- In full:
- Philip Henry Sheridan
- Born:
- March 6, 1831, Albany, N.Y., U.S.?
- Died:
- Aug. 5, 1888, Nonquitt, Mass. (aged 57)
Philip H. Sheridan
-
Who was Philip H. Sheridan?
Philip H. Sheridan (1831–1888) was a U.S. cavalry officer whose leadership helped defeat the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
A West Point graduate, Sheridan became colonel of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry in 1862. His success at Booneville, Mississippi, led to promotion to brigadier general. At Stones River, his defense of the Federal right earned him major general status.
In 1864, Sheridan headed the Army of the Potomac's cavalry, contributing to the death of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart. As commander of the Army of the Shenandoah, he forced Confederates from the valley, systematically destroying its resources. This earned him promotion to major general and the thanks of Congress.
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What role did Philip H. Sheridan play in the U.S. Civil War?
Philip H. Sheridan was a U.S. cavalry officer whose leadership helped defeat the Confederate Army. He became colonel of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry in spring 1862 and a brigadier general after routing a Confederate force at Booneville, Mississippi, and was made a major general of volunteers for his defense at Stones River.
Sheridan was transferred to the East, where he led a raid toward Richmond, destroying Confederate supplies. As commander of the Army of the Shenandoah, he forced Confederates from the valley, destroying its capacity to support the South. He rejoined his cavalry before Petersburg in March 1865, cutting Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s rail communications and helping to close off his escape near Appomattox.
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Which major battles did Sheridan lead or participate in?
Philip H. Sheridan was a U.S. cavalry officer instrumental in the Union Army's victory during the Civil War.
Sheridan participated in several major battles:
* Booneville
* Perryville
* Stones River (Murfreesboro)
* Chickamauga
* Missionary Ridge
* The Wilderness
* Third Battle of Winchester
* Battle of Five ForksIn August 1864, Sheridan was given command of the Army of the Shenandoah and tasked with driving the Confederates from the Shenandoah Valley.
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How did Sheridan contribute to the Union victory?
Philip H. Sheridan's leadership significantly contributed to the Union victory in the American Civil War. In 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant appointed Sheridan to command the Army of the Shenandoah with the mission to eliminate Confederate presence and resource access in the Shenandoah Valley.
Sheridan's military successes in the Shenandoah Valley campaigns, including key victories at the Third Battle of Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, crippled the Confederacy's ability to operate in the region. His effective destruction of Confederate supplies and infrastructure in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as his relentless pressure on Confederate forces, earned him recognition and promotion. Sheridan's efforts to cut off General Robert E. Lee's supplies ultimately helped to force Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
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What positions did Sheridan hold after the Civil War?
Following the Civil War, Philip Sheridan's assignments included reporting to the Gulf of Mexico, which helped lead to the fall of Maximilian in Mexico in 1867. Subsequently, he became the military commander of Louisiana and Texas in 1867; however, he was soon removed by President Andrew Johnson due to his strict implementation of Reconstruction measures.
Sheridan spent the years up to 1883 in command in the West, where he planned and led a successful Indian campaign from 1868 to 1869, after which he was promoted to lieutenant general. In 1883, he was appointed general-in-chief of the army, and in 1888, he received a commission as general of the army.
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How did Philip H. Sheridan impact the U.S. Army and American history overall?
Philip H. Sheridan was a U.S. cavalry officer whose leadership helped defeat the Confederate Army during the Civil War. His victory at Missionary Ridge impressed Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who then appointed Sheridan to lead the Army of the Potomac's cavalry in 1864.
Given command of the Army of the Shenandoah, Sheridan forced the Confederates out of the Shenandoah Valley and systematically destroyed the area's capacity to support military operations, for which he received the thanks of Congress. After the war, Sheridan's presence along the Texas border helped to topple Maximilian, the French puppet emperor in Mexico, in 1867.
As a major general, Sheridan oversaw operations in the army during the Plains Wars. In 1868, he planned for three army columns to converge on Native Americans. In 1883, he became general-in-chief of the army.
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Philip H. Sheridan (born March 6, 1831, Albany, N.Y., U.S.?—died Aug. 5, 1888, Nonquitt, Mass.) was a highly successful U.S. cavalry officer whose driving military leadership in the last year of the American Civil War was instrumental in defeating the Confederate Army.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. (1853), Sheridan served mostly at frontier posts until the spring of 1862, when he was appointed colonel of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry. In July he skillfully split his outnumbered command to rout a large Confederate force at Booneville, Miss. Made a brigadier general, he led the 11th Division, Army of the Ohio, at Perryville, Ky., in October, as it held its position against repeated attacks. At the Battle of Stones River, or Murfreesboro, Tenn. (December 1862–January 1863), he was made a major general of volunteers for his unyielding defense of the Federal right centre.
Sheridan was unable to prevent defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga, Ga. (September 1863), but his assault on Missionary Ridge below Chattanooga, Tenn., in November, brought his fighting in the West to a brilliant close. This victory so impressed General Ulysses S. Grant that Sheridan was called east in the spring of 1864 to head the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac. Following action in the Battle of the Wilderness (May 1864), he led a raid toward Richmond, Va., that destroyed considerable Confederate supplies and rolling stock and resulted in the death of the South’s great cavalry leader, Gen. J.E.B. (“Jeb”) Stuart.
On August 4 Sheridan was given command of the Army of the Shenandoah and charged with forcing the Confederates from that valley and its rich farms, which had sustained the defense of the Southern capital for more than three years. In the Third Battle of Winchester, Va. (September), he drove General Jubal A. Early out of Winchester and gained two more victories during the next few weeks. Sheridan systematically destroyed the capacity of the Shenandoah Valley to support military operations by the South. For this feat he was made a major general and received the thanks of Congress.
Having completed his mission in the valley, Sheridan rejoined his cavalry before Petersburg in March 1865. With the 5th Corps Infantry added to his command, he circled south and west of the city to cut the Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s rail communications. At the end of the month, he twice broke into the Confederate right and rear, forcing Lee to retire westward from his Richmond-Petersburg lines. Sheridan continued his pressure against Lee’s southern flank and at the end helped close off his escape near Appomattox.
After the war Sheridan reported to the Gulf of Mexico, where his presence along the Texas border hastened the fall of Maximilian, the French puppet emperor in Mexico, in 1867. He was later named military commander of Louisiana and Texas (1867), but his harsh administration of Reconstruction measures led to his removal soon thereafter by President Andrew Johnson. He spent the remaining years until 1883 in Western command. He planned and conducted a successful Indian campaign (1868–69), after which he was promoted to lieutenant general. He became general-in-chief of the army in 1883 and five years later was commissioned as general of the army of the United States. He spent his last months writing his memoirs.