Sheridan: the Life and Wars ...

[jon_norstog]

The book is Sheridan: the Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan by Roy L. Morris, jr. and it looks to be out of print, but there are a lot of copies floating around. It was bathroom reading at my brother's place in Idaho, so I got into reading it from Chickamauga through the end of the War and into a little of the Mexican border action afterwards.

Morris writes well and the book is a good read, fast paced but with enough detail to satisfy your jones for history. It is definitely written from the viewpoint of Little Phil and draws pretty heavily from his memoirs. You read it and you can see that Sheridan made his share of mistakes, but they did not include reluctance to engage the enemy. I do think he should have finished off Early in the fall instead of letting the Shenandoah Campaign drag on into the winter; and he should have listened to Grant and moved east to destroy the Virginia Central RR. He really delivered the goods during the last weeks of the War. If war is like chess, the Sheridan was like a knight in the endgame that checkmated Lee and forced his surrender.

The library here doesn't have the book, so I ordered it through Amazon so I can finish it out.

jn

[jon_norstog]

I did finish the book. Sheridan had some quirks for sure. If he didn't like an order he would ignore it. Grant spent half a year trying to get him to cross the Blue Ridge and attack Confederate supply lines. On the other hand, if the order was to move out at 5 AM, Sheridan's men would be mounted up and ready to roll. He had paid attention in his West Point surveying classes and was a great reader of topography. He could read a map and knew how to use it.

The book really highlights the last few weeks of the Virginia campaign, when Sheridan did finally cross over the Blue Ridge, caught up with Lee's forces and was everywhere, driving in Lee's scouts and flanking forces and seizing all the supplies and transport he could.

Morris, the author, is pretty candid about the atrocities committed by Indian war parties when they captured settlers. You don't get to read that side of the story much any more. War is hell, as they say. Sheridan understood supply and provided material support and protection to the buffalo hunters. He also brought back one of his cavalry commanders, Custer, in whom had had a great deal of faith.

The book covers his later years - Sheridan was military governor of Chicago after the great fire; he was in charge of breaking the Pullman Strike and smashing the union that called it; he was General of the Armies.

This book is a great read

jn

[blackhawknj]

Sheridan was sent to observe the Franco-Prussian War, he was unimpressed by both sides.

[madsenshooter]

I have read his memoirs. I thought I was buying a relatively rare book, but he must've paid his printer rather handsomely for many, many copies! Phil was originally from the next county north of me. His hometown of Somerset, OH has a big statue of him on his horse. I've been around the square and past it many times.

[jon_norstog]

Madsen. thats a nice photo. In real life, Sheridan got old and FAT and no way his horse coulda reared up like that. But what made him a great military man was his MIND. He and Sherman were two military heroes who refused to be nominated for the Presidency.


jn