Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-10-21

placed in command of the escort for
q surveying expedition employed on
a branch of the Pacific Railroad. On
this duty, aud afterwards in CON-
mand of posts or on scouts and ex-
petitions up and down those remote
and wild regions, the time passed
until the outbreak OF the war in
| 1861.
In the fights and adventures of
rough life, Sheridan's soldierly quail
tiles were often exhibited. While at
Fort Duncan. being outside the fort
with two men, tie three were sur
prised by gang of dozen or more
Apaches, whose chiet, taking it for
granted that the three had surrend-
ed. jumped down from his horse, to
lie them up and have them carried
off. AS he did so, Sheridan, quick
as lightning, sprang up in his place,
and goaded the wild mustang at full
speed to the fort. On reaching it, be
pair of pistols. and without dis
mounting or waiting to see who fol-
lowed, wheeled and flew back as
swiftly as he had come. His two
men were fighting stoutly for their
lives. sheridan dashed up and shot
the chief. The soldiers, following
hard after him, charged the savages,
and in moment the discounted
Apaches were ridden down, dis
persed and most of them killed.
During Sheridsn's stay in oregon,
his commanding officer, Major
Rains, afterwards the rebel General
Rains,) made campaign against the
Yakima Indians, in which Sheridan
did right good service, and SO con
spicuously at the affair of the Cas-
cades on the Columbia, April 2S.
1856, as to be mentioned in general
orders with high praise.
When the rebellion broke out,
Sheridan was ordered East, and on
May IA, 1861, was commissioned
captain in the Thirteenth Regular
Infantry. He was soon sent to Mis-
souri,, where his first actual service
in the war was a term of office as
president of q board for auditing
military claims. He was soon, how
ever, sent into the field as chief gu II
termaster and commissary under
Gen. Curtis, and in that capacity
served through the brilliant and
victorious, but terribly severe cam
paign in which the desperate battle
of Pea Ridge was fought. At this
time his professional ambition was
not very high, tor he observed one
day that she was the sixty fourth
captain on the list, and with the
chances of war might soon be
major"
Sherldan's next service was as
General Halleck's chief quartermas-
ter in the Corinth campaign. Hal
leck seems to have thought very
we'll OF Sheridan from the first,
though apparently rather as trust
worthy organizer and manager, than
as such military son OF thunder as
he has turned out to be. After a
time the nature of the war in those
parts occasioned a great demand for
cavalry officers, and Sheridan being
pitched upon as one, was on May
81, 1852, commissioned colonel of
the I'd Michigan Cavalry, and was
at once sent into the field to help
impede the retreat of the rebels when
they should evacuate Corinth.
In this and other similar work of
that campaign, Sheridan became at
once known to the army and to his
spperiors as splendid officer, and
from that time forward he rose and
rose, up to the very last scene of the
Virginia campaign, where he welded
the troops that struck the most tell
ing of the final blows against Lee.
In the terrible fight of Stone River
or Murfeesboro', Sheridan's part, in
stead of being merely creditable or
handsome, was glorious and deci-
sive. But for him, that great battle
would have been a tremendous de-
feat. How desperate the need OF the
crisis that sheridan met there, and
now well he met it, may somewhat
appear from the terms used by the
best historian thus far of that battle,
in prefacing the detailed account
which he gives OF the fighting to
Sheridan and his men.
y
sum up the later and even more
brilliant portion of Sheridan splen-
did career; and indeed it is SO much
better known that the task is the less
needful. Sheridan was active and
useful during Rosecrans' advance on
Chattanooga. At the defeat of
Chickamauga, his services were so
conspicuous in making the best of
bad matter, that kOsecrans in his
report, commended him to his
country"
General Sheridan's administration
as military governor of New Orlea ms,
was a surprise tn his friends, from
its exhibition of broad and high adj
ministrative qualities. Yet there is
much that is alike in the abilities of
a good general and a good ruler.
Gen. Grant is very wise judge of
men, and his brief characteristic rec
ord of his estimate ofSheridan might
have justified hopes equal to the ac-
tual result. To any one remember
ing also his early days OF authority
over the Yakimas in Oregon, it
would doubtless have done so; for a
Yakima community and the COM
munity of an "unreconstructed"
southern rebel city are good deal
alike in many things. What Grant
said of Sheridan was as follows, and
was sent to Secretary Stanton just
after Cedar Creek, and little while
before Sheridan's appointment as
Major General in the Regular Army
in place of Mcclellan, resigned:
"CITY POINT, oct. 20, p. m.
HON. Z. NJ. STANTON, etc.:
/ had a salute Of one hundred
guns from each of the armies here
fired in honor of Sheridan's last
.x;a.s... ..,inr1 xrhaf hid fir 70