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| 8.5" X 11" Limited Edition Print Signed and Numbered (of 100) |
| Phil Sheridan |
| On March 6, 1831, Philip Henry Sheridan was born in Albany, New York, the third child of six by John and Mary Meenagh Sheridan, immigrants from the parish of Killinkere, Ireland. He grew up in Somerset, Ohio. He reached only 5 feet 5 inches tall, a stature that led to the nickname, "Little Phil." Abraham Lincoln described his appearance in a famous anecdote: "A brown, chunky little chap, with a long body, short legs, not enough neck to hang him, and such long arms that if his ankles itch he can scratch them without stooping." The young Sheridan worked in town general stores as head clerk and bookkeeper. In 1848, he obtained an appointment to the United States Military Academy from one of his customers, Congressman Thomas Ritchey. In his third year at West Point, Sheridan was suspended for a year for fighting with a classmate, William R. Terrill. He graduated in 1853, 34th in his class of 52 cadets. Sheridan was commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant and was assigned to the 1st U.S. Infantry regiment at Fort Duncan, Texas, then to the 4th U.S. Infantry at Fort Reading, California. Most of his service with the 4th U.S. was in the Pacific Northwest, during which he became involved with the Yakima War and Rogue River Wars. He gained experience in leading small combat teams, being wounded (a bullet grazed his nose on March 28, 1857, at Middle Cascade, Oregon Territory), and some of the diplomatic skills needed for negotiating with Indian tribes. He was promoted to first lieutenant in March 1861, just before the Civil War, and to captain in May, immediately after Fort Sumter. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who promoted Sheridan to commander of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. In 1864, he defeated Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley and his destruction of the economic infrastructure of the Valley, called "The Burning" by residents, was one of the first uses of scorched earth tactics in the war. In 1865, his cavalry pursued Gen. Robert E. Lee and was instrumental in forcing his surrender at Appomattox. Sheridan prosecuted the latter years of the Indian Wars of the Great Plains, tainting his reputation with some historians, who accuse him of racism and genocide. Both as a soldier and private citizen, he was instrumental in the development and protection of Yellowstone National Park. General Sheridan died in his vacation cottage at Nonquitt, Massachusetts on August 5, 1888. His body was returned to Washington and he was buried on a hillside facing the capital city near Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery. The burial helped elevate Arlington to national prominence. His wife Irene never remarried, saying, "I would rather be the widow of Phil Sheridan than the wife of any man living.” |