Philip Sheridan

Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888), a military man and one of the great generals in the American Civil War. His actions proved decisive for the Union. He pacified the Great Plains. Both as a soldier and private citizen he was instrumental in the development and protection of Yellowstone National Park.

Department of the Missouri

Indian Wars

During the Civil War, the Indians on the Great Plains were generally peaceful. In 1864, Major John Chivington attacked a peaceful village of Arapahos and Southern Cheyenne at Sand Creek in Colorado, killing over 150 Indians. That attack ignited a general war with the Indians.

Related Topics:
Great Plains - 1864 - Major - John Chivington - Arapaho - Cheyenne - Sand Creek - Colorado

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The protection of the Great Plains fell under the Department of Missouri. General Winfield Scott Hancock was assigned to the Department of Missouri in 1866 but had been unable to get the Indians to abide by their treaties or by the newly signed ones. The Indians had continued to attack mail coaches, burn the stations, and kill the employees. They had also killed and kidnapped a considerable number of settlers on the frontier. Under pressure from the various governors in the Great Plains, Grant turned to Philip Sheridan.

Related Topics:
Department of Missouri - Winfield Scott Hancock - 1866 - Mail coaches - Frontier

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In 1867, Grant appointed Sheridan to head the Department of Missouri. His first task was to end the Indian Wars. His troops, even supplemented with state militia, were spread too thin to have any real effect. He conceived a strategy based on his Shenandoah experience. In the Winter Campaign of 1868–69 he attacked the Indians in their winter quarters, taking their supplies and livestock and killing those who resisted. This strategy was to continue until the Indians abided their treaties. A number excesses occurred, see Wounded Knee. The Indian raids subsided during the 1870s and by the early 1880s were almost over.

Related Topics:
1867 - Department of Missouri - Indian Wars - 1868 - 69 - Wounded Knee

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There is a widely-told story attributed to Sheridan during his campaign against the Indians. Some natives reputedly told Sheridan, "We're good Indians," to which Sheridan is often quoted as having replied, "The only good Indians I ever saw were dead." The story is of questionable authenticity and Sheridan always denied it.

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Other Incidents

In 1870, the Secretary of War, at Sheridan's request, authorized him to observe and report on the Franco-Prussian War. As a guest of the King of Prussia, he was able to observe the planning and execution of some of the battles.

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In 1871, Sheridan took several companies of troops to Chicago during the Great Chicago Fire. The mayor, to calm the panic, put the city under martial law, and issued a proclamation putting Sheridan in charge. As there were no widespread disturbances the martial law was lifted within a few days.

Related Topics:
1871 - Chicago - Great Chicago Fire

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In 1883, Sheridan succeeded General Sherman as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and held that position until shortly before his death.

Related Topics:
1883 - Sherman

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