Philip Henry Sheridan

Philip Henry Sheridan
Sheridan during the 1860s
Nickname(s)	"Little Phil" "Fightin' Phil"
Born	(1831-03-06)March 6, 1831 Albany, New York
Died	August 5, 1888(1888-08-05) (aged 57) Nonquitt, Massachusetts
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1853–1888
Rank	General of the Army
Commands held	Cavalry Corps Army of the Shenandoah Middle Military Division Department of the Missouri
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Perryville Battle of Stones River Battle of Chickamauga Chattanooga Campaign Overland Campaign Battle of Yellow Tavern Battle of Trevilian Station Valley Campaigns of 1864 Third Battle of Winchester Battle of Cedar Creek Appomattox Campaign Indian Wars
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American Civil War

Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with General-in-chief Ulysses S. Grant, who transferred Sheridan from command of an infantry division in the Western Theater to lead the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac in the East. In 1864, he defeated Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley and his destruction of the economic infrastructure of the Valley, called "The Burning" by residents, was one of the first uses of scorched earth tactics in the war. In 1865, his cavalry pursued Gen. Robert E. Lee and was instrumental in forcing his surrender at Appomattox.

Sheridan fought in later years in the Indian Wars of the Great Plains. Both as a soldier and private citizen, he was instrumental in the development and protection of Yellowstone National Park. In 1883, Sheridan was appointed general-in-chief of the U.S. Army, and in 1888 he was promoted to the rank of General of the Army during the term of President Grover Cleveland.