Sheridan, Philip Henry (1831-1888), was a leading Union general in the American Civil War (1861-1865). He became famous especially for his victories as a cavalry leader in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Sheridan was born on March 6, 1831, in Albany, New York. In 1853, he graduated from the United States Military Academy. Sheridan, who became known as “Little Phil,” was a captain when the Civil War began. In late 1862 and early 1863, he commanded a Union infantry division in battles at Perryville, Kentucky, and Stones River (Murfreesboro), Tennessee. Sheridan’s performance in these important battles earned him a promotion to major general of volunteers.
In 1863, Sheridan took command of a corps in the Army of the Cumberland. He led this corps in a battle at Chickamauga, Georgia. Later in 1863, in Tennessee, Sheridan’s corps broke the Confederate line at Missionary Ridge in the Battle of Chattanooga. Sheridan’s action allowed Union General Ulysses S. Grant to win the battle. In 1864, Grant gave Sheridan command of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac. In this command, Sheridan led a successful raid against Confederate forces in Richmond, Va. This raid resulted in the death of Confederate General Jeb Stuart.
In August 1864, Grant gave Sheridan command of all Union forces in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Grant ordered Sheridan to drive Confederate forces out of the valley and to destroy the valley’s economic resources so that Confederate troops could not use them. In the valley, Sheridan’s forces defeated Confederate troops under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early at Winchester, Fisher’s Hill, Waynesboro, and Cedar Creek.
At Cedar Creek, Early attacked Sheridan’s forces when Sheridan was returning from a meeting in Washington, D.C. Sheridan rode about 11 miles (18 kilometers), from Winchester, to take command of his troops. When he reached them, they had already been driven back about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) by the Confederate forces. But Sheridan rallied his troops and turned likely defeat into a Union victory. In April 1865, Sheridan helped Grant defeat Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s forces at Five Forks, Virginia. This victory helped force a Confederate retreat from Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia.
After the Civil War, Sheridan commanded troops in the Southern United States. From 1869 to 1883, he commanded the Division of the Missouri and became the foremost frontier general and Indian fighter in the country. In 1884, Sheridan succeeded William T. Sherman as general-in-chief of the U.S. Army. Sheridan died on Aug. 5, 1888.
