The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-08-18

The Autobiography 90 the Great
soldier Liksiy to Correct Sesne
Mis<fatemeuts

swsshiasica special. Aug sth.I
Perhaps no gaioa oficer has had
more apocryphal stories toid Of his
youth than Gen. sheridan. Thesc
anecdotes have bcen constructed on
the theory thai the hoy : father Of che
man. aad the most OF then enGrav0r
TO shos how the achievements Of Cedar
Greek and Five Forks were foreshAd-
owed when the sturdy httle lad VAS
running aboat the fieids ot his native
village. But Il i perfectly true that
Sheridan in boyhood showed hy his
activity and his ielity 10 his employ-
erS that be was destined 20 succeed IN
hfe. although il was only happy piece
OF good fortune that gave him the par.
ficuiar Kind Of success hy which be
viii he known in history. Had he con
unuest IN the country stofes OF Somer-
set, where he was first pai % help earn
Ais living at the age Of y. on salary,
TO start with, OF only S9i a wear. in
stead q receiving that lucky vacancy
at West Point. he would pFoaably have
passed from salesman 10 owner, aud
beaten less enterrfising rivals. And
then. after all, he would doubtless
have gone 10 the war, and perhaps
have become great volunteer oiaieer
like Terry, logan, Miles and many
another
When the " Personal Memoirs
come out. which viii be about the ISt
of December, they will indicate the
fictitious character al some OF the
anecdotes told OF sheridan and the 1
exageratioa in Others Although there I
was never the rcmotast question about /
his nativity, he has yet had ascrihesi I
% him. even within a year, a number 4
OF hirtkplAees only less than Homcr's. 1
The same sort of roug1ncing has been
done about the exploits OF his later
years, and this fact mases the com
pietion of his autobiography matter
ot public congratulatien. For one ex-
ample, Il viii be found that he has
taken the pains 10 correct some Of the
errors popularity connected with the
famous ride from Winchester 90 Cedar
Creek in 1854. buchanan Reads
metricai description OF this ride has
impressed upon most readers as
the leading fact, that L vas twenty
miles long. the final lines of successive
stanEas describing how this distance
was reduced until sheridan was eff
away. and 80 ON. Vet it would lie
impossible 10 get more than fourteen
miles out OF the distance which Sheri-
dan covered from Winchester until he I
reached his lines, then little north Of
Middletown. The pcet has him stead
ily galioping down the pike, which
would have led him straightaway
from his troops; but he really rode up /.
the turnpike, although the direction
was south. The general will take
pains to disclaim all the melodramatic
attitudes and some OF the melodra-
matte incidents with which this ride
has been invested, and will particular
iv object 20 being represented as swing
ing his hat about a. he rode along.
For wears before he began the Per
sonal Memoirs Gen. sheridan had
collected the material for a correct his
tory OF his military career, but was
ayerse 70 putting Il IN the first person
as an autobiographic narrative. But 1
after the great success Of Gen. Grants
book In this form, there vas no heSita-
ton as tn following its example. Alike 1
for the interest and the intrinsic value 1
OF the work this decision was most
fortunate, and the Personal Memoirs"
viii show Gen. Sheridan 10 be possess
ed OF a most interesting style, easy /
aud flowing, and rising q the plctur-
esgueneSs and dramatic quality OF 1
many of the scenes he has depicted, 4
Many incidents and anecdotes woven I
into the main thread OF the narrative
we also show that he has ne little el 1
tho srt of the story teller. such iuag- I
ments g. he has 10 pass upon military 4
men and things viii he especially inter 4
e.ting. because even more than Grant 1
and sherman. he j. looked upen as the 1
type Of the professional soldier, that 4
i 10 say. although the great flames OF 4
Grant and sherman are founded on /
exploits in war, they had yet both /
Voluntarily renounced the profession
of arms for civil career. which was 4
not the case with sheridan, aud prob I
ably never would have been even II the /
civil war had not occurred. Gen. I
sheridan will always be as shining an 4
example as could be furnished OF What /
may he done in life, under faToring 1
circam stances. by one who combines 1
sound Judgment and executive skill I
with a great idowment oi courage 1
and pugnacity.
The remarkable coincidence that /
Gen. Grant and Gen. sheridan com 4
pleted their aatobi0 Eraphies just be- 4
fore their respective deaths, each re- 1
vi,ing the proofs on his deathbed, i I
made more emphatic by the fact that /
the Publishing house was the same ~ 4
both eases. c. l.. Webster a Co. IL j. 1
70 be hoped that the coincidence wi1 /
stu further be carried ont IN the ac- 4
eruing OF large fortune toGen. sheri- /
dan family from the publication