Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-09-19
sheridan's Famous Ride.


George Phillips, a New York police
man who does duty at the city hall, is
one of the last surviving eyewitnesses
of Sheridan's famous ride. He was
chief wagonmaster in Sheridan's army
in the valley campaign, and he has
given an account of the affair. 1t is
believed to be thoroughly accurate.
and it is certainly forcible and dra-
matte. Mr. Phillips says:
Gen. Phil had gone up to Washing
ton for something, don't know what,
leaving Gen. Wright in command The
boys had little confidence in Wright,
but they loved Merritt and Custer.
Early and his Rebs rushed our lines
at Cedar Creek, twenty miles south
west of Winchester. Sheridan in
Washington heard of it. He went out
by the railroad and crossed the Po-
tomac at Stevenson's landing. From
there he hurried to Winchester, where
he met Wright, and from him OBJ
tanned the details of the fight He
left Wright in Winchester and mount
ed the famous black horse. The horse
was black, all right, at least he was
when he started.
Il had parked my wagon at one
side of the turnpike to give the horses
ton about that. We were scootinG
for Harper's Ferry and the Maryland
side of the Potomac, and the Rebs
were popping at us at every jump.
With my wagons parked and the
horses feeding and resting by the
turnpike l was watching the boys run.
Some were imping and staggering
along. They had thrown away their
guns and blankets and expected to be
killed or captured any minute. / new
er saw anything else like it, the way
the boys were hoofing it to the Poto-
mac. The entire army was beaten
and demoralized. There was no or
der and every man was trying to save
himself. 1t was cloudy, gloomy day
and all of us felt pretty blue. Sud
denly we heard terrible shouting
and yelling up the turnpike, Winches-
ter way, and minute later we saw
Phil on. his black horse coming down
the road.
"Oh, say, Lordy, Lordy! Talk
about rides! The horse had been
black, but he was covered with white
foam. Phil was not waving any sword.
He had his old campaign hat in his
hand. He was covered with mud. but
he kept waving the old hat and yell
Ing, come back, boys, come Ddck!
To the front, boys! Follow mel His
staff was strung out for 800 yards be-
bind him, whipping and squirting, try
ing to keep up.
LAS Gen. Phil galloped by the wag-
on he. waved his old hat at us and
yelled: Get back to the 'front.' Well
need rations,' Did we yell? Geei
There never was anything else like it.
Why, say, old fellows who had been
limping along to the rear and swear
ing at every step, some of them with
out guns, turned around, and, so help
me, they kept up with Phil's black
horse for half mile. running back to
the front
That was a great ride, If the poet
did not get mixed in his details Sheri-
dan won the day by that ride. The
best help he had was from our com.
missary stores. The Rebs had cap
tured the stores and stopped to eat
crackers and drink whisky. We had
lots of both, and some of the Rebs
had not had even a cracker for three
days. When they broke into our stores
they decided they had rather eat
crackers and drink whisky than shoot
Yanks, so they gave Gen. Phil time to
make his twenty-mile ride and rally
his men."-New York Sun.