The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-05-31

lONTANA, FRIDAY MORNI]
administration. leaving behind him as an estate a
name crowned with glory. an example of duty,
patrlotsm and honor more valuable to bis cour-
lrsmeh than all the accumuatfons of all the money
settefs' That gallant volunteer general John A.
Logan the especial delight Of the grand army has
'e11 the august place given to him by his state
~ JON MS great companions. tits common in the
grand army to dwell up2n the names of those that
we nave lost since the last annual muster Oh
memorial day. Ispeak to ii new post which has
YET nad none mustered, out by DEATH but which
mas taken the name of the late general in chief of
the army Of the United States-a name that will
stand upon the pages IL the world as that of one
OF the greatest sodersof the ages, Name Of in
carnate energy, couraee and warlike genius the
name OF Philip H. Sheridan. You could not have
come down here to the waters edge to be baptized
with name more fitting for a company Of sold
lefs Tor it carries in Ii every martial excellence
ana every soldierly aua,A se.lo.,. By the authori-
" oI the department commander here delive r
TO your Keeping the charter for 'Sheridan Post of
the Grand OF the ArmyRepublic, ''and cal, give you
no higher admonition than to do such honor to
the name as the name does honor to you.
Here the Major presented to Post Command
ant TAYLOR the post charter
sheridan was Il soldier born. lie had the war
Ike instinct which is the tittest material for a
military education. Nature made him one of those
VINO are ever ready to redress the wrong and TO
establish the right by force Of arms His military
education taught him how to organize and WELD
aid direct the force Of arms. His Astounding en-,
ergy. his tireesS bran his small but enduring
physique which no illness ever shook and no ex-
ertloh ever exhausted, no hardship ever c0nuuer.
Ell made him ever active. vigiant and aggressive.
He was not OF the school of the modern com
manders who sit in headquarters and direct their
vast armies like great machines. He was Of the
Old type, which warmed our young inagin;lt;o,,s
oil Alexander Caesar, Gonsalvo, Frederick and
Napoleon who supplemented strategy by tactics:
VINO saw the fighting when it was going OH direct
ed it IT successful and threw himself into the
| movement to retrieve disaster; who saw the tao
tical mistake OF his enemy and took advantage
ofit. stonewall and Skobelotf were most like him
IN methods. There is no evidence that he was
/ approached in completeness Of conception and
peffectness Of plan His education was well fit
ted to teach him how to carry out his master pas
sion which was not only to defeat, but to destroy
his enemy. All the teachings Of tue art Of men,
all the strategy Of the books, will not fill Il MAJ
with the desire and Inspiration to conquer, unless
it is assiniated by a man who loves to win This
innate qualification characteristic Of Sheridan
Still his training was good-the son Of an Irish
elnigrant who left his country because he would
be free. His father became like many of his
countrymelt, contractor OH railways ami public
works. Sheridan went to work early to support
n hair h li,, ni,4., .
appointment to the military academy and gr;,d,-
ated early i'll the tties and began to fight Indians
In Texas. From there he WAS sent to Oregon He
was IN earlier pioneer than any OF us and knew
all about this country before any Of lis here knew
where it was lie always believed III protecting it
and that the best way to prevent savage warfare
was to subiine the say;ges, to govern them well
and to treat them kindly when they behaved them
selves. 1t is not many yeurs since the road from
1T. Benton to Helena was an unsafe one. Indian
murders Gil ttt Marsas, on the Teton on Sun river
OF the Dearborn. Oh the Prickly Pear Kept us in a
state OF uEetsiness He was bold man who would
roam around here by the Great Falls. One of
Sherid;llrs f;lvorite officers at Snerilan's sug-
geitOn organized winter Instead Of 4; summer
campaign. lie marched through deep snow with
the cold AZ degrees below zero and took most
desperate chances of freezing to death: he
thought the Indians would be in !. state OF turpor
ait such time and presume that his man wished
lhat he WAS also lie surprised and killed them
i'll their own way. 1t was terrible. but it was the
only way except to be surprised and killed by
them. Tie eastern press opened storm of III
VectiVe OH Baker; but Sheridan loyalty sheltered
his subordinate and though he wls not RESPONSE
Bile for what happened nobly took the RESPONSE
bility. The country had peace and the Indians AS
well as the whites were gamers by the stopping Of
;.ll further Killings and reprisis i5aker;ld many
OF his comrades are dead, but very many OF the
old timers Of these parts will gratefully think Of
their g4ctl service OIL this memorial day
During all the summer Of 1861 whi1.. the war was
ra-;n; in the states Sheridan waited at the first
port for Il summons to the field Of glory 1t came
ut last He was made Quartrr-master for ten.
Curtfss and did much to assist that officer in his
advance through Missouri AMI to secure the vic
tory at Pea Ridge. The contractors did not like
Sheridan. He was lis honest as lie WAS brave
The same integrity and economy which he after
ward displayed when hundred; oi millions OF con
tracts passed under his approval without one cent
OF benefit to him, made him odiolS to the jackaIS
who followed the supply train BY chance he GOT
into his rightfn sphere of action. The second
Michigan cavalry ''.'t'd il tr.:ined and profession
III soldier for Colonel. Gen K. 4. :l,|r rpus,s.
mended Sheridan to t'Oy Blair and lie obtained
the commission. This at Il time when the politi-
clans were making political brigadiers by the
score SO that you could not throwa stone any place
around Washington without hitting an ornament
al but useless general. The story of his ability
was soon told In the summer of 1861 he was a
lieutenant. In another year he was a general Of
Il division and two years later all the world knew
the name OF Sheridan. He was always successful
Under Buell. or Rosecr.lZ he was as efficient and
masterfu as he was afterwards under Grant. No
matter what happened to other parts of the army
the story of Sherdal's division WAS the story of IL
division capably handled and fought to the finish
Perrysve, Stone River. Murfeesborough, Chica-
nauGsla directed Oh Sheridan the attention of the
army, while the pres, Of the country was ringing
with other names. At the battle Of Missionary
Ridge his division was ordered to take some adj
vanc"d position and to stop. This done his quick
| eye took in what should be DONE Without orders
the division rushed like storm up the precipi-
tous hill carried the crest pushed the pursuit
away beyond into the valley and astonisiled and
yratified Gen. Grant with Il victory unplanned and
unprecedented ut a point where it was unhOped
for, Grant had his eye OIL Sheridan before. This
made him his devoted admirer. When Grant was
called to the Scene Of the great struggle in the
east he wanted Sheridan -Sieridan's energy
quickness, and conauering vigor. He was called
to the command OF the cavalry CORPS
The uses OF different arms in battle change
with the tmes-thr Old uses OF cavalry seemed to
he obsolete. 1t 10 longer charged in heavy masses
and decided battle by its weight and shock. 1t
vas used as feeers-to guard the ilanks and
| rear-t to act as the cantaullle of armies 1t was