Sheridan General Philip H. Sheridan

lurid

First Sergeant
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
I stumbled onto the guy while reading about Grant and been fascinated ever since. Sheridan was my kind of soldier: a real hard charger, a lifetaker and a heartbreaker. It makes me wonder if the CW would have ended a lot sooner if Sheridan was in command.
 
The last last of the war Sheridan was the MVP...

 
The last last of the war Sheridan was the MVP...


Exactly my point. He showed up when it counted. Thanks for posting.
 
Exactly my point. He showed up when it counted. Thanks for posting.
Or, alternatively, he and his PR people were in the right place at the right time to maximize media adoration. One can easily make the argument that what he actually accomplished could have been done by a number of other senior officers.
 
Kinda like his 1-11-1 record as commander of the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps? Or the fact that Early's army escaped to fight another day after each engagement in the Valley Campaign?

I like to suggest you have overlooked somethings about Sheridan and his accomplishments. Yes, tactically he may have been bested in a few cavalries fights but strategically, he was winning the big game. From the time he got out from under Gen. Meade's yoke, the Confederate cavalry was fighting off its back foot for Sheridan claimed the initiative and never lost it. For most of the time, the Eastern Theater the Confederate cavalry dominated the field and always had the initiative until Gen. Sheridan arrived and given free rein.

Gen. Sheridan, strategically achieve his main goal by bringing death to Gen. Stuart. I know Rhea also says Gen. Grant was deprived of his eyes after Spotsylvania by Sheridan's actions deprived Gen. Lee of his eyes too. Strategically, Gen. Sheridan cut off the head of the Confederate cavalry, took the initiative away from the Confederate cavalry and kept them occupied, and showed the Confederate cavalry that Union cavalry was just as good as Confederate cavalry and was getting better.

In the Shenandoah Valley, it may not have been textbook but he routed the Confederate cavalry, routed Early's army, controlled and burned the valley and starved the Confederate raiders... all strategic successes...

In those last days of the war in post-8# Sheridan the one who puts in the final nails into Lee's AoNV coffin...

Yes, tactically you can question Sheridan but you can not question his success in playing the big game...
 
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Or, alternatively, he and his PR people were in the right place at the right time to maximize media adoration. One can easily make the argument that what he actually accomplished could have been done by a number of other senior officers.

I actually like the guy's mind. He seemed to offer an attitude that other Unions Generals didn't have, like a disdain for the Confederates. It appears, he had no respect or sympathy for the Confederates, and neither do I. Therefore, he gets my vote for "wanting" to fight the war without any sentimental hindrances, just extreme prejudice.
 
I like to suggest you have overlooked somethings about Sheridan and his accomplishments. Yes, tactically he may have been bested in a few cavalries fights but strategically, he was winning the big game. From the time he got out from under Gen. Meade's yoke, the Confederate cavalry was fighting off its back foot for Sheridan claimed the initiative and never lost it. It most of the Eastern Theater the Confederate cavalry dominated the field and always had the initiative until Gen. Sheridan arrived and given free rein.

Gen. Sheridan, strategically achieve his main goal by bringing death to Gen. Stuart. I know Rhea also says Gen. Grant was deprived of his eyes after Spotsylvania by Sheridan's actions deprived Gen. Lee of his eyes too. Strategically, Gen. Sheridan cut off the head of the Confederate cavalry, took the initiative away from the Confederate cavalry and kept them occupied, and showed the Confederate cavalry that Union cavalry was just as good as Confederate cavalry and was getting better.

In the Shenandoah Valley, it may not have been textbook but he routed the Confederate cavalry, routed Early's army, controlled and burned the valley and starved the Confederate raiders... all strategic successes...

In those last days of the war in post-8# Sheridan the one who puts in the final nails into Lee's AoNV coffin...

Yes, tactically you can question Sheridan but you can not question his success in playing the big game...

Good post. I'll use the baseball analogy: Sheridan was best kept in the bullpen until it was time to close out the Confederates in the last innings. You can't get a relief pitcher to start the game, his best is kept as a finisher....
 
Ummm...no.

And with that, I have said all to you that I ever intend to say, now or ever. I am not going down your troll rabbit holes ever again. If that means that you get the last word, good for you.

Then will ask Alice, I think she'll know.
 
I like to suggest you have overlooked somethings about Sheridan and his accomplishments. Yes, tactically he may have been bested in a few cavalries fights but strategically, he was winning the big game. From the time he got out from under Gen. Meade's yoke, the Confederate cavalry was fighting off its back foot for Sheridan claimed the initiative and never lost it. It most of the Eastern Theater the Confederate cavalry dominated the field and always had the initiative until Gen. Sheridan arrived and given free rein.

Gen. Sheridan, strategically achieve his main goal by bringing death to Gen. Stuart. I know Rhea also says Gen. Grant was deprived of his eyes after Spotsylvania by Sheridan's actions deprived Gen. Lee of his eyes too. Strategically, Gen. Sheridan cut off the head of the Confederate cavalry, took the initiative away from the Confederate cavalry and kept them occupied, and showed the Confederate cavalry that Union cavalry was just as good as Confederate cavalry and was getting better.

In the Shenandoah Valley, it may not have been textbook but he routed the Confederate cavalry, routed Early's army, controlled and burned the valley and starved the Confederate raiders... all strategic successes...

In those last days of the war in post-8# Sheridan the one who puts in the final nails into Lee's AoNV coffin...

Yes, tactically you can question Sheridan but you can not question his success in playing the big game...
He was generally best whenever either he had no enemy army in front of him or one that was nearly on its knees. Change my mind.
 
Ummm...no.

Let us take another look at Sheridan... with a broad brush...

Let us take Sheridan and Grant an, in general, compare their Overland campaign achievements. Both of them took the initiative away from their opponents and dictated the course of actions taken during the campaign, both fought a series of fights/battles in which they either lost or were inconclusive but always held the initiative after each, in the end, Grant bottle up Lee and the Confederate cavalry lost their dominance on the contested field. In the big picture, Sheridan shines... like Grant...

Change my mind.

Yes, Sheridan was fighting a declining opponent but he was trying to hasten their end...
 
He was generally best whenever either he had no enemy army in front of him or one that was nearly on its knees. Change my mind.

That's aces with me. Putting the boot in on a guy going down was exactly what was called for. Had previous Federal commanders been as vicious buggers as Sheridan the war might've ended sooner.
 
Or, alternatively, he and his PR people were in the right place at the right time to maximize media adoration. One can easily make the argument that what he actually accomplished could have been done by a number of other senior officers.

The same can be said about Winfield Scott Hancock. Anybody know of any others who fit this description?
 
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