The Washington herald., 1914-04-05
cwrittsn expressly for Tn. Herald,

Fifty years ago today Gen. Philip H.
Sheridan. an infantry ofDce-. fiye fee.
five inches tall and weighing lie pounds
arrived at the headquarters OF the Arm:
OF the Potomac in Virginia to take COM
mand of the army's cavalry corps Of
L, 900 men.
Sheridan was stranger to the Army
of the Potomac. When he alighted from
the train at Brandy Station toward even
ing and asked his way to headquarters,
he saw not single face among the on
GERS whom he met that was familiar.
He was told that he should report to
Gen. George G. Meade. He did So and
after some conversation was directed to
cavalry headquarters, several miles dis
tant. There he arrived in the evening,
too late to issue an order assuming the
command. This he did the next day.
Sheridan's promotion from command Of
an infantry division in the Army of the
Cumberland to that of the cavalry Of the
Army OF the Potomac had been due to
Grant, although the suggestion that he
be called to command had come from
Gen. Henry w. Halleck. whom Grant
had succeeded in command OF the Fed
eral armies, and who became Chief of
Stan at Washington.
AT COnitTenCc DclWeen I1inCOlns Gfdnt
and Halleck. on the choice of a new
cavalry leader. HaIleck had said, How
would Sheridan dor To (which Grant
had replied. He Is the very man 1
want" The President told Grant that
he could have anybody he wanted.
telegram had been sent forthwith to
Sheridan. who lost no time in coming
to Washington.
On arriving at Washington. where he
was a stranger, Sheridan had gone to
the War Department. where Secretary of
War Stanton received him and gave him
close and searching scrutiny, which
Sheridan found a little disconcerting
From the War Department Sheridan had
gone to call on Gen. Halleck, and by him
had been taken to the White House.
Lincoln Meets n Little Fellow,
When Lincoln had first met Grant. at
a White House reception. on March s,
the people present noted how he lowered
above the general. who was feet inches
tall. while Lincoln was feet l.
The contrast when Lincoln met Sheri-
dan was enough greater to be startling
Sheridan was thin almost to emacia-
tion," as he states in his Memoirs. He
was but thirty-three years old, and.
though he wore a beard, did no look
day older han he was His voice was
as to seem shy. Nohing about him
suggested the fury with which he could
ride the battle lines in an engagement.
Lincoln talked with him about the
cavalry, saying that II had done all that
II might have done, and quoting the
satirfcal question: Whoever saw a dead
cavalryman?' This was attributed orig
inally to Gen. Joseph Hooker. 1t i'm
pressed Gen. Sheridan unfavorably, al
though by the twinkl Of LincoIn's eve he
decided that the President did not mean
to convey any doubt of the bravery of the
troopers that Sheridan was to command
When Gen. Grant called on the Presi-
dent a few days after the latter's inter.
view with Sheridan, Lincoln said with 2
smile: Your new cavalry generals a
little fellow" To this Grant replied: 81
think you will find him big enough for
the job
Served Ms Quartermaster.
Sheridan's selection for his new post
had resulted from acquaintance with
both Grant and Halleck. Grant knew
him chiefly by reputation. Gen. Halleck
had known him personally since early
in the war.
In December. 1861, Sheridan. who had
been serving with an infantry regiment
of the regular army among the Indians
on the Columbia River in Oregon arrived
in New York and proceeded to ST. Louis
to report for duty as a captain in the
Thirteenth Infantry, a regiment that ex-
listed only on paper. and to which Will
liam Tecumseh Sherman had been as-i
signed as colonel. Neither Sheridan nor
Sherman was destined to serve with the
regiment