to make 
 an inspection tour of all of the military posts of the 
 Rocky Mountain region. So, in May, 1870, he began 
 this duty, taking passage by stagecoach at Corinne 
 Station for Helena, and riding about five hundred 
 miles by this conveyance. 
 
 Upon his return he found that war between Prussia 
 and France had begun, and, wishing to observe the 
 conflict, he obtained the necessary leave and began 
 preparations at once for his journey. Before sailing 
 for Europe, he visited by invitation, President Grant. 
 
 " Which army," inquired Grant, " do you desire 
 to accompany ? " 
 
 288 
 
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 289 
 
 " The German army," said Sheridan. " because I 
 think it will be the successful side, and more can be 
 seen there." 
 
 This decision pleased Grant very much, for he had 
 but a small opinion of Louis Napoleon. Before he left 
 Grant gave him a letter commending him to all 
 representatives of the United States, and introducing 
 him to the representatives of other governments as one 
 of the most brave and skillful soldiers of the late war. 
 
 On the 27th of July, 1870, he sailed from New 
 York, accompanied by General James Forsyth as aide- 
 de-camp. In Berlin Mr. George Bancroft, the Ameri- 
 can Minister, met him with a telegram from Count 
 Bismarck, saying that he was expected to come to the 
 headquarters of King William. The Queen also sent 
 word offering him an opportunity to pay his respects ; 
 but Sheridan asked to be excused from the visit, as 
 important events were expected soon to take place at 
 the front. He proceeded at once to Romilly, where he 
 took passage in a hay-cart to the little city of Pont-a- 
 Mousson. This place he found so crowded with Ger- 
 man officers and men that he had trouble in finding 
 lodging and food. Here Count Bismarck received him 
 cordially, inquiring with some concern which side the 
 people of the United States blamed for bringing on the 
 war. 
 
 It was the night before the battle of Gravelotte, and 
 Sheridan expressed a desire to see the battle. So it 
 was arranged that Sheridan should be on hand at four 
 o'clock the next morning, to go with Bismarck to the 
 field and be introduced to the King. Sheridan was on 
 
290 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 hand at the early hour agreed upon and rode with 
 Bismarck in his wagon to Mars-la-Tour, where they 
 found an aide-de-camp ready to take him to the King. 
 His Majesty received him with both hands extended 
 in welcome, and was very gracious and pleasant; 
 though as neither spoke the language of the other the 
 conversation was extremely brief, and was carried on 
 through an interpreter. It ended by King William's 
 inviting him to stay at his headquarters during the 
 campaign. 
 
 The place selected to see the battle was on some 
 high land, which was the center of the battle-fields of 
 Mars-la-Tour, a battle which had been fought the day 
 before and where some of the dead still remained un- 
 buried. Here he was presented to General Von 
 Moltke, who spoke English fluently, and who explained 
 to Sheridan the positions of the German corps and the 
 movements taking place. 
 
 The battle was opened by the German artillery all 
 along the line, to which the French artillery, when the 
 German infantry moved to attack responded with 
 a fire so destructive that General Von Steinmartz 
 ordered his cavalry to charge on the French who were 
 posted along a sunken road. The charge met with a 
 most deadly reception, and the Germans were slaugh- 
 tered in a terrible manner. The rear ranks pushing 
 the front ranks into the deep cut, an orderly retreat 
 was impossible. Von Steinmartz was so much blamed 
 that Sheridan thought he would be relieved from his 
 command. But Sheridan saw the old veteran go with 
 bowed head to the King, by whom he was kindly re- 
 
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 291 
 
 ceived. Sheridan, however, thought the charge a 
 very foolish piece of business. After this a Ger- 
 man corps, led by General Von Moltke himself, 
 charged and decided the battle with victory for the 
 Germans. 
 
 When, accompanied by Bismarck, Sheridan rejoined 
 the King, he found his Majesty surrounded by a crowd 
 of fugitives, to whom he was talking in such an 
 emphatic way that he afterwards declared it reminded 
 him of the Dutch swearing he used to hear when he 
 was a boy in Ohio. 
 
 It was not long before the French army fell back, 
 leaving the Prussian army in possession of the battle- 
 field. 
 
 During the entire day Sheridan had had nothing to 
 eat or drink, for the immense armies had not only 
 eaten up all the food but had drunk up all the water 
 in the wells. The brother of the King took him 
 aside and, taking a piece of stale bread from his coat- 
 tail pocket, shared it with him. 
 
 As Sheridan was riding back alone to the village, 
 he was halted by some German soldiers, who mistook 
 him for a French officer. As he could speak no 
 German and they could speak no English, and he did 
 not dare speak French, the crisis was acute, especially 
 when one of the soldiers took off Sheridan's cap and 
 pronounced it French. It is doubtful if they would 
 not have killed him then and there, if an officer from 
 the King's headquarters had not come up and rescued 
 him. There was a great laugh at headquarters over 
 the incident; but the King, recognizing that it would 
 
292 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 have been no laughing matter if an American officer 
 of his high rank had been killed, wrote him a pass to 
 prevent similar mistakes in future. 
 
 As all the buildings were occupied, it was with 
 greatest difficulty that the American general found 
 lodging in a loft, which was reached by a ladder, the 
 first floor being occupied by wounded soldiers. The 
 next morning Bismarck begged some coffee of the 
 King's escort and bought two eggs. Sheridan cornered 
 a sutler's wagon, which, though nearly sold out, still 
 had four large bologna sausages which he bought for 
 a good price. This was their breakfast, and they 
 were fortunate to get one as good. 
 
 Sheridan and Bismarck then visited the battle-field. 
 The sight at the sunken way, where the German 
 cavalry charged, was awful even for an experienced 
 soldier like Sheridan. There were hundreds of dead 
 men and horses. Going in another direction he saw 
 the plain covered with the helmets of the German 
 soldiers. Inside the French fort he saw that the 
 terrific artillery fire, which the Germans had thought 
 so destructive, had done but little injury. 
 
 The disaster to the right wing of the French army 
 had caused them to fall back to Metz. Sheridan, fol- 
 lowing with Bismarck, found the roads so obstructed 
 with wagons that the Count, being unable to make the 
 teamsters obey his orders in any other way, jumped 
 from his carriage with his pistol in hand, and drove 
 them right and left, saying as he again took his seat, 
 " It is very undignified, but it is the only way." This 
 makes the writer think that army teamsters must be 
 
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 293 
 
 alike the world over, for he has witnessed similar 
 scenes in the Union army. 
 
 Shortly after this Sheridan dined with the King. 
 There were many distinguished personages present. 
 Bismarck, sitting next to King William, acted as 
 interpreter when the King addressed the American 
 general. His inquiries were principally about Grant's 
 Vicksburg campaign. 
 
 On arriving at Commercy, whither the King had 
 moved, General Sheridan found that his quarters had 
 been already chosen for him and his name marked 
 in chalk on the door of a house belonging to a notary, 
 who was pleased that he did not have to entertain the 
 German officers. In explanation I will say that an 
 army in Europe does not carry its provisions with it, 
 but makes the people of the country through which 
 it passes furnish food and lodging to its soldiers. So 
 offensive' was this practice to our forefathers that 
 they made it a part of the Constitution that " No 
 soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any 
 house without the consent of the owner; nor in time 
 of war, but in a manner prescribed by law." Thus in 
 a march the foreign army carry no food and are 
 burdened with no trains, except their ammunition and 
 bridge trains. They also have macadamized roads to 
 march over and not dusty roads or oceans of deep mud 
 to wallow through. 
 
 At Clermont, Sheridan was quartered with an 
 apothecary who had lived in this country, and who 
 claimed Sheridan as his guest and entertained him 
 with his best. Count Bismarck was not so fortunate, 
 
294 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 as he had only a little room with but two chairs, a 
 feather bed and a table, at which Sheridan found him 
 at work writing. Nothing seemed, however, to dis- 
 turb or to discomfort the " Iron Chancellor." 
 
 At Grand Pre, Sheridan again dined with King 
 William. At the table much surprise was expressed 
 at the blunder of the French in marching along the 
 Belgian frontiers. 
 
 As another battle seemed impending, the next morn- 
 ing Sheridan went to the front. About ten o'clock the 
 Germans advanced against a strong position held by 
 the French, while another part of their army turned 
 their right flank and compelled them to fall back. 
 Then their center advanced and surprised one of the 
 French divisions just as its men were eating their 
 breakfast; for afterwards some of the men were seen 
 dead with pieces of bread in their hands, instead of 
 muskets. 
 
 Sheridan was also present at the battle of Sedan 
 and witnessed the surrender of the French Emperor. 
 When he had arrived at a village called Chavanges, 
 he mounted his horse and rode to a hill whence he 
 could see the movements of both armies. Southeast 
 of Sedan was the village of Razeilles. This place was 
 attacked by the Germans and defended by the French 
 with great stubbornness, as it was of much importance 
 in the defense of Sedan. It yielded only after a 
 a street-to-street fight, and when its houses were 
 knocked to pieces. Its possession gave the German 
 army an almost continuous line to the east of Sedan, 
 almost to the Belgian frontiers. The French were 
 
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 295 
 
 driven through Floing, and as the ground was an 
 open plain, Sheridan had a good view of the battle 
 that preceded the surrender. 
 
 While the Germans were deploying for battle, he 
 saw an attack made by the French cavalry. The Ger- 
 mans received them with a destructive fire and com- 
 pelled them to retire. The French charged again and 
 again with great courage, and with a loss of hundreds 
 of horses and men, but to no purpose; for the survivors 
 fell back in disorder. Sheridan thought it very 
 brave — but foolish. At three o'clock in the afternoon, 
 firing having ceased, the Germans sent an officer with 
 a dispatch demanding the surrender of the French. 
 
 Sheridan remarked to Bismarck, " I think you will 
 catch Napoleon as one of your prizes here." 
 
 " Oh, no," said Bismarck, " he's too cautious to 
 be caught in such a trap." 
 
 But it turned out that Sheridan was right, for when 
 Colonel Von Bronsart, who carried the dispatch, re- 
 turned, he brought the intelligence that Louis Napoleon 
 was in the town. Soon after this an officer with 
 a white flag came from Sedan, bearing this message 
 from the Emperor : " Not being able to die in the 
 midst of my troops, there is nothing left for me but 
 to place my sword in your Majesty's hands." 
 
 Afterwards, while Sheridan was conversing with a 
 German officer who had served in the Union army 
 during the Civil War, there came from the city gate 
 a carriage in which was seated the Emperor of the 
 French and three other men. Thinking there might 
 be something worth seeing, Sheridan followed the 
 
296 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 carriage until it halted under some trees inside the 
 German lines. Bismarck came up and, saluting the 
 Emperor, said something in so abrupt a manner that 
 Louis Napoleon gave a start of alarm. After a 
 moment's conversation Bismarck and the Emperor 
 went into a little cottage near at hand, belonging to a 
 weaver. After a time they came out again and were 
 seated outside, where they talked for an hour or more. 
 It was then that the terms for the surrender of Sedan 
 were made. They were very humiliating for the 
 French, who, however, were beaten and had no choice. 
 
 After this the German army followed on to Paris 
 with little opposition, and by the 14th of September 
 their army was within twenty-eight miles of Paris. 
 At Rheims a German soldier was wounded by be- 
 ing fired upon from a window. As this place is the 
 center of the champagne district, it gave the Germans 
 an excuse to levy on the town for several hundred 
 bottles of its wine. 
 
 While the principal German armies were in the 
 vicinity of Paris, Sheridan, accompanied by Forsyth, 
 endeavored to get a good view of the French from the 
 German picket line. Accompanied by a guide who 
 rode ahead just far enough to escape trouble himself 
 and to alarm the French, the general was saluted by 
 rifle fire every time the French saw him. Afterwards, 
 in attempting to get back by a shorter route, he came 
 upon a German picket. The soldiers leveled their 
 muskets at him and called upon him to surrender. 
 He at once dismounted and reached for his pass. 
 The soldiers thought he was reaching for his revolver ; 
 
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 297 
 
 but as they were on the point of firing, he threw up 
 his hands. The officer of the guard came up, ex- 
 amined his pass, and conducted him to the command- 
 ant; but it was a close call. 
 
 On learning that the investment of Paris was about 
 complete, he started for Versailles on the 22d and 
 took quarters at the Hotel Reservoir, where he found 
 Generals Burnside and Hazen of the United States 
 army, and also several American families. 
 
 As is now well known, the German army did not 
 make any serious assault on the forts around the 
 French capital, but contented themselves repulsing 
 sorties made by the French, and finally starved 
 Paris into surrendering. As it would be several weeks 
 before Paris surrendered, Sheridan determined to 
 spend the interim in seeing other places of interest 
 in Europe. On the 14th of October he went to Sedan, 
 and from there to Brussels, where he was dined by 
 the King and Queen of Belgium and met many notable 
 people. He then visited Vienna and the Hungarian 
 capital, Buda-Pesth; went down the "Blue Danube" 
 to Varna, and then through the Black Sea to Con- 
 stantinople. Here the Grand Vizier welcomed him. 
 It was a time when the Mohammedans were keeping 
 a fast, from sunrise each day until sunset. The Grand 
 Vizier took him in a carriage where he could see the 
 Sultan on the Esplanade, when he and his little son 
 rode on horseback to the mosque. Afterwards he re- 
 viewed all the Turkish troops at Stamboul. He was 
 delighted with the climate and was tempted to linger, 
 and set out regretfully on his return journey. 
 
298 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 After this he stopped a few days at Athens; was 
 informally received by the King and Queen; and of 
 course visited the Acropolis and other points of inter- 
 est. He visited Sicily, Naples, and Pompeii. At the 
 latter place a special excavation was made and articles 
 of the buried city presented to him. Of course, as a 
 good Catholic, he visited Rome, but whether or not 
 he saw the " Holy Father " we do not know. He then 
 went to Florence, where he was presented to the King, 
 Victor Emmanuel, whose conversation was principally 
 about hunting. He said to Sheridan that he did not 
 want to be King, and expressed regrets that he could 
 not pass his days in hunting. He invited Sheridan to 
 go to his estate to hunt deer, an invitation which he 
 gladly accepted. He killed eleven deer that were 
 driven before him. 
 
 He returned to Paris in season to see the triumphal 
 entry of the German army into the French capital. 
 There was no disturbance as the German army moved 
 down the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde. 
 He found everywhere the disposition to make Louis 
 Napoleon the scapegoat for the national misfortunes. 
 
 After paying his respects to the Emperor Wil- 
 liam, — for he had been so proclaimed January 18th — 
 Sheridan took leave of Bismarck and General Von 
 Moltke. He remained in Paris until the latter part 
 of March with our Minister, E. B. Washburne, and 
 was the recipient of many attentions. General For- 
 syth is reported to have said, " His fame has reached 
 France in advance, and its people, from his vim and 
 dash, had already likened him to and placed him on 
 
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 299 
 
 the same high pedestal of fame with the great 
 Napoleon." 
 
 In a letter to General Grant, written in the confi- 
 dence of personal friendship, he said when speaking 
 of his observations abroad : " I have been able to ob- 
 serve the difference between the European battles and 
 those of our own country. I have not found the dif- 
 ference very great, but that difference is to the credit 
 of our own country. There is nothing to be learned 
 here professionally, and it is a satisfaction to know 
 that such is the case. There is much, however, that 
 Europeans could learn from us, — the use of rifle-pits, 
 the use of cavalry, which they do not use well ; . . . . 
 there are hundreds of things in which they are behind 
 us." 
 
 After the German army had withdrawn from Paris, 
 Sheridan visited Ireland, Scotland, and England, and 
 returned to his native land more in love with it than 
 ever before. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 Sheridan's busy life in time of peace 
 
 Returning in 1871, after a year's absence of 
 travel abroad, the lieutenant-general took up his resi- 
 dence in Chicago and resumed his command of the 
 Military Division of Missouri. He made his home on 
 Michigan Avenue and was glad to be once more with 
 his Chicago friends. He was cheery and full of life 
 and activity. It was impossible for him to remain 
 idle; so, instead of putting the work upon his subor- 
 dinates, he personally supervised the affairs of his 
 division, regulating the expenditures of large sums of 
 public money with careful economy and vigilantly 
 overseeing the affairs of his great division. 
 
 He was scarcely well settled down to his work, when 
 the disastrous fire of Oct. 8, which nearly destroyed 
 Chicago, occurred. It is said that the fire began in a 
 small frame barn where an old Irish woman's cow 
 kicked over a kerosene lamp by the light of which 
 she was milking; and the widow O'Leary's cow will 
 no doubt pass into history, in another way, with the 
 famous geese that saved Rome. 
 
 A fierce wind was blowing at the time, and al- 
 though the fire department fought the flames with 
 heroic exertion, and with a loss of some lives and the 
 destruction of most of its apparatus, yet the fire spread 
 
 300 
 
LIFE IN TIME OF PEACE 301 
 
 from house to house and from street to street with 
 appalling quickness. Nothing seemed able to stay its 
 course. Great tongues of flame reached out and licked 
 up granite and brick impartially, until the most densely 
 populated portion of the city was a chaotic mass of 
 charred and blackened ruins. All efforts to stay the 
 destruction were impotent, and by the 9th all the 
 northern part of the city and the business portions in 
 the south division went down before the awful con- 
 flagration. 
 
 Sheridan's residence was on the south side, and it 
 was midnight before he became aware of how serious 
 a calamity was threatened. He was on the way to his 
 headquarters, when he found his progress stopped by 
 a barrier of fire. Here property owners and men of 
 affairs gathered around him, asking for advice and as- 
 sistance. Thus appealed to, he got together his staff 
 and with clear perception and cool judgment organ- 
 ized for the work of saving the city. He checked the 
 flames at different points by destroying buildings, as- 
 sembled what remained of the crippled fire depart- 
 ment and its apparatus and set them systematically at 
 work, and did all that was possible with the means at 
 hand to bring the fire under control. 
 
 The flames, however, were not the only elements to 
 be feared. The people were panic-stricken and fall- 
 ing into disorder, and the mayor was powerless to 
 control them. Drunkenness, robbery, disorder, and 
 lawlessness prevailed. Men ordinarily cool lost 
 their mental balance, and did foolish or extravagant 
 things, — believing idle rumors, losing confidence in 
 
302 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 each other, and giving way to fears that had no foun- 
 dation in facts. One wealthy woman was seen to 
 throw away her jewel-case, with the remark that 
 the end of the world had come and that she did 
 not wish to appear before her Maker with such gew- 
 gaws in her hands. Men had begun to despair over 
 the conditions, fearing another conflagration, or 
 worse, that the criminal element would get control of 
 the city. 
 
 Recognizing, by what Sheridan had already done 
 so well, a masterful commander of men, and seeing 
 already the benefits of the organization he had effected, 
 the representatives of a mass meeting of the leading 
 citizens called on him to guard them, not only from 
 the fire, but from disorder and lawlessness. The ap- 
 peal was not in vain. He set at work at once to pro- 
 tect what property was left and to obtain food and 
 shelter for the thousands of homeless people. With 
 characteristic energy and decision he summoned his 
 soldiers from distant points to keep order and to 
 guard persons and property. 
 
 By the 12th of October the fire was subdued, rations 
 ordered to feed the hungry thousands, and tents to 
 shelter the homeless. In two days the people were 
 being systematically fed and sheltered, all without 
 conflicting with the state or municipal authorities. 
 The citizens hailed Sheridan as their deliverer, 
 and President Grant commended him with liberal 
 praise. 
 
 There are many anecdotes told of Sheridan at this 
 time. A hotel that had been saved from the flames 
 
LIFE IN TIME OF PEACE 303 
 
 opened for business. Complaints were made to him 
 about its extravagant charges to guests. 
 
 "What are they charging?" inquired Sheridan. 
 
 " Six dollars a day." 
 
 " What was the price before the fire ? " 
 
 " Two dollars and a half." 
 
 " All right," said Sheridan, " I will run the hotel 
 myself at that price! " And he put it in charge of an 
 orderly and ran it at $2.50 a day until order was fully 
 established in the city. 
 
 The city under his control was so peaceful that a 
 newspaper reporter could get no startling news for a 
 good story for the press and felt compelled to invent 
 some in this form, " Seven incendiaries have just been 
 shot for kindling fires in the city; " and the next day 
 he reported, " Several hung from the lamp-posts ! " 
 The next day Sheridan got a sarcastic note inquiring 
 "if it was not possible to put out the flames with 
 gore." 
 
 The people were grateful to Sheridan for what he 
 had done, though some politicians who were impotent 
 to do anything themselves tried to belittle his efforts 
 and to make capital out of his assuming command. 
 
 In 1874 Sheridan was married to Irene M. Rucker, 
 whose father was General Daniel Rucker, a retired 
 quartermaster-general of the United States Army. 
 Miss Rucker was born at Fort Union on the frontier, 
 amidst the alarms of Indian wars, while her father 
 was serving as a depot quartermaster. She was a fit- 
 ting mate for the hero soldier. 
 
 The year of his marriage the city of Chicago was 
 
3<M BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 again threatened with a repetition of the same kind of 
 calamity as the great fire, and was again Indebted to 
 him for help in saving the city from ruin and disorder 
 by his prompt action and good judgment. When the 
 communistic riot — so destructive in other cities — 
 threatened the peace of Chicago, his action prevented 
 another public misfortune. He showed in all this his 
 strong characteristic of being able to do things. He 
 did not allow red tape or forms to hamper him in 
 great public emergencies, but cut them; thus display- 
 ing great moral as well as physical courage. 
 
 In 1872 the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia was in 
 this country, and at a State dinner tendered him by 
 President Grant, General Sheridan sat next to the 
 Prince. In course of conversation the Grand Duke 
 was roused to so great enthusiasm by Sheridan's de- 
 scriptions of buffalo hunting that he resolved to ex- 
 tend his tour in order to take part in a hunt. 
 
 A special train conveyed the party to the North 
 Platte, where they were met by " Buffalo Bill," who 
 escorted them to a camp which had been pitched for 
 the purpose with romantic surroundings of wood and 
 bluff and stream, and where a near-by camp of Brule 
 Indians added romance and wildness to the scene. 
 The Indians, under their chief, Spotted Tail, were to 
 join in the hunt for the entertainment of Prince 
 Alexis. When all was ready a short ride brought the 
 party near the first herd of buffalo the Grand Duke 
 had ever seen. With Sheridan, Custer, and Buffalo 
 Bill he made an onslaught on the herd, the other Rus- 
 sians of his party first awaiting the success of their 
 
LIFE IN TIME OF PEACE 305 
 
 Prince. After the hunt, it was shown that the Prince 
 had a score of nine buffalo out of twenty-eight that 
 had been killed by the party. 
 
 On the Prince's expressing curiosity about the use 
 of the Indian bow and arrow, Sheridan directed one 
 of the Indians, called " Red Leaf," to give an exhibi- 
 tion of its use by killing a buffalo in sight. Alexis 
 was much pleased with his skill, and rewarded Red 
 Leaf and bought his bow and quiver at a princely 
 price. At the close of the hunt the Indians gave a 
 war-dance, after which the chief, Spotted Tail, made 
 an eloquent speech, to which Sheridan replied. 
 
 The Grand Duke was enthusiastic over this hunt, 
 and when Sheridan got intelligence of another great 
 herd of buffalo, he expressed his desire to go after it. 
 In the former hunt trained horses that were ac- 
 customed to buffalo had been used to mount the party ; 
 but in the second one cavalry horses were used, and 
 these became frightened and carried their riders away 
 from instead of to the game. Afterwards, another 
 herd being discovered, each man singled out a buffalo 
 and pursued it with success amid great excitement. 
 
 When Alexis returned to Russia, the Emperor sent 
 a letter thanking Sheridan for the reception " tendered 
 the Prince in the Western States of America." 
 
 In 1872 the Department of Texas was added to 
 Sheridan's territory, making about a million and a 
 half square miles within its limits, and embracing the 
 reservations to which the treaty of 1869 assigned the 
 hostile Indians. The Sioux numbered about forty 
 thousand, and the Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Kiowas, 
 
3 o6 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 and Comanches about twenty thousand more. These 
 Plains Indians were primitive savages, and regarded 
 every effort to keep them within certain limits as a 
 trespass upon their rights. They had been placed on 
 reservations, where the agents were often dishonest 
 and unscrupulous, and also among frontiersmen who 
 preyed upon and robbed them. Sheridan endeavored 
 to get laws enacted to punish lawless whites who en- 
 croached upon the Indian lands and rights, as well as 
 Indians who did wrong, and to establish courts at 
 the agencies to enforce them. 
 
 In the northern part of Sheridan's command, where 
 the great Sioux Reservation was located, up to 1874 
 there had been comparative quiet. But the encroach- 
 ments of settlers made the tribes restless, and Sheri- 
 dan, to prevent trouble which he foresaw in the fu- 
 ture, sent General George Custer in 1875 on an ex P e ~ 
 dition to locate places for new posts in the Black Hills 
 and Forsyth on a similar errand to the Yellowstone. 
 
 Upon receiving the proper information, Sheridan 
 planned several large posts at strategic points, that 
 would have enabled him to control the hitherto almost 
 inaccessible region to which the Indians fled when 
 pursued. Custer's report of mineral riches led to an 
 influx of miners into the Black Hills, and this made 
 the necessity for these new posts still more apparent. 
 But Sheridan, with all his urging, could not get Con- 
 gress to sanction their establishment until after the 
 terrible massacre of General Custer and his men, of 
 which we shall write in coming paragraphs. Then 
 public sentiment compelled Congress to authorize 
 
LIFE IN TIME OF PEACE 307 
 
 them, and Sheridan's far-seeing policy was vindicated. 
 
 After all the efforts of the Indian Bureau had failed 
 to get the Indians to settle down upon the reservations, 
 the Bureau at last turned over their control to the 
 War Department. 
 
 To carry out the wishes of Congress, Sheridan 
 planned two winter expeditions, — one under General 
 Crook and another under General Terry; but for rea- 
 sons not needful to narrate, both of these expedi- 
 tions failed, and a summer campaign was resolved 
 upon. 
 
 General Crook concentrated his force, of about one 
 thousand men, at Fort Fetterman. He found the In- 
 dians under Chief Crazy Horse eager for battle. In 
 a fight that soon occurred they took the offensive, and 
 it was only after desperate fighting that the Indians 
 were compelled to retreat to the Big Horn River. 
 There they united their forces with the tribes under 
 Chief Sitting Bull. 
 
 Terry began operations earlier than Crook, with a 
 force of forty-seven officers and nine hundred men. 
 The command reached Powder River, twenty miles 
 above its mouth, the first of July. On the 10th, while 
 he established a depot of supplies, Crook sent Major 
 Reno with six troops of the Seventh Cavalry to cross 
 the river and examine Tongue River. On the 18th, 
 by mistake Reno had reached the mouth of the Rose- 
 bud River, where he struck a trail that indicated the 
 presence of Indians and enabled Terry to locate their 
 camp. 
 
 In the execution of the plan which he formed to 
 
308 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 strike a concerted blow, Terry sent General Gib- 
 bon up the Yellowstone, and the next day Custer with 
 six hundred and fifty men pushed on and by the 25th 
 was south of the Indian camp. First sending Major 
 Reno with a battalion of three troops, and Captain 
 Betoon a similar battalion, Custer retained five troops 
 under his own control. When near the Big Horn, 
 Custer sent Reno forward to charge the head of the 
 Indian village. Reno found, instead of merely the 
 forces of Sitting Bull, that he was confronted by the 
 combined forces of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. 
 He acted very judiciously and, instead of charging, 
 got into a position in some timber that was perfect for 
 defense, and from which, if he had stayed there, it is 
 doubtful if the Indians could have disloged him with 
 all their force. But he lost his nerve and began to 
 give conflicting orders; a rush for the horses took 
 place when the savages, comprehending the demor- 
 alized condition of the whites, charged them and killed 
 three officers and twenty-nine men. 
 
 Custer had, meanwhile, advanced at a trot with his 
 troops down the right banks of the river. The de- 
 tails of what happened after this will never be known. 
 He was attacked in front and rear by overwhelming 
 numbers, and that was the last of the gallant Custer. 
 He, and all of the men with him, were killed. Two 
 days after, when his dead body and those of his com- 
 mand were discovered, there were indications that he 
 and his little band had made a desperate fight. By the 
 side of each dead soldier there were found little piles 
 of empty cartridge shells, — in some cases as many as 
 
5* S 
 
LIFE IN TIME OF PEACE 309 
 
 thirty, — as witnesses of the desperate but vain resist- 
 ance these brave men and their commander had made. 
 That the Indians had lost heavily is shown by the fact 
 that upon the approach of a comparatively small force, 
 they abandoned the battlefield and their village also. 
 
 When winter came Sheridan had gathered most of 
 the Indians on reservations. He took away their 
 arms and sold their ponies, and bought cattle for the 
 Indians with the money thus obtained; for he was de- 
 termined that a repetition of these horrors should not 
 occur. 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 THE GENERAL RECEIVES FINAL MARCHING ORDERS 
 
 Sheridan still looked as he did during the Civil 
 War — every inch a soldier. His face, head, and car- 
 riage expressed unmistakable nervous force and vigor. 
 He looked like a ruler of men, and had that sense of 
 power which great responsibility gives. Yet his voice 
 was soft and his manner so modest, and there was so 
 little of assertion in his ordinary ways, that those 
 who met him casually could scarcely believe that he 
 was the man who commanded at Cedar Creek and at 
 Fire Forks, and electrified the nation with brilliant 
 victories. 
 
 He was a tremendous worker and took but little 
 recreation, but when he did seek relief from labor a 
 favorite method was in angling. It was said that he 
 could fish all day with patience and enjoyment with- 
 out getting a bite. At one time while out with a party 
 of anglers, and while busy with rod and line, he was 
 accosted by an old farmer, who said : " I understand 
 that General Sheridan and a party are around here 
 somewhere fishing. I don't care about the others, 
 but I should like to see General Sheridan." 
 
 " That's easy," said Sheridan, quietly, " I am the 
 man." 
 
 " You ! " exclaimed the farmer, in contemptuous 
 310 
 
FINAL MARCHING ORDERS 311 
 
 tones. " It isn't likely that a little fellow like you, 
 with that low voice, could command a big army like 
 Sheridan can ! " 
 
 In December, 1874, President Grant ordered Sheri- 
 dan to New Orleans, where there was again trouble. 
 A secret military combination known as the " White 
 League " was endeavoring to overthrow the legal gov- 
 ernment of Louisiana by violent methods. Sheridan 
 had no liking for such duties, but he unflinchingly pre- 
 served order, insured the peaceful assembling of the 
 legislature, and, holding the White League in check 
 with a firm hand, taught them that they could not 
 murder and intimidate the freedmen with impunity. 
 
 Again, just after the presidential election in No- 
 vember, when Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. 
 Tilden were presidential candidates, Grant required 
 Sheridan to take command of military affairs in Loui- 
 siana, to prevent threatened fraud and violence by 
 what was called the " shot-gun policy." There was, 
 at first, great excitement over his coming. He an- 
 nounced that he was there only to protect the regular 
 authorities in the discharge of their duties and not to 
 take part in canvassing the returns. By his presence 
 in New Orleans the conspiracy of the White League 
 to give the state to Tilden as President and to Nichols 
 as Governor, by fraud and violence, was defeated and 
 the White League's attempt to usurp the government 
 failed once more. 
 
 As I have said elsewhere, Congress had authorized 
 the construction of the military posts recommended by 
 Sheridan to protect the settlers and restrain the In- 
 
3 i2 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 dians. For the purpose of informing himself about 
 these posts, during the summer of 1877 he visited 
 the Northwest and made a personal reconnaissance 
 through the Big Horn Mountains. But while attend- 
 ing to. these duties he received a pressing order from 
 President Hayes to proceed to Chicago to take charge 
 of the troops there and suppress riots growing out of 
 the labor troubles. The first day of his arrival in Chi- 
 cago the troubles ceased. The people, without regard 
 to party, applauded his course. 
 
 Sheridan had thoroughly studied the Indian ques- 
 tion, and believed that much of this trouble might 
 have been prevented if their affairs had been honestly 
 administered. He interceded with the Government 
 to obtain for them more honest treatment. The Sec- 
 retary of the Interior denied that injustice had been 
 done the Indians and demanded evidence of mis- 
 management of the affairs by his Department. Sheri- 
 dan in reply overwhelmed him with detailed reports 
 from his own bureau covering a period of years. 
 
 This controversy and Sheridan's intimate knowl- 
 edge of the subject worked to the advantage of the 
 Indians, by exciting the interest of prominent men in 
 Congress and ultimately bringing about many reforms, 
 most of which were suggested by Sheridan. 
 
 The Northern Cheyennes, against the protest of 
 Sheridan who knew the affection of the Indians for 
 their own territory, were sent to the reservation of the 
 Southern Cheyennes. The Northern Indians de- 
 manded to be returned to the land of their birth, and, 
 this demand, being unheeded, they fled across the Ar- 
 
FINAL MARCHING ORDERS 313 
 
 kansas River. The troops pursued, and thus oc- 
 curred another small war, which might have been 
 avoided by following Sheridan's advice. 
 
 Sheridan made himself master of everything he 
 touched. His report of his reconnaissance through 
 the Big Horn Mountains and the Northwest attracted 
 much attention, and was recognized as very valuable. 
 He made several of these expeditions, the reports of 
 which greatly interested President Arthur and other 
 officials. On his last tour he was accompanied by 
 President Arthur, Robert T. Lincoln, Secretary of 
 War, and several other state and national officials. 
 
 In 1883, when at his own request General Sherman 
 was relieved from the command of the army of the 
 United States and placed upon the retired list, Presi- 
 dent Arthur summoned Sheridan to Washington to 
 assume the duties of commanding general. He left 
 Chicago to take up this new work with great regret; 
 for it obliged him to give up his agreeable surround- 
 ings and to sunder ties of friendship. The citizens of 
 Chicago were loath to part with him, and at his leav- 
 ing a dinner was tendered him by the Commercial 
 Club. In a notable speech a prominent member of the 
 club expressed the appreciation of the people of 
 Chicago for Sheridan's great services, in these words : 
 " Chicago can never forget General Sheridan ! When 
 this city was in flames, when men's hearts failed them 
 and ruin and desolation stared us in the face, all eyes 
 were turned to him whom we honor here this evening ; 
 . . . when every moment was precious, without wait- 
 ing to. consult the authorities at Washington he or- 
 
314 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 dered troops and rations . . . and thereby averted 
 riot and bloodshed and helped many thousands of our 
 people to survive the severe trials of the time." 
 
 During the following year there was comparatively 
 little for the army to do, yet Sheridan was incessantly 
 active. He studied the needs of the army and, look- 
 ing to its future usefulness, recommended the build- 
 ing of comfortable barracks near large railroad cen- 
 ters and great cities. He also gave attention to per- 
 fecting a general system of coast fortifications. For 
 though, like all great soldiers, he did not believe in re- 
 sorting to war for redressing wrongs until all other 
 means failed, he realized, as no mere theoretical peace 
 advocate can, that it is not strength but weakness that 
 provokes attack from other nations. He therefore 
 advocated that this country should keep in the front 
 ranks with other nations in preparation for war as the 
 best means of preserving peace. He was a fervent 
 advocate of arbitration for the settlement of national 
 disputes. In almost the last speech he ever made, 
 which was at the Centennial of the Constitution at 
 Philadelphia, he impressively said : " There is one 
 thing we should appreciate, and that is that the im- 
 provement in guns and in the material of war, in 
 dynamite and other explosives, will bring us to a 
 period when war will eliminate itself . . . and we 
 shall have to resort to something else. Now what 
 will that something be ? It will be arbitration. If any 
 one here could live until the next Centennial, he would 
 find that arbitration rules the world." 
 
 When Grover Cleveland was President, Sheridan's 
 
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FINAL MARCHING ORDERS 315 
 
 relations with him were extremely cordial. The Presi- 
 dent admired the great soldier, though they belonged 
 to different political parties, and though Sheridan took 
 no part in politics unless forced to do so in obedience 
 to the orders of his superiors. Mr. Cleveland asked 
 and accepted his advice in all matters connected with 
 the control of the Indians and in the appointment of 
 military officers. 
 
 In 1884 the President requested his assistance in 
 settling the disturbances on the reservations of the 
 Cheyennes and Arapahoes caused by the Indian Bu- 
 reau permitting the cattlemen and others to lease land 
 belonging to the Indians. The boundaries in these 
 leases were often imaginary, or at least poorly de- 
 fined, and this led to trouble. When the misunder- 
 standing between the cattlemen and Indians became 
 so acute as to threaten the peace, Sheridan recom- 
 mended that the leases be annulled as the best means 
 of preventing a disturbance. Nothwithstanding the 
 protests of prominent capitalists and cattle companies 
 of the East, President Cleveland took his advice, with 
 the most salutary results. 
 
 This just action prevented further disquiet among 
 those Indians, and the only section where there were 
 now disturbances was in Arizona. Here the Apaches 
 and Chirichue Indians had been placed upon reser- 
 vations, but a disagreement of the officials of two gov- 
 ernment departments made the Indians lose confi- 
 dence in both of them. While the older men remained 
 on their reservations, the young warriors went on the 
 war-path. The troops did not have good success in 
 
316 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 conquering them. Sheridan, however, saw that the 
 trouble was that the Indians on the reservations har- 
 bored the young braves, and often hid them when they 
 were hunted for. He therefore recommended that the 
 Indians be removed to prevent this. Then, after a 
 long talk and longer delays, Geronimo and his braves 
 agreed to surrender and were coming into the fort 
 when, hearing rumors that they were to be punished, 
 they took alarm and fled to the mountains. Sheridan 
 then put General Miles in command who soon brought 
 the unruly Indians of Arizona under control. 
 
 In the very midst of his usefulness and activities, 
 and apparently in the prime of his mental and physical 
 strength, General Sheridan was made aware that he 
 must soon answer a command which all, however use- 
 ful or powerful, have to obey. He was informed by 
 his physician, in November, 1887, of the fatal nature 
 of a trouble with which he was afflicted. His life de- 
 pended upon physical and mental rest, for he had 
 heart disease. He had never been very sick in all his 
 life of intense effort, his strength had not failed him, 
 and so he still continued to work till the last. 
 
 In May, 1888, however, shortly after he had been 
 on an inspection tour in the West, a severe attack 
 prostrated him. He was so solicitous that his old 
 mother, who was sick at the time, should not be 
 alarmed, that the news was kept from the public for 
 a time. In two or three weeks he had another attack, 
 so severe that he was kept alive only by resorting to 
 extraordinary remedies. During this sickness Con- 
 gress revived in his favor the grade of general, which 
 
FINAL MARCHING ORDERS 317 
 
 had lapsed with the retirement of General Sherman. 
 President Cleveland at once approved the Act and 
 sent him' his commission as General of the Army, a 
 position that had before been held only by Grant and 
 Sherman. 
 
 This act of President Cleveland gratified the dying 
 hero so much that for the moment his disease seemed 
 abated and his friends hoped against hope for his re- 
 covery. All through his illness his courage and good 
 nature were wonderful. After one of his attacks, 
 when it seemed as if he would never revive, he would 
 say to his doctor, " I almost got away from you that 
 time, doctor ! " 
 
 The hot weather was hard for him to bear, and so 
 he was removed, the last of June, to his summer cot- 
 tage at Nonquit, on Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts. 
 Here by the sea, which seemed to be sobbing for the 
 dying hero, the great patriot soldier, who had done so 
 much to redeem the country that he loved, fell asleep, 
 August 5, 1888, as quietly as an infant in its mother's 
 arms. His last march had been made and " Little 
 Phil," as his soldiers lovingly called him, and name 
 him still, had moved into line with comrades who had 
 preceded him on the march of eternity, in obedience 
 to the orders of the Great Commander of us all. 
 
 If Ireland was ever a debtor to this country for vin- 
 dicating the manhood of her exiled children, this son 
 of an Irish immigrant, by the priceless services he 
 rendered to this dear land that he loved, had paid it all 
 and more. 
 
3i8 BOYS' LIFE OF SHERIDAN 
 
 His memory will ever carry a precious lesson ol 
 patriotism and valor to American youth, and his career 
 will act as an incentive to all who labor upward in life 
 under difficulties. Reared in an obscure village, born 
 of poor and laboring people, with no other help than 
 a military education, he raised himself, by devotion 
 to duty and by hard work in preparation for battle, 
 from grade to grade, each of his promotions, except 
 the last, dating from a great victory that he had won 
 or been instrumental in winning. Finally he became 
 the head of our army and one of the foremost and 
 most brilliant soldiers of the world. He was enthusi- 
 astically loyal to his country in her hour of need, and 
 his love for her was as unfeigned as it was devoted 
 and ardent. He leaves to American youth a forceful 
 example of a patriotic American soldier, worthy of 
 their imitation and loving reverence. 
 
 It was by his own desire that General Sheridan 
 was buried at Arlington on the banks of the Poto- 
 mac, among the soldiers whom he loved and who 
 loved him; and in this wish was mirrored the spirit 
 of that democracy of which he was a strong and 
 simple product. 
 
BOOKS BY WARREN LEE GOSS 
 
 WAR STORIES 
 
 IN THE NAVY. (6th Thousand.) Illustrated. 399 pages. 
 75 cents. 
 
 A story of naval life during the Civil War. The scenes are laid 
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 the plot is based on real incidents. 
 
 JACK ALDEN. (10th Thousand.) Illustrated. 404 pages. 
 75 cents. 
 
 Adventures in the Virginia campaigns, 1861-65. The descriptions of 
 camp and field, of battle and march, of prison and escape, are thrilling 
 in the extreme, and they are enlivened by touches of humor character- 
 istic of the author. 
 
 TOM CLIFTON. (11th Thousand.) Illustrated. 430 pages. 
 75 cents. 
 
 A live Yankee boy, whose father has recently settled in Minnesota 
 when the Civil War breaks out, enlists in the Army of the West. 
 The story follows his adventures through the Western campaigns of 
 Grant and Sherman, including their battles on the Mississippi, the siege 
 of Vicksburg, etc. 
 
 JED. (24th Thousand.) Illustrated. 402 pages. 75 cents. 
 
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 BIOGRAPHY 
 
 A LIFE OF GRANT FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. 16 full- 
 page illustrations. 8vo. $1.50. 
 
 The first adequate life of Grant for young people. Written by one 
 who enlisted in 1861 and served until 1865, knew Grant personally, and 
 fought in campaigns led by him. 
 
 THE BOYS' LIFE OF GENERAL SHERIDAN. 6 maps 
 and 16 full-page illustrations. 8vo. $1.50. 
 A stirring biography of the great commander and strategist, and a 
 first-class, readable history of the campaigns with which he was iden- 
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 — Boston Transcript 
 
 THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY 
 NEW YORK 
 
AUG 18 1313