The National tribune., 1884-05-15
A BORN SOLDIER.
Some Interesting "reminiscences OF Gen. Sheridan
BoyhOOd.

life of general had more fascination for me
than any work / ever took up. 1t was hard to
get books in those days where lived, but there
were a good many lives of the heroes of the
Revolution in the neghborhood, and l used to
borrow them whenever / could. l knew the
life of Washington, and Putnam, and Mad
Anthony Wayne almost by heart from read
ing them over and over again, and the life Of
Napoleon was as familiar to me as my b c's"
Did you have an ambition to be a soldier?'
Yes; j used TO dream of it when / was
boy, and try and figure out how could get a
military education. You see, my folks were
poor, and my father was away from home most
of the time, so / did not have the advantage Of
his advice and assistance"
What was his business?"'
" He was contractor"
4" A railroad eOntractor2"
I" No; in those days there was not much rail-
road building in the West, but ne was engaged
in digging the Hooking Valley canal, and he
built the great national road from Cumberland,
Nd, to Terre Haute. Ind. That was the great
thoroughfare in those times, and most of the
travel east and west went over it. de also
built what was known as the GAINESVILLE and
MaTysville turnpike, road which connected
the Ohio River with the great national road and
the towns in the central part of the State. These
were very large undertakings, you know and
they kept him away from home most of the
time"
You lived at home with your mother"
Yes; my father had my brother with him,
and l staid at home with mother in the village
of Somerset Perry county, Ohio, near Zanes-
Vile"
:" What about the story told in some of the
sketches of your early life that you used TO
drive a water eart2"
Like great many of the. stories that are
told of my early days, it is silly myth. There
was never the slighteat foundation for it. A
water cart would have been as much of curl
osity to me then as an electric light or one Of
the'spouting geysers of the Yellowstone. You
see, | was never ten miles away from home
until l went to West Point to enter the Mill
tary Academy, except the two or three times
went to GAINESVILLE on business for the man
worked for, and the longest journey Of my life
up to that time was to lancaster, where General
Sherman was raised. That was eighteen miles
from Somerset, and it was trip shall always
remember"
"Who did you work for?"
As soon as / was old enough to do any
thing went into the store of John Talbot at
Somerset can't remember Just when it was
but my father wanted me to learn bookkeeping,
and l worked for Talbot at the munifcent
salary of $24 year and boarded myself
"Then l went to clerk for David Whitehead,
where my wages were 500 year, and stayed
with him until Henry DettOe offered me double
that salary to work for him."
What did you dor"
ooh. l sold goods, kept the books. looked
after the credits, and was pretty good business
man, considering my age. DettOe had quite
large business trading with the farmers, buying
produce, and that sort of thing. / was in his
store until was seventeen years old and got
my appointment to the Military Academy"
"How did you get that?"
"As / told you, had always dreamed of
being military man, but 1 didn't exactly
know how was going 70 get show. One day,
however, j heard that the Hon. Thomas Richie,
/ our member of Congress, had the privilege Of
appointing a cadet and without much expecta-
| ton of getting the place wrote to him about
| it. / told him who / was,-he had some
acquaintance with my father, and knew our
| family,-and / got an answer from him
promptly, in which he inclosed my appoint
ment, and told me TO ges ready to go to West
| Point for examination the 1st of June"
You must have been surprised?"
Il was, and Phillip Il Sheridan was the
happiest boy IN all that valley. 1t scarcely
| seemed possible that all my dreams could come
80 soon to fulfllment and for long time
| wasn't able to realize my good fortune. ] began
/ at once TO prepare for the examination, and
| had read so much about the Military Academy
| that knew pretty well what to do l brushed
| up my grammar and geography, which were a
| little rusty but my experience in the store had
! given me practical knowledge of arithmetic.
| / knew nothing of algebra or geometry or any
| of the higher branches, but passed pretty
| good examination, and was admitted without
| any condition"
Had you been to SCHOOL,"
| eyes; / had attended the district school
| several quarters, and there learned the rudi-
mentary Misunderstanding, spelling, writing.
| geography and arithmetic,-and | was the best
posted boy in history in all that country. 1t
| was passion with me, don't you know, and
| read everything got hold of. The district
school was Taught by itinerant teachers who
| We're engaged by the quarter, and boarded
around with the families OF the pupils, week
| at place. But all the education / had was
| when | was very young, for, as l told you,
! commenced to learn the stere-keeping business
as soon as l was big enough to handle sack of
/ -four"
How did you get along at West Point2"
81 was suffering from many disadvantages
from not having been to school much, and
| didn't have the knowledge of the world that
most boys of seventeen have, but was fortu-
nate in getting a roommate who was an able,
| Industrious and experienced student, and he
| helped me along in my studies. / derived a
| great deal of benefit from his advice and as
sistanee, and owe him many obligations that
can never repay"
| who was he?"
Henry w Slocum"
The member of Congress from BROOKLYN"
"The very same man. Slocum can tell you
! what sort of fellow l was when came to the
Academy, and how hard we used to study to-
| gether After taps, when, under the rules all
the lights had to be put out, we used to take
the blankets off the bed and pin them over the
windows, and study far into the night. SIOcum
was working for high honor, and was trying
/ to prepare for the january examination, which
was terror TO me-"
"How did you come out?"
First rate Slocum went way up toward
the head of the class, and l got few files fur
Their along than expected, and l didn't have
to study so hard afterward. ! was pretty good
in mathematics and IN tactics, and got along
pretty we'll"
"BGt how was it, then, that you were not
permitted to graduate with your elass?"
| The general smiled and said: l had a fuss
with a cadet officer named Terrill which re-
suited in my suspension. / thought / was
right at the time, but experience has taught
me that l was wrong and ought to have been
| punished. 1t was pretty tough TO be set back,
though. / was suspended for q whole year,
| but was allowed to enter the next class below
/ me, and graduated with that"
| "What was the fuss abOut?"
"Terrill, don't you know, was a corporal,
and was private. One night, in November,
1851, we were out on dress parade, and he
] yelled at me in the most offensive manner,
reprimanding me by name when / hadn't done
anything to give cause for it. 1t made me
mad, and when he got around in the rear of