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Biographical Notes
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Philip Sheridan
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Sheridan traveled first to San Francisco, then by steamship to Panama City. After crossing the Isthmus of Panama, he sailed on another steamship to New York City, and then proceeded overland to Somerset, Ohio, where he visited his family. His father's subcontracting business had gone into bankruptcy when the Sciota and Hocking Valley Railroad had failed in 1853. The family now lived on a small farm outside of town. After Somerset, Sheridan paid a courtesy call on Military Department of the West Commander, Major General Henry W. Halleck, in St. Louis, before going on to his duty station in Jefferson Barracks. He was assigned to Brigadier General William T. Sherman's newly formed 13th Infantry Regiment, but General Halleck called him back to St. Louis before he could assume his duties with the regiment. Halleck had just replaced Major General John C. Fremont and he wanted Sheridan to oversee a complete audit of the the financial activities of Fremont's chief quartermaster, Brigadier General Justus McKinstry. Sheridan handled this duty to Halleck's satisfaction and the work exposed him to a number of other high ranking officials, including Illinois Congressman Elihu B. Washburne, a close confidant of President Abraham Lincoln. Partly as a result of Sheridan's work, McKinstry was court-martialed and dismissed from the army.
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At the end of 1861, Sheridan was named Chief Quartermaster and Commissary for the Army of Southwest Missouri. In his role as commissary, Sheridan confiscated livestock and grain from Southern sympathizers. This elicited comment and criticism, but did not deter him. During this assignment he worked closely with Colonel Grenville M. Dodge, and the two men became close friends, but his relationship with his commanding officer, Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis, deteriorated badly after the Battle of Pea Ridge when the two had a falling out over stolen horses. At Sheridan's request, Halleck transferred him back to St. Louis and then sent him on a horse buying expedition in Wisconsin and Illinois. After the Battle of Shiloh in early April 1862, Halleck took field command of Union Forces in and around Shiloh. Sheridan followed Halleck and assisted in moving supplies in support of the Union's subsequent advance on Corinth. During this campaign Sheridan repeatedly sought command responsibilities. On May 27, 1862, Michigan Governor Austin Blair, appointed him Colonel of Volunteers, and gave him command of the Second Regiment Michigan Cavalry. Immediately after assuming command Sheridan and the Second Cavalry participated in an extended raid behind Confederate lines.
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In June, 1862, after participating in several other raids, Sheridan was given command of a brigade. At about the same time command of the Army of the Mississippi was assumed by Major General William Starke Rosecrans. Under Rosecrans, Sheridan's brigade was deployed to Boonville well in advance of the army's main units. On July 1, 1862, Sheridan's brigade defeated a Confederate cavalry attack just outside Boonville. Following the battle, Sheridan was commended for managing his force effectively and recommended for promotion to flag rank by both Rosecrans and Halleck. One of his subsequent raids turned up a cache of letters that provided valuable information about the movement of Confederate units. After that coup, Rosecran's recommendation for Sheridan's promotion was repeated, saying that he "was worth his weight in gold." In September 1862, Sheridan gave up command of his cavalry brigade and took command of four infantry regiments, the now famous Pea Ridge Brigade. His orders were to move them to Kentucky as part of the reinforcement of Major General Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio.
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On arriving in Louisville, Kentucky, Sheridan was given his brigadier's star and his command was reinforced with additional units to bring it up to division strength. Following the indecisive Battle of Perryville and the successful retreat of the Confederate forces facing the Army of the Ohio, Buell was replaced by Rosecrans and the Army of the Ohio was renamed the Army of the Cumberland. At one point in the battle of Stones River late in December 1862, Sheridan's division staged a dramatic withdrawal during which he again distinguished himself as an able and brave combat leader. Grant credited Sheridan with having saved Rosecran's army. Rosecrans recommended that he be promoted to major general. On January 1, 1863, during the fighting at Stones River, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into force. On April 10, 1863, Sheridan was promoted to major general in recognition of his part in the Battle of Stones River. On September 19-20, in the Battle of Chicamauga, Rosecrans fled the field and Sheridan did not do particularly well, even though he was later praised for his actions on the battlefield. On September 23, the Confederate Army invested Chattanouga. In October, Rosecrans was replaced by Major General George H. Thomas, the "Rock of Chicamauga."
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