Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan, Sr.

Find-a-Grave Memorial #949, located in Section 2, Site S-1

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(Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Sheridan )

Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who transferred Sheridan from command of an infantry division in the Western Theater to lead the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac in the East. 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 later years of the Indian Wars of the Great Plains, tainting his reputation with some historians, who accuse him of racism. Both as a soldier and private citizen, he was instrumental in the development and protection of Yellowstone National Park. In 1883 Sheridan was appointed general-in-chief of the U.S. Army, and in 1888 he was promoted to the rank of General of the Army during the term of President Grover Cleveland.

Mayor Mason followed the urging of the city's social and economic elite by taking two extraordinary steps to ensure the rescue and relief of Chicago. On October 11 he officially entrusted the "preservation of the good order and peace of the city" to Lieutenant-General Philip Sheridan, the Civil War hero and Indian fighter who now lived in Chicago.

For two weeks Sheridan oversaw a de facto martial law of dubious legitimacy implemented by a mix of regular troops, militia units, police, and a specially organized "First Regiment of Chicago Volunteers." They patrolled the streets, guarded the relief warehouses, and enforced curfews and other regulations. John DeKoven, cashier of the Merchants' National Bank of Chicago, wrote to his wife of his experience as a sentry, "I have not had my clothes off for a week, the city is patroled every night, you should have seen me last night patroling our alley with a loaded revolver in my hand looking for incendiaries for there are many about." Illinois Governor Richard Oglesby, among others, strongly questioned whether such measures were justified and legal, but the calming effect of Mason's actions in the days right after the fire was evident, especially among the well-to-do. Former Lieutenant-Governor William Bross, part owner of the Tribune, later recollected his response to the arrival of Sheridan's soldiers: "Never did deeper emotions of joy overcome me. Thank God, those most dear to me and the city as well are safe."

Education: 01 JUL 1848 West Point 1st Lt, Grand Ronde Indian Reservation Promoted to Captain at the beginning of the Civil War Union Army of the West Colonel, 2nd Michigan Cavalry Promoted to Brig. General Promoted to Major General Promoted to Chief of Cavalry, Army of the Potomac by Gen. Ulysses S. Gran t Awarded the rank of full General by President Grover Cleveland

Personal Memoirs of Philip H S

1. FILE: C:\Documents and Settings\Don W Griffith\My Documents\Personal Memoirs of Philip H Sheridan.txt
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   http://www.pattonhq.com/militaryworks/sheridan.html

Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan by Philip Henry Sheridan