Newspapers / The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, … / March 24, 1938, edition 1 / Page 7
Part of The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
_ ? 1 ? ? "Little Phil's" Meteoric Career Recalled by Death of His Widow The Son of Poor Irish Immigrants, Sheridan Became the North's Greatest Cavalry Leader During the Civil War and Later Rose to the Highest Position in the American Army. He Owes Much of His Fame to a Poem That Is Filled with Historical lnaccuraci?*. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON THE death of Mrs. Philip Henry Sheridan in Wash ington recently not only marked the passing of the last surviving widow of a major figure in the Civil war but it also served to recall to Americans once more the meteoric career of the man whose name she bore. For the story of Phil Sheridan is a typical American "success story" in keeping with the tradition that no matter how humble a boy's origin nor how poverty-stricken his youth may be, he has the chance to become wealthy or famous or both. ' In the case of Sheridan it was fame rather than wealth which he gained during the 57 years of his life. The fighting qualities which this fiery lit tle Irishman displayed in the days when the trooper was the most picturesque and ro mantic figure in our military forces won for him two popu lar nicknames ? "Little Phil" and "Fighting Phil." His genius for leadership and his unvarying success in battle as a cavalry commander also won for him the sobriquet of the "American Murat." The implied compliment in that title, however, does less than jus GEN. PHIL SHERIDAN tice to Sheridan. Napoleon's great cavalry leader suffered de feat at the battles of Leipzig and Tolentino, shared in his chief's disaster at Waterloo, finally was taken prisoner by his enemies and his career ended before a firing squad. In contrast to this is Sheridan's record ? he suffered several temporary reverses but he never, finally, lost a battle. During the Civil war, accord ing to Joseph Hergesheimer, Sheridan's biographer, "the South soon developed a number of great cavalry leaders; the North eventually had but one ? Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan." More than that other competent military historians rank him among the outstanding cavalry leaders of all time. Considering these facts it seems rather ironi ? Western Newspaper Union. Gen. Phil Sheridan and His Staff ? Left to right: Gen. Henry E. Davies, Gen. David M. Gregg, General Sheridan, Gen. Wesley Merritt, Gen. James Wilson and Gen. Robert S. Foster. his employer testified to the fact that he was a faithful worker, he also commented upon the fact that what time the boy wasn't working he was "talkin' soldier or playin' soldier." A Scrappy Cadet. At the age of seventeen Sheri dan had the good fortune to se cure an appointment to West Point. His limited education made the work there unusually difficult for him, but he made a fairly good record at the acade my. However, he ljved up to his "scrappy" reputation by having a fight with a fellow cadet which resulted in his suspension for a year, so, instead of being gradu ated in the class of 1852, as he should havg been, he was not graduated until 1853 and then he stood No. 34 in a class of 52. Following his graduation and appointment as a second lieuten ant in the infantry, Sheridan spent the next eight years in comparative obscurity. He was detailed to the frontier and saw service against the Indians in Oregon and Washington. This not only afforded him good training with the dragoons for his future career as a cavalryman but also gave him an insight into the In dian character which was to be particularly valuable during the Plains wars after the conflict of 1861-65. The outbreak of the Civil war, however, gave Sheridan h i s chance to display his real genius as a cavalry leader. Detailed first on the staff of General Hal leck at St. Louis, he soon at tracted attention by his capacity for detail, his energy and his un failing devotion to duty, and these qualities resulted in his ap pointment as colonel of the Sec ond Michigan cavalry. Only a few weeks later he was elevated to the grade of brigadier general of the United States Volunteers. That was in 1862, and by the end of the year he had been placed in command of a division and given his commission of ma jor general. And all of this had Rienzl, the Black Charger on Which Sheridan Made His Famous Bide. cal that his fame among his fel low-Americans has been chiefly perpetuated by a poem and one that is filled with historical in accuracies! ? ? ? Born March 6, 1831, the son of John and Margaret Sheridan, poor Irish immigrants to Amer ica, Sheridan spent his boyhood and youth near Somerset in Per ry county, Ohio, where he worked for a country storekeeper for the cum of 50 cents a week. Although happened when he was but thir ty-two years of age. Sheridan's record during the first three years of the war was brilliant enough, with his part in the battles at Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga and Chatta nooga, but he rose to the heights in 1864 when he was made chief of the cavalry corps of the Army of the Potomac and started upon his famous campaign in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia. There his problem was to check mate another brilliant cavalry leader, Gen. Jubal A. Early of the Confederate army, and to devastate this rich country so that it could no longer feed the Confederate army. It was during this campaign that the incident occurred which inspired Read's famous poem and gave rise to one of those pop ular legends so dear to the heart of Americans ? and usually so filled with inaccuracies as to his torical fact! . That legend tells how Sheridan at Winchester, hearing heavy firing in the direc tion of Cedar Creek, where his army was stationed, suspected something was wrong, sprang to the back of his coal black charg er, Rienzi, and made a mad dash of 20 miles to find his army be ing routed by Early's surprise attack. Then, according to the school book histories, "Swinging his hat, he dashed along the line of bat tle, shouting, 'Never mind, boys, we'll whip them yet.' The 'boys' responded by throwing up their caps and hurrahing with the wild est joy. Before night set in they drove Early out of the Valley." Another version of the legend has him shouting, "Turn, boys, turn! We're going back!" How ever, a reference to Sheridan's "Personal Memoirs" and other standard authorities will demon strate that these legends need correction in several respects. In the first place, Sheridan wasn't "twenty miles away" as the poet has it. It was only 13 or 14 miles from Winchester to Ce dar Creek and Sheridan had his first view of his disorganized army at Mill creek, less than a mile from Winchester. From there to the actual "front" ? if there was such a thing on that day ? it wasn't much more than nine or ten miles. His ride was not made alone nor was it covered at top speed. He was accompanied by two of his aides-de-camp ? Maj. George A. Forsythe (later famous as an Indian fighter in the West) and Capt. Joseph O'Keefe. At places along the route he was forced to leave the road and make detours through the fields and he stopped frequently to give orders to of ficers about rallying their men. His Greatest Service. Although Sheridan is known to more Americans because of this - incident than any other in his career, his victory at Cedar Creek was among the less not able of the many which he won during the war. Much more im portant were his harassing dashes against the Confederate forces in northern Virginia dur ing the last days of the war, when he finally wore out the Con federate cavalry, inferior in num bers, mounts and equipment, and bfoke the morale of the Confed erate infantry. By doing that he contributed greatly to the forces which led to the surrender of General Lee at Appamattox. After the Civil war Sheridan's career was distinguished by his service on the Mexican border in the days when the Maximilian incident was a threat to our peaceful relations with European countries, and by his work dur ing the Indian wars on the plains when he was in command of the operations which finally brought about the subjugation of the war like tribes. He was guest ob server on the staff of King Wil. liam during the Franco-Prussian war and became commander in chief of the United States army after the retirement of Sherman. Sheridan died in 1888 at the age of fifty-seven years with the rank of full general, a grade which had been restored by congress that year in his favor. Just as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow helped immortalize Paul Revere by writing a poem about his famous ride, so did Thomas Buchanan Read, who was a painter as well as a poet, per form a similar service for Gen. Phil Sheridan. No doubt you have seen reproductions of his painting of "Sheridan's Ride." It shows "}jittle Phil" impeccably dressed in his general's uniform, with his black hat set firmly on his head as he waves his sword in his right hand while his charger Rienzi seems to be suspended in mid-air with all four feet off the ground. According to the testimony of men who saw him that day, the reality was quite different. In stead of being a fashion-plate pic ture of an officer, Sheridan and his mount were dust-covered and grimy and most of the time he was carrying his hat in his hand because he always had difficulty in keeping a hat on his "round, bullet head"! Testimony as to the time re quired for the ride varies. Sheri dan says that he arrived at the battlefront within two or three hours after leaving Winchester, but Torbert, hjs chief of staff, de clares that it was nearer five hours later. As for the words which Sheri dan used to rally his men, Gen. Hazard Stevens, who was on the field when his commander ar rived, says "Sheridan rode down the line of battle, and in a voice surcharged with passion and conviction, cried out, 'Men, j by God, we'll whip them yet! We'll sleep in our old camp to night!' There was a universal answering cheer; a mighty change of feeling took place ; hope and confidence returned. The troops no longer merely believed that the worst was over, that they Sheridan Statue in Washington could hold their ground until night and make good an orderly retreat upon Winchester ? they all burned to attack the enemy, Jp drive him back. And every man knew that Sheridan could do it." Private F. A. Brown says that when Sheridan demanded of Gen eral Wright, "What's our posi tion?" Wright replied: "I have the army in a safe position to re treat." "Retreat, hell!" snapped Sheridan, "We will not retreat! Come on, boys, we will occupy our camp tonight." Swear Words Deleted. In his "Memoirs" Sheridan does not mention using any strong language to rally his men. He makes it rather commonplace and conversational. He writes: "I said nothing except to remark as I rode among those on the road : 'If I had been with you this morning this disaster would not have happened. We must face the other way; we will go back and recover our camp." Sheridan's black charger on his famous ride was known as Rienzi because the horse was presented to him at Rienzi, Miss., in the summer of 1862 by Capt. Archibald P. Campbell. After the battle of Cedar Creek, the horse was given another name ? Win chester, in honor of Sheridan's historic ride from that town. Win chester survived his master by a few years and after his death he ghcridan'i Grave in Arlington was stuffed by a taxidermist and became an exhibit in the muse um of the Military Service insti tute on Governor's island, N. V. _ In 1922 Rep. Ambrose Kennedy of Rhode Island discovered the fa mous relic tucked away in a shed on Governor's island and started a movement which resulted in the transfer of the animal to the National museum in Washington where it is now on exhibition. STAR DUST jMovie ? Radio By VIRGINIA VALE JUDY GARLAND, Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer's wonder girl, will be starred in "The Wizard of Oz" and that is just the first of many fairy-tale pictures that you may expect to see in the next year. . Ever since "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" started its record breaking runs, motion-picture pro ducers have been wondering if a fairy tale with human actors wouldn't be a good bet. All the companies are looking for fairy tales. ? * ? Considering what has happened to other operatic songbirds in pictures, sudden stardom and then a com plete loss of interest by the studios, Helen Jepson is very happy that she plays a fairly small part in "The Goldwyn Follies." She thinks that her career in pictures will prob ably last a long time if she doesn't Helen Jepson want to be the whole show. She would like a chance to see some of the scenes that were cut out oi "The Follies" though. There was one where she really looked like herself, no wig, no special make up, and her favorite dress. There was another where Bobby Clark dropped her kerplunk on the floor. * ? "Arsene Lupin Returns" is a de lightful and gripping jewel-thief mystery, played with great skill by Melvyn Douglas, Warren William, and Virginia Bruce. William's part, though not as large as the others, is a memorable one, for he plays a G-man who so relishes seeing his picture in the papers that he isn't worth much to his department, which cherishes a notion that se cret service should have something secret about it. * After all these weeks of triumph, Fanny Brice Just got around to ex plaining where she got the idea of Baby Snooks. It seems that when Fanny was a little girl she longed to play Topsy in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and no one would give her a chance. Baby Snooks is her idea of a white Topsy. ? * ? When Robert Taylor isn't actually before the microphone during the "Good News" program, he is sitting just off-stage talking to Barbara Stanwick. Since she has become a Robert Barbara Taylor Stanwyck regular visitor to the broadcasts, two chairs are placed in this spot every week. * ? ODDS AND F.NDS ? Unlike most acton. Bob Burns doetn'l spend hu spare time going to pictures to see whet his competitors are doing. He saw only three pictures last year, alt sad ones , and he hasn't seen any yet this year . . . , Andrea I -*edt and Janet Gay nor look so much alike in real life that they love to stand in front of a mirror together and make faces, seeing if the resemblance still holds true through laughter, tears, and grimaces. It does ... With Mar garette Shanna at the piano, and other cast members playing drums, xylophone, and trombone, the "Arnold Grimm's Daughter * company holds a daily string concert to relax between rehearsal and broadcast. C Western Newspaper Union. The La Semaine Ring A la semaine ring is a ring set with seven stones, the name oL each commencing with the same letter as the day of the week. These rings were in vogue in France in the Nineteenth century. The Thunderer On the border between Argentina and Chile rises El Tronador (the Thunderer) named (or the booming sounds that roll over the country side as its mighty glaciers shift and crash. New Slenderizing Dresses IF YOU'RE in the size-34-and-up 1 class, here are three brand new fashions designed especially' for you! Everyone of them is ex tremely smart and everyone is designed to give added charm and dignity to full figures. They are easy to make. The patterns are carefully planned to help begin ners, and each is accompanied by a detailed sew chart. So start in tomorrow, and have at least two of them ready for Easter. Princess House Dress. It's a sure way to start the day right, having a dress as be coming and pretty as this one to put on first thing in the morning. It takes a woman with some plumpness to do justice to that fitted, long line. Made up in print ed percale, gingham or cham bray, with rows of ricrac braid, this dress will be so successful that you'll use the pattern time and again. Graceful Afternoon Frock. An especially charming style for luncheons, bridge parties and club meetings. The full sleeves make your arms look small, and are very graceful in themselves. Gathers at the shoulders create necessary bust fullness. Make this dress for now in silk print or chif fon. Later on, in voile or summer sheer it will be your coolest dress. Dress With Lengthening Panels. The plain neckline, the slim waist, snugged in by gathers, the long panel, front and back, are all beautifully slimming in effect. All in all, this dress is so smart that it's certain to be one of your fa n TIPS to Crardeners Plant With Care C"XERCISE care in planting and also in preparing to pl;,nt. Though soil may be rich, it will not produce as it should unless it is prepared thoroughly. A primary consideration in planting is to have the soil favor ably moist; damp, but not wet. If circumstances demand that you plant when the ground is dry, moisten trenches or drills before dropping the seed. To retain moisture after plant ing, cover seeds immediately with fine earth and press down firmly. Harold Coulter, vegetable ex pert of the Ferry Seed Institute, advises that temperature be con sidered at the time of planting. Too high a temperature is often as detrimental to seed germina tion as one too low. A tempera ture between 65 and 75 degrees ia most favorable. Soil must be loose so seedling sprouts can push through, and roots develop. Where the soil forms a heavy crust, it may some times be broken sufficiently to let seedlings through by gently prick ing the soil with a rake. vorites. This design adapts itself to so many materials ? silk crepe, small-figured silk print and, later on, linen. The Patterns. 1485 is designed for sizes 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48 Size 38 re quires 4% yards of 39-inch mate rial, with 3H yards of braid for trimming. 1233 is designed for sizes 34, 36, 38, 40. 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52. Size 36 requires 5% yards of 39 inch material. 1482 is designed for sizes 33, 34, 36, 38. 40, 42, 44. Size 34 requires 4 yards of 39-inch material, with short sleeves. With long s!eev?s, 4*4 yards. Spring-Summer Pattern Boafc. Send 15 cents for the Barbara Bell Spring and Summer Pattern Book which is now ready. It con tains 109 attractive, practical and becoming designs. The Barbara Bell patterns are well planned, accurately cut and easy to follow. Each pattern includes a sew-chart which enables even a beginner to. cut and make her own clothes. Send your order to The Sewing Circle Pattern Dept., 247- W. Forty-third street, Ne?- York, N. Y. Price of patterns, 15 cents ] (in coins) each. ? Bell Syndicate ? WNU Serrice. Uncle Phil c^y Makes "Em Say: "How Trua" People do not like to b? preached to, but they like the frail ties that all men have in common to be pointed out. Yob can stand I man whs has lost all his entfaasiasm if bt doesn't become a {roach. Do doctors realize how they up set the whole family program when they put Father on a diet? So in Any Field If an actor doesn't think he b good, he can't do good acting. The faalt of all long and Im4 talks meant to be persnasive is that people weary of ballyhoo. Life is worth much less without , day dreams. We should feel pretty sordid and flat if we had to sue somebody for persuading anyone to stop loving us. No wonder some states have abolished "heart-balm" suits. ! L Bob White's \ SUPERIOR "V CHICKS jj^NEW LOW PRICES W on our money-making spring chicks. Blood-tested, leading breeds. All chicks uncon ditionally guaranteed. Bob White's Hatcheries 4001 Eastern Atfc CHEW LONG BILL NAVY TOBACCO "FIVE Minus TWO Lemves FOUR" WRONG? Wall, yaa ? and no. Th* arithmetic of your acbool da 71 laaght that "11 Mary had tira dollar* and apant two ..." thra* dollars remained But that ia mathematics ? not ahopping! In managing a homa . . . guarding a limitad family inooma . . . we're simply got to do better than Mary did We moat sharpen our baying will . . aacartain whan tha dollar* of extra yalue lark . . . take ftr* dollara to town and gat much mora for th* money spent Fortunately, thara ara arar-willing guidaa right at hud ? the adnrtim mentM in thii newspaper. Advertised marchandiaa ia often exceptional vain* merchandiae. It makaa dollara S-T-R-E-T-C-H.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 24, 1938, edition 1
7
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75