Little Phil
Subtitle: a reassessment of the Civil War leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan
By: Eric J. Wittenberg ; foreword by Jeffry D. Wert.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Brassey's
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9781574883855
Subjects: Sheridan, Philip Henry, 1831-1888 -- Military leadership.; United States. Army -- Biography.; Command of troops -- Case studies.; Generals -- United States -- Biography.; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns.
Genres: Case studies.; Biography.
Description: "In Little Phil, historian Eric J. Wittenberg reassesses the war record of a man long considered one of the Union Army's greatest leaders.".

"Throughout his life, Phil Sheridan was by all accounts a lucky man. He was fortunate to receive merely a suspension, rather than an expulsion, when as a West Point cadet he attacked a superior officer with a bayonet. During the Civil War, he was ultimately rewarded for numerous acts of insubordination against his superiors, while he punished his own officers for similar offenses.

In his first effort as a cavalry commander with the Army of the Potomac in the spring of 1864, he gave a performance that has long been overrated. Later that year in the Shenandoah Valley, where Sheridan gained fame by making his legendary ride to Cedar Creek, he benefited greatly from the tactical ability of his subordinates and from a huge manpower advantage against the beleaguered Confederate troops of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early. Further, in his after-action combat reports and postwar writings, Sheridan often manipulated facts to depict himself in the best possible light.

Thus, he ensured himself an exalted place in his own version of history." "Wittenberg has written a thoroughly researched and cogently argued study that explodes the mythical image of Philip Sheridan and exposes the human frailties that bedevil the art and science of military leadership."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-241) and index.
Table of contents: title: Philip Henry Sheridan : a sketch of his life and career in the Civil War; title: Sheridan as cavalry corps commander : mediocrity reigns; title: Little Phil in the Shenandoah Valley : a victorious campaign bereft of decision; title: Sheridan's disobedience to orders; title: Little Phil's cavalier destruction of lives and careers; title: Sheridan's mendacity; title: Little Phil's finest moment : the pursuit of Robert E. Lee, spring, 1865; title: Conclusion : Philip Henry Sheridan reassessed.