The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-11-11
Phil sheridan Under Fire.

call him-is the last against whom the shafts
OF malice and envy can hope to prevail. There
Is about the Hero of the Shenandoah SOL
dierly slngleness Of purpose, sturdy patriot
ism and honesty which may always set
calumny and detraction at defiance. As in the
war MS principle was to dash straight on to
the enemy's lines, so In his civil duties his
practice is to go directly to the point to be
reached, without any tortuous wlndings or BY
ways. Too Independent for politician, he ia
yet genuine statesman by virtue of his quick
perception, his unfailing judgment and his
sound good sense; and hence when an emer.
gency arises wherever Phil Sheridan is in su-
thority, he Is certain to be equal to the occa-
sion. This was especially the case during the
trying and dangerous hours of the burning Of
Chicago and for the few succeeding days, when
a starving and houseless population sought
immediate relief and when desperate meu
threatened to add the terrors Of murderous,
plundering mob to the horrors of fire. In
those eventful moments, when the authorities
of the city and State were paralyzed and pow
erless, when the local police was disorganized
by anxiety and personal suffering, the cool
brain and ready hand of Sheridan came to
the rescue. With soldiers instinct he saw
the necessities of the occasion, and with
a soldiers promptness be applied the remedy
within his reach. By his order tents, the
property Of tho United States, were brought
on to the ground for the shelter of homeless
women and children, and food, provided for
the troops, was divided among the hungry
people. Fortunate was it for the good citi-
zens Of Chicago that 'Little Phil" was not
then ''twenty miles away" He did not pause
to request the red tape permission Of the War
Office to use the property at his command be-
fore applying it to the pressing need before
his eyes, any more than he would have dreamed
of applying for orders before he spurred on
to Cedar Creek to save his gallant army from
Early's bold attack. In like manner, when the
desperadoes and thieves of the city sought to
make harvest during the confusion of the
conhagration, they found in Phil Sheridan an
unpleasant obstacle in the way of their enter
prise. He and his men had disagreeably
summary method Of dealing with ruffianism
and lawlessness. Their proceedings lacked
the procrastination and uncertainty of the
Courts, and they we're as prompt in theiK
judgments as they were effectual in their pun
ishments In such extremities accidents can
scarcely be provided against by any FORE
thought or care, and by one Of these unhappy
casualties Colonel Grosvenor, the Attorney
General of the State, lost his life. He was
shot by one of the volunteers under Sheridan's
command, and while it is needless to enter
into an erp0s6 of the causes which led to the
deplorable event, 1t is sufficient to say that to
no person could it have given more sincere
grief than to Sheridan himself.
In tho eyes Of the world at large the acts Of
General Sheridan during these days and
nights of terror shone with the brilliancy Of
precious gems. Every honest man who read
the accounts of the horrors by which the
Queen City of the West was threatened ex-
claimed, in the fulness Of his heart, THANK
God that Sheridan was there!" And now,
when the trial is virtually over; when the
munilcence Of all the civilized nations Of the
people, the Governor Of the State Of Illinois
steps forward into unenviable notoriety and
accuses Phil Sheridan of military usurpatioD,
of violation Of the laws of the Common
wealth and of completely in ''the unlawful
killing of Colonel Grosvenor." When the
Courts were in ashes; when the mighty
power of the resstless flames had thrown open
the prison doors and liberated the convicts
and criminals awaiting trial; when thieves
and rufians from other cities were pouring into
Chicago to swell the ranks of their brethren
already there; when the local police were
either Frustrated by their unusual labors or
torn away from their duties by the sufferings
and dangers of those near and dear to
them; when citizens were driven to the neces-
sity Of trusting to the first law of nature for
the protection of their families and
their property; when the water sup
ply was gone and the city was
shrouded in darkness, this punctilious and
law-loving Governor Palmer visited the
scene. but had no advice to offer and no effec-
tive aid to tender. Then he expressed his
gratitude, as the Chief Executive of the State,
to those who had saved the city from worse
much to relieve or tighten the inevitable load
of misery heaped upon the people. Now he
seeks to brand as criminals and arraigns be-
fore the authorities Of the general government
the very men to whom he and his fellow
citizens owe such heavy debt Of gratitude.
The course Of Governor Palmer would be In
applicable but for the knowledge that he has
an old personal grudge to satisfy against
General Sheridan, and he seeks now, by 4
technical application of the law, to prove that
the General exceeded his legal authority IN
stretching forth his hand to rescue and protecs
the city which the Governor would have