Sheridan Philip Sheridan

[O' Be Joyful]

By General Nathan Bedford Forrest!

Who's That Guy?

 

[Rebforever]

Who's That Guy?

#1 General in the Civil War employed by The Confederate States of America! No, he couldn't win the war by himself.

Ooops! 50 lashes with a knotted bed sheet for thread change! Back to the nut case.

 

[O' Be Joyful]

#1 General in the Civil War employed by The Confederate States of America! No, he couldn't win the war by himself.

Ooops! 50 lashes with a knotted bed sheet for thread change! Back to the nut case.

 

[1NCCAV]

In an Army that had horse soldiers like Buford and Wilson, Sheridan is the name most remembered. Logic and fairness, there is not.

 

[Bee]

In an Army that had horse soldiers like Buford and Wilson, Sheridan is the name most remembered. Logic and fairness, there is not.

He had excellent PR. I don't know if any of the others had their own poem

 

[KansasFreestater]

He had excellent PR. I don't know if any of the others had their own poem

I knew there were a couple of Stonewall poems. I've never seen the Sheridan one. Care to share?

 

[KansasFreestater]

I can tell you without even the slightest hesitation that my opinion that he was a wretched human being and no more than a very mediocre general would not change no matter what uniform he wore.

OK, Eric, tell us how you really feel!

 

[cash]

I knew there were a couple of Stonewall poems. I've never seen the Sheridan one. Care to share?

http://www.bartleby.com/102/150.html

 

[cash]

Sheridan's Ride
by Thomas Buchanan Read
Up from the South, at break of day,
Bringing to Winchester fresh dismay,
The affrighted air with a shudder bore,
Like a herald in haste to the chieftain's door,
The terrible grumble, and rumble, and roar,
Telling the battle was on once more,
And Sheridan twenty miles away.

And wider still those billows of war
Thundered along the horizon's bar;
And louder yet into Winchester rolled
The roar of that red sea uncontrolled,
Making the blood of the listener cold,
As he thought of the stake in that fiery fray,
With Sheridan twenty miles away.

But there is a road from Winchester town,
A good, broad highway leading down:
And there, through the flush of the morning light,
A steed as black as the steeds of night
Was seen to pass, as with eagle flight;
As if he knew the terrible need,
He stretched away with his utmost speed.
Hills rose and fell, but his heart was gay,
With Sheridan fifteen miles away.

Still sprang from those swift hoofs, thundering south,
The dust like smoke from the cannon's mouth,
Or the trail of a comet, sweeping faster and faster,
Foreboding to traitors the doom of disaster.
The heart of the steed and the heart of the master
Were beating like prisoners assaulting their walls,
Impatient to be where the battle-field calls;
Every nerve of the charger was strained to full play,
With Sheridan only ten miles away.

Under his spurning feet, the road
Like an arrowy Alpine river flowed,
And the landscape sped away behind
Like an ocean flying before the wind;
And the steed, like a barque fed with furnace ire,
Swept on, with his wild eye full of fire;
But, lo! he is nearing his heart's desire;
He is snuffing the smoke of the roaring fray,
With Sheridan only five miles away.

The first that the general saw were the groups
Of stragglers, and then the retreating troops;
What was to be done? what to do?--a glance told him both.
Then striking his spurs with a terrible oath,
He dashed down the line, 'mid a storm of huzzas,
And the wave of retreat checked its course there, because
The sight of the master compelled it to pause.
With foam and with dust the black charger was gray;
By the flash of his eye, and his red nostril's play,
He seemed to the whole great army to say:
"I have brought you Sheridan all the way
From Winchester down to save the day."

Hurrah! hurrah for Sheridan!
Hurrah! hurrah for horse and man!
And when their statues are placed on high
Under the dome of the Union sky,
The American soldier's Temple of Fame,
There, with the glorious general's name,
Be it said, in letters both bold and bright:
"Here is the steed that saved the day
By carrying Sheridan into the fight,
From Winchester--twenty miles away!"

 

[KansasFreestater]

http://www.bartleby.com/102/150.html

Oh my. But it seems to me rather that the real hero was Rienzi!

 

[Irishtom29]

In an Army that had horse soldiers like Buford and Wilson, Sheridan is the name most remembered. Logic and fairness, there is not.

Sheridan was in for the kill of the biggest rebel army and crucial in making that kill. Important stuff. Now Wilson, he was in for the wrecking, if not exactly the kill, of the second biggest rebel army and crucial to that. But you know how it is, everything in the East gets more attention, not just Sheridan over Wilson.

 

[1NCCAV]

Sheridan was a Custer enabler. That's enough reason for me not to like him.

On the other hand, Sheridan did stand up for Ranald MacKenzie when MacKenzie raided into Mexico. Sheridan told Sherman, who was angry about being left out of the loop, that MacKenzie was acting on his orders. So Sheridan risked the wrath of Sherman to back up his field commander.

There, I said something complementary about him.

 

[O' Be Joyful]

Oh my. But it seems to me rather that the real hero was Rienzi!

Me too.

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10180165

 

[Bee]

Oh my. But it seems to me rather that the real hero was Rienzi!

It's all in the title: Most people never get past the headlines

 

[OpnCoronet]

Like Grant, those who cannot fault Sheridan's success, fault, his leadership, generalship, methods, etc.

When Grant came East to assume command the Union armies(most especially, the AoP), he brought only one commander with him from his successful Western campaigns, which, of course, was Sheridan. We can certainly assume Grant knew what he liked and liked what he knew of Sheridan.

'The Valley' ws the valley of death for Union ambitions there, until Sheridan arrived. Stuart and his cavalry was a thorn in the AoP's side, from the first days of McClellan, until Sheridan arrived. Does anyone think,

After Fort Stedman, Grant gave Sheridan(only a cavalry commander) command of the Union effort to finally flank the ANV out of its position at Petersburg. Who thinks Warren, etc., would have been able to do it? Grant obviously did not think so and if given a choice we should go with Grant, based on results if nothing else.

 

[NedBaldwin]

He should have wiped the floor with Early in the Valley in a quick manner.

Seems to me that he did.

In Mid September Grant authorized him to go on the offensive; Sheridan moved forward, beat Early at Winchester on September 19th, pursued and beat Early again at Fisher Hill on the 22nd, and then pursued for about a week far up the valley as Early fled, then Sheridan ended his offensive and began reallocating his forces. Early, reinforced, decided to come back down the Valley in October and attack Sheridan, but Sheridan beats him again.

 

[Rebforever]

Seems to me that he did.

In Mid September Grant authorized him to go on the offensive; Sheridan moved forward, beat Early at Winchester on September 19th, pursued and beat Early again at Fisher Hill on the 22nd, and then pursued for about a week far up the valley as Early fled, then Sheridan ended his offensive and began reallocating his forces. Early, reinforced, decided to come back down the Valley in October and attack Sheridan, but Sheridan beats him again.

Not without the help of General Lee withdrawing troops from him.

 

[Rebforever]

Seems to me that he did.

In Mid September Grant authorized him to go on the offensive; Sheridan moved forward, beat Early at Winchester on September 19th, pursued and beat Early again at Fisher Hill on the 22nd, and then pursued for about a week far up the valley as Early fled, then Sheridan ended his offensive and began reallocating his forces. Early, reinforced, decided to come back down the Valley in October and attack Sheridan, but Sheridan beats him again.

Here is Early's retreat from Monocacy.

http://civilwarintheeast.com/Campaigns/Shenandoah-1864/Shenandoah-1864.php

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

Sheridan no more ruthless than Jackson?
What valley did Jackson burn?

Sheridan was following orders to destroy the valley

 

[BillO]

Some hard fighting agressive Generals are loved, some hated. Does the side the general fought on come into play? If Sheridan had been a Confederate general rather than a Union general, would some of our forum members change their view on Sheridan? This could go both ways.

No, There are quite a few very bad confederate generals as well. The thing is the north could afford to do a bunch of stupid stuff, the south couldn't.