The Washington herald., 1910-12-11
ny JAMES b. MORROW.


I.ienzi, the black war horse, was not
trembling as with palsy, nor were his
nostrils blowing like a pair OF bellows.
nor Were his heaving sides hecked with
foam. There had been several stops on
the way to Cedar Creek, and the road
was damned up with an army in re-
treat and many baggage wagons drawn
by mules.
Face the other way. boys: We are go
ing back thrilled q nation when the
words were put into type. but profess
sional soldier would never have used such
familiar language. A militia officer might
have said boys" 10 the soldier he knew
at home as farmers, mechanics, and
clerks. A graduate OF West Point would
have said men," granting that he was
not mad enough 10 say ''old women" or
something worse
Thus two cherished pictures or the cfvil
war fan from the walls OF fancy and are
broken with z crash on the hard and un-
sentimental floor or fact Furthermore.
''Phil' Sheridan was not a swearing
man Neither was he a drinking man.
Tho sun and weather Redeemed his face.
and n normal heart OF LOG beats deepened
the color OF his cheeks.
Foot Soldier Not CavaIryman-
Also. the -dashing Dragon" of care
less belief must be put away with the
other rubbish that has distorted history
and novelized the truth Sheridan was
an infantryman, a foot soldier, transfer
red by Grant, who sought man OF ac-
ton TO lead his cavalry away from picket
duty and wagon trains into a collision
with the enemy.
With Sheridan, in all Of his moro than
forty engagements and his eleven big
battles. went Michael Vincent. his broth
er ten years his junior. and an aid-de-
camp attached 10 his personal stan. Now.
az the age of seventy-one, Michael, in
height, countenance, and manner, is
Philip Henry as he would have been in
the twilight OF life, awaiting the taps of
darkness and slumbeT. The mustache
and imperial are white instead of brown
The head, long from brow to crown, is
the same So are the eyes-deep gray
ordinarily. but blue as gun metal az
times.
Il can talk about my brother" Gen
Michael said, in the low. neutral voice of
Gen. Phil" but l beg to be excused
fIom talking about myself"
Thrice brevetted "for gallant and meri-
torious services" in pitched battles: the
bearer of orders through bullets and
shells at Bonneville. PerryviIle. Stone
River, Missionary Ridge Chickamauga,
and Lookout Mountain: present and ac-
tive during the spectacular and decisive
campaign in the Shenandoah Valley as
well as IN the pursuit OF Lee To Apo
mattoX Court House: chief of STAFF to
Gen. Brook during the Spanish war, and
forty years soldier, from first to last,
beginning as second lieutenant OF Mis-
souri, volunteers, finally to be retired as
br1gadter general in the army OF the
United States. Michael v Sheridan links
The past TO the present with dramatic
interest and in himself is well worthy
OF a formal biography or slashing book
OF memoirs. But for the rightly of his
shoulders and his tight-buttoned coat, ne
might be taken for a business man living
on his dividends and interest
story of the Ride.
Eliminating the exaggerations of poe
try" I said, what is the story Of the
Winchester ride?"
The Shenandoah Valley. as an easy
route TO the North for the Confederate
army. was constant menace 10 Wash
ingtOn and the State of PENNSYLVANIA.
Gen. Sheridan arrived in this city on the
morning of October II, 1864, with his chief
of stan and three aids. including myself.
70 suggest that a line OF defense be built
across the valley TO keep the COnfeder-
ates back.
AT the end of his conference with
Secretary Stanton and Gen. Haleck, ex-
actly at noon, / remember, We left
Washington on a special train for Mar
tinsburg, Va, which We reached at dark,
and We're met by an escort of 800 men,
We spent the night at Martinsburg,
twenty-eight miles from Winchester.
Commissioners had come from Ohio to
take the vote of the soldiers in the field
Tor State officers. I was left behind next
morning that night accompany them to
the army in camp at Cedar Creek Gen.
Sheridan left Martinsburg after an early
breakfast but did not get TO Winchester
until late in the afternoon. He was de-
layed by two engineer officers from
Washington, one of whom was very
heavy man, and neither OF whom was &C
customsd to riding on horseback
The night of the 18th, therefore. was
spent at Winchester, fifteen miles from
Cedar Creek. and not twenty miles rs
stated by Thomas Buchanan Read in his
celebrated poem. Gen. Sheridan rode his
horse Rienzi, big, black gelding with
three white feet thai had been given him
b. Capt Archibald p. Campbell, of the
Second Michigan Cavalry. Rienzi could
walk five miles an hour. He bore Sheri-
dan on his back through the war, al
though wounded several times, and lived
IN honorable retirement until his death in
1873
Starting for the Front.
Word had come TO my brother that all
was quiet at Cedar Creek. So he went to
bed at 10 o'clock. About daylight the fol-
lowing morning an officer told him that
artillery fire could be heard to the south
1t had been planned that Gen. Curier
Johnson was &c, feel the enemy that day,
and Sheridan supposed the noise of the
cannons could thus be explained. How
ever, he ordered his breakfast and his
horse and left for Cedar Creek between 8 !
and . o'clock
AT the edge of town he heard continu-
Gus artillery firing and then knew that
battle was in progress. He soon came
upon his army IN fiight-wounded men
who could travel, thousands of frenzied
soldiers walking or running as fast as
they could and baggage wagons on the |
Sallop. The road was so chOked that |
Sheridan at times went through the fields |
He was soon recognized. of course. Word /
was passed along that he had returned /
The men stopped Looked and then fell in 1
behind, cheering their general, and carry !
ing their muskets on their shoulders in |
stead of in their hands. They were SOL |
diers again. you understand. and ready to /
fight"
Sheridan" ! remarked. had already /
shouted 20 his men. Face the other way, |
boys; re are going back
Histories and standard books of refer
ence put the words you have quoted into
Cen Sheridan'g mouth hun In H. e