New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-06

when General Mcclellan soon after resigned his com
mission Sheridan was apprentice psS IN 1851 said
modestly, aPerhaps may get TO be MAJOR was
| now majop general of the Regular Army
TIE CIRCLE OF THE HUNT
| Sheridan vas now master of all the country north
Of Richmond and dctermined-acting upon his
own responslbllty-to march past tho icpel capi'"'
and Join the Union army before Petersburg ihs was
a perIlous proceeding, and failure would ha'o mean
not only defeat but disgrace. for he was Veh'ur'ns
to act contrary the plans of his superior ohccr
But he displayed a strategic power SURPRISING even
the dashina audacity of his earlier exploits Straight
! toward Richmond he marched until within less than
dozen miles Of that city, There he held Longstrcet
M bay with a single brigade, while the rest oil MS
army moved on to White House. and the great ma
noeuvre was accomplished withou: hitch Richmond
was cut of from tho rich counties of the southwest
the roads TO the north were blocked and all was ready
for be final closing Of the National armies upon the
CITY and its desperate defenders On this march
sheridan also inflicted incacuable losses upon tho
Confcderacy by tho seizure and destruction OF sup
plies Half a million rounds OF rhe apmuniton'
thousands Of tents, harnesses and small arms,
hundreds Of loaded wagons, droves Of horses, mules
and beevcs provisions, clothngin fact. everything
that could be Of service to the enemy in enormous
Quantities fell into his hands and he destroyed many
miles Of telegraph and railroad lines, and cut In sew
eral places the important James River and Kanawha
Canal He had left on his line Of march no enemy
|
support
The end began on March 90. 1868. At nightfall Of
that day Sheridan camped at Dinwldde Court House
Push round the enemy, II you can. and get on his
right rear feel like ending the matter before going
back" were the orders he had received from Grant
and rain anon next day he on toward Five Forks
where. he found himself confronted by an Overwheln
and ". H., F. Lee. His army was cut in two
and Se Of Ds rep e McS san IN hot OF Of
one portion Of his force, with the other portion he
fell furously upon their flank and rrsr and after
dcs pcIatc fight the unequal coUbatans rested on their
arms, during night of suspense But Sheridan
rested little lie seut to Grant This force is TOO
10 leave" Grant at midnight promised reinforce.
vents. But morning came without them: .,n The
,lult, and Sheridan remained master of the fcd Of
Dinwlddie
enemy to Five Forks, where the greatest OF the closing
battlce OF the was 20 be fought. llo now had
his forces with consummate SKILL planning not ony he
defeat but the capture of the foe, and throughout ne
strategy wcro equally displayed. Al four O'Clock
on April the struggle began Several Union on req,
person. gsllopng TO the front with his headquarters
Tag in bis hand. Warrens line swept around ,n'
the cavalry charged in from the south, and the hgh,
was DONE Five thousand Of the rebels surrcndeie9
%ds she whore Sey never could reon Lees army
more perfectly planned and executed battle, perhaps
| was fought In all the virginia canpaleHs'
on TO APPoMATTOX.
| The day after Five Forks April Q. Grant broke
through Lees thin lines at Petersburg and drove him
westward toward Danvllle. Sheridan instantly TOOK
| up a parallel line of march, hoping TO pass him ana
head of the retreat At Jcitersville on April a he
threw himself In Lees path, and sent word BACK 10
Meade to hurry up and oyertake him While he held
him at bay. Had Lee pushed forward he might have
broken Shcrdan's cavalry line with ease and moved
/ IN tn 70 10
so his last chance Of escape was gone On April 8,
the Union infantry came up and Lees path was
blocked shcrdans cavalry busted Itself with cutting
of stray regiments and capturing wagon trains. on
April Sheridan, with Wright, Crook and Custer, en-
gagged portion of the rebel army Sailors Creek ard
quickly captured General Ewel and ten thousand
OF his best troops. Next morning Sheridan was
out again with his cavalry, carly searching for the
enemy. Next day be wrote to Grant shall move on
Appomattox" told him that four trains loaded
with provisions at Appoinattox Depot awaiting
Lees arrival He headed for them, and Custer In adj
| vance, swept down and captured them before the
| engineers could FIRE up and get away. In the woods,
Just beyond some of Lees troops, hungry FOR
those very provisions Sheridan charged on them, took
| twenty five guns, drove them toward Appomattox
Court House. and wrote to Grant 10 hurry on with his
army, and "we will perhaps finish the JOB IN the
At day break the next morning the rest OF the
came up moving toward the fated Court House Tho
se on IN oraerrS s fail back and
behind Lee saw the long lines of blucclad infantry,
and knew that he was csuS, =" LIS; shcsaan pre-
| out of the rebel ranks, white flag in hand to ask
iruco, and the hunderbolt was stayed. and the war
was ended. II Sheridan who. with Ord and others.
rode through tho rebel lines to meet Longsreet at the
Court House and receive from HIM Ices note to
| Grant. This note Sheridan sent 10 Grant and The
latter came up GLOW are You, shsrdanT he
cried, as he dismountcd. "Frstrate' thank YOU
was The reply how are you ?, Is General Lee up
crel' asked Grant pointing toward the hoadquar,e
| OF tho vanquishcd army "Ics." wei. then, wen
a witness of the in the Mclean house when the
surrender Of the rebel chieftan became an accom-
| pllshed fact.
AFTER THE WAR.
| brief movement in ]. f. Jchnston's direction
ended the services Of Shcridans army. and 1t marched
back to Washington and took its last review on
Ponnsylvanla-avc. But Sheridan was not at its head
| In obedience to his chiefs command he hurried OF
| to the Southwest to restore and maintain order In
| Louisiana, Texas and along the Mexican frontier.
at his coming the reckless bands OF rebels who still
kept up the fight threw down their He had no
fighting to do 10 suppress riots at New-Oresns
| which had been brought on by the Mayor. Both
thcre and in Texas he hampercd by the miserable
policy of the Johnson Administration. but In spite OF
all difficulties he did his work efcctnally and well
On the Mexican border and even across on ono occa-
sion he vas active in supprcssing disorder and blood
shed, and no did not hesitate to show his sympathy
with the patriots who were Kidding themselves of the
| pinchbeck Imperia' yoke.
| The Freedmen found in him friend. More than
once he called sternly TO account the ex-rebes who
delighted to in1ict outrage upon their former slaves
The Reconstruction law Of Congress enforced by
| him in good faith, and when the Attorney-General
Of the United States explained that law as pract
callJ nufy it, he frankly denounced that interprc-
tation as the opening OF broad road for fraud and
perjury. This brought upon him the Presidents dis
pleasure which he faced without flnchng. And when
the President in his stubborn determination to defeat
| Ifu nd
and sent him to the West, he was applauded by loyal
citizens everywhere as the moral victor in the struggle
Sheridan transferred to the Department OF tho
Missouri in September, 1867 and remained there until
| his comrade and chief, Ulysses s. Grant, succeeded
| Andrew Johnson at the White House. On the very
day Of Grants inauguration, Sheridan was promoted
| to be Lieutenant General, and was assigned to tho
| Of fln Of no Missouri.