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Sheridan: The Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan
He was short, foul-mouthed, and so constitutionally pugnacious that he once thrashed a Southern train conductor who treated him rudely. He rose from the undistinguished rank of quartermaster to command the Union cavalry at the battles of Yellow Tavern (where he defeated his flamboyant rebel counterpart, J.E.B. Stuart) and Winchester. And when the Civil War was over, General Phil Sheridan continued to fight, whether that meant plunging into the bloody and byzantine politics of Reconstruction Louisiana or managing the inglorious war against the Plains Indians.
This outstanding biography restores Sheridan to his place in American military history; examines his relationships with contemporaries like Grant, Sherman, and his ill-fated subordinate George Armstrong Custer, and makes the momentous age he lived in come back to life.
This outstanding biography restores Sheridan to his place in American military history; examines his relationships with contemporaries like Grant, Sherman, and his ill-fated subordinate George Armstrong Custer, and makes the momentous age he lived in come back to life.
480 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 21, 2016
An approachable, engaging read that does justice to a fascinating man's life. Morris even made Sheridan's reconstruction years interesting. Not only would I read other titles by Morris, I'd seek them out.
October 11, 2017
Just OK, I expected more based on other civil war biographies.
June 4, 2023
I am 3/4 of the way through the book and am fascinated. This book is a great ‘primer’ on Sheridan. Let me give you an idea of what is in this overview of his life: on his return from a high level meeting in Washington, General Sheridan returned to Winchester and went to bed. In the morning he could hear the cannon from Cedar Creek where he left General Wright in charge of one half his army. He ate breakfast and proceeded, with haste, to Cedar Creek. Mr. Morris tells a great story, not an intense crappy biography- those authors would have told you what he had for breakfast. Those books, if you need day-to-day facts you would read after this one (Foote-esque). This book is an overview but very informative. Personally I do not think one volume would be enough to tell of General Sheridan’s deeds and adventures. Anyway General Sheridan arrives amongst chaos especially in General Wright’s command. General Sheridan realigns the army and proceeds to hand Jubal Early a great “Whooping.”The results of this battle make Sheridan a household name (at least north of the Mason-Dixon) and, coupled with Sherman’s capture of Atlanta make it assured of Lincoln’s re-election.
The first chapter, covering his life through West Point had many humorous tongue-in-cheek ironies. The author throughout the book makes sure to include other famous personalities that impact the course of the war and our country. I could tell this was the book I was searching for. Anyone who has read multiple books on George Armstrong Custer can get a feeling if the author suffers from “hero worship.” There is a hint of that here, so far, but it is not blatant and is kept in check.
Phillip Sheridan was a great general. The army was his life. Many graduates of West Point resigned their commissions when they could. Promotion in peace time was slow and the pay was terrible. Not Phil- he stuck with it. A disturbing incident did catch my eye. General Mieg’s son was on Sheridan’s staff and was killed in a fair fight- three Confederates versus three Union soldiers. Phil was so grieved that he was going to burn the closest town to the ground assuming wrongly that the Rebels were being protected by that town. He had to be talked out of changing his orders and I am sure that Mennonite community breathed a sigh of relief.
A great read, an easy read being of storytelling rather than an intense fact-numbing tome. Get it, enjoy it. I will certainly follow up on anything else this author has written.
The first chapter, covering his life through West Point had many humorous tongue-in-cheek ironies. The author throughout the book makes sure to include other famous personalities that impact the course of the war and our country. I could tell this was the book I was searching for. Anyone who has read multiple books on George Armstrong Custer can get a feeling if the author suffers from “hero worship.” There is a hint of that here, so far, but it is not blatant and is kept in check.
Phillip Sheridan was a great general. The army was his life. Many graduates of West Point resigned their commissions when they could. Promotion in peace time was slow and the pay was terrible. Not Phil- he stuck with it. A disturbing incident did catch my eye. General Mieg’s son was on Sheridan’s staff and was killed in a fair fight- three Confederates versus three Union soldiers. Phil was so grieved that he was going to burn the closest town to the ground assuming wrongly that the Rebels were being protected by that town. He had to be talked out of changing his orders and I am sure that Mennonite community breathed a sigh of relief.
A great read, an easy read being of storytelling rather than an intense fact-numbing tome. Get it, enjoy it. I will certainly follow up on anything else this author has written.
August 3, 2020
Excellent.
September 29, 2024
Not a bad autobiography of a person I really have wanted to study more of from the Civil War.
June 13, 2010
A serviceable biography of General Phil Sheridan, the short, profane, and very aggressive Union general. This book traces his career, from his youth to his checkered career at West Point to his service in the Army.
In the Civil War, his first command was as an infantry officer. He served well in that capacity, at Murfreesboro, for example. When Grant went east, he requested that Sheridan take command of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac. And, here, Sheridan sparkled. When the Army of Northern Virginia dispatched Jubal Early to the Shenandoah to raise havoc, Sheridan was sent to command Union forces in the Valley. Here, of course, he gained fame with his famous ride to the battlefield at Cedar Creek. Later, back with the cavalry outside Petersburg, he sealed the fate of the Confederate army with his defeat of Pickett's forces at Five Forks.
After the war was over, Sheridan moved west, to lead the military against the Indian nations. The book covers his activities on this front, including his relationship with George Armstrong Custer.
In the final analysis, this is a nicely rendered biography of Phil Sheridan.
In the Civil War, his first command was as an infantry officer. He served well in that capacity, at Murfreesboro, for example. When Grant went east, he requested that Sheridan take command of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac. And, here, Sheridan sparkled. When the Army of Northern Virginia dispatched Jubal Early to the Shenandoah to raise havoc, Sheridan was sent to command Union forces in the Valley. Here, of course, he gained fame with his famous ride to the battlefield at Cedar Creek. Later, back with the cavalry outside Petersburg, he sealed the fate of the Confederate army with his defeat of Pickett's forces at Five Forks.
After the war was over, Sheridan moved west, to lead the military against the Indian nations. The book covers his activities on this front, including his relationship with George Armstrong Custer.
In the final analysis, this is a nicely rendered biography of Phil Sheridan.
December 29, 2016
A detailed, interesting, and engaging biography of Sheridan. Morris traces Sheridan’s career from his youth to checkered West point stint, his Civil War service and his career in the Indian Wars. Morris also describes Sheridan’s role during the unsuccessful reconstruction efforts in Louisiana and Texas, as well as his army’s gun-running in Mexico, where he was far more successful.
Sheridan’s career also touched on those of other figures such as Custer, Stuart, Bill Cody, William McKinley, and Rutherford B. Hayes, and Morris describes all of these in detail. Morris also covers the subject of Civil War generalship: why there so many, why some failed, and why others succeeded. He also describes Sheridan’s personality and rise to prominence.
A serviceable but often compelling biography, even if much of Morris’s research comes from secondary sources.
Sheridan’s career also touched on those of other figures such as Custer, Stuart, Bill Cody, William McKinley, and Rutherford B. Hayes, and Morris describes all of these in detail. Morris also covers the subject of Civil War generalship: why there so many, why some failed, and why others succeeded. He also describes Sheridan’s personality and rise to prominence.
A serviceable but often compelling biography, even if much of Morris’s research comes from secondary sources.
July 24, 2007
OK book on Sheridan. Adequately written and researched, but it pales in comparison to the classic biographies on other Civila War leaders. Mainly focused on his actions in the Amercian Civil War, where he was a significant figure for only the last year or so. Much less coverage is offered on his role as the Commander of the Department of the Missouri, in which role he oversaw the most famous battle of the western Inidan wars.
January 12, 2013
A good biography of my favorite general and an enjoyable read generally. Of interest to anyone into American Civil War history.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews