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Personal Memoirs of P。H。Sheridan V1 of 2


by Philip Henry Sheridan









PREFACE



When; yielding to the solicitations of my friends; I finally decided

to write these Memoirs; the greatest difficulty which confronted me

was that of recounting my share in the many notable events of the

last three decades; in which I played a part; without entering too

fully into the history of these years; and at the same time without

giving to my own acts an unmerited prominence。  To what extent I have

overcome this difficulty I must leave the reader to judge。



In offering this record; penned by my own hand; of the events of my

life; and of my participation in our great struggle for national

existence; human liberty; and political equality; I make no

pretension to literary merit; the importance of the subject…matter of

my narrative is my only claim on the reader's attention。



Respectfully dedicating this work to my comrades in arms during the

War of the Rebellion; I leave it as a heritage to my children; and as

a source of information for the future historian。



P。 H。 SHERIDAN。



Nonguitt; Mass。; August 2; 1888









PERSONAL MEMOIRS



P。 H。 SHERIDAN。













VOLUME I。



CHAPTER I。



ANCESTRYBIRTHEARLY EDUCATIONA CLERK IN A GROCERY STORE

APPOINTMENTMONROE SHOESJOURNEY TO WEST POINTHAZINGA FISTICUFF

BATTLESUSPENDEDRETURNS TO CLERKSHIPGRADUATION。



My parents; John and Mary Sheridan; came to America in 1830; having

been induced by the representations of my father's uncle; Thomas

Gainor; then living in Albany; N。 Y。; to try their fortunes in the

New World: They were born and reared in the County Cavan; Ireland;

where from early manhood my father had tilled a leasehold on the

estate of Cherrymoult; and the sale of this leasehold provided him

with means to seek a new home across the sea。  My parents were

blood relationscousins in the second degreemy mother; whose

maiden name was Minor; having descended from a collateral branch of

my father's family。  Before leaving Ireland they had two children;

and on the 6th of March; 1831; the year after their arrival in this

country; I was born; in Albany; N。 Y。; the third child in a family

which eventually increased to sixfour boys and two girls。



The prospects for gaining a livelihood in Albany did not meet the

expectations which my parents had been led to entertain; so in 1832

they removed to the West; to establish themselves in the village of

Somerset; in Perry County; Ohio; which section; in the earliest days

of the State; had been colonized from Pennsylvania and Maryland。  At

this period the great public works of the Northwestthe canals and

macadamized roads; a result of clamor for internal improvementswere

in course of construction; and my father turned his attention to

them; believing that they offered opportunities for a successful

occupation。  Encouraged by a civil engineer named Bassett; who had

taken a fancy to him; he put in bids for a small contract on the

Cumberland Road; known as the 〃National Road;〃 which was then being

extended west from the Ohio River。  A little success in this first

enterprise led him to take up contracting as a business; which he

followed on various canals and macadamized roads then building in

different parts of the State of Ohio; with some good fortune for

awhile; but in 1853 what little means he had saved were swallowed up

in bankruptcy; caused by the failure of the Sciota and Hocking

Valley Railroad Company; for which he was fulfilling a contract at

the time; and this disaster left him finally only a small farm; just

outside the village of Somerset; where he dwelt until his death in

1875。



My father's occupation kept him away from home much of the time

during my boyhood; and as a consequence I grew up under the sole

guidance and training of my mother; whose excellent common sense and

clear discernment in every way fitted her for such maternal duties。

When old enough I was sent to the village school; which was taught by

an old…time Irish 〃master〃one of those itinerant dominies of the

early frontierwho; holding that to spare the rod was to spoil the

child; if unable to detect the real culprit when any offense had been

committed; would consistently apply the switch to the whole school

without discrimination。  It must be conceded that by this means he

never failed to catch the guilty mischief…maker。  The school…year was

divided into terms of three months; the teacher being paid in each

term a certain sumthree dollars; I think; for each pupil…and having

an additional perquisite in the privilege of boarding around at his

option in the different families to which his scholars belonged。

This feature was more than acceptable to the parents at times; for

how else could they so thoroughly learn all the neighborhood gossip?

But the pupils were in almost unanimous opposition; because Mr。

McNanly's unheralded advent at any one's house resulted frequently in

the discovery that some favorite child had been playing 〃hookey;〃

which means (I will say to the uninitiated; if any such there be)

absenting one's self from school without permission; to go on a

fishing or a swimming frolic。  Such at least was my experience more

than once; for Mr。 McNanly particularly favored my mother's house;

because of a former acquaintanceship in Ireland; and many a time a

comparison of notes proved that I had been in the woods with two

playfellows; named Binckly and Greiner; when the master thought I was

home; ill; and my mother; that I was at school; deeply immersed in

study。  However; with these and other delinquencies not uncommon

among boys; I learned at McNanly's school; and a little later; under

a pedagogue named Thorn; a smattering of geography and history; and

explored the mysteries of Pike's Arithmetic and Bullions' English

Grammar; about as far as I could be carried up to the age of

fourteen。  This was all the education then bestowed upon me; and

thiswith the exception of progressing in some of these branches by

voluntary study; and by practical application in others; supplemented

by a few months of preparation after receiving my appointment as a

cadetwas the extent of my learning on entering the Military

Academy。



When about fourteen years old I began to do something for myself; Mr。

John Talbot; who kept a country store in the village; employing me to

deal out sugar; coffee; and calico to his customers at the munificent

salary of twenty…four dollars a year。  After I had gained a twelve…

months' experience with Mr。 Talbot my services began to be sought by;

others; and a Mr。 David Whitehead secured them by the offer of sixty

dollars a yearTalbot refusing to increase my pay; but not objecting

to my advancement。  A few months later; before my year was up;

another chance to increase my salary came about; Mr。 Henry Dittoe;

the enterprising man of the village; offering me one hundred and

twenty dollars a year to take a position in the dry…goods store of

Fink & Dittoe。  I laid the matter before Mr。 Whitehead; and he

frankly advised me to accept; though he cautioned me that I might

regret it; adding that he was afraid Henry (referring to Mr。 Dittoe)

〃had too many irons in the fire。〃 His warning in regard to the

enterprising merchant proved a prophecy; for 〃 too many irons in the

fire〃 brought about Mr。 Dittoe's bankruptcy; although this misfortune

did not befall him till long after I had left his service。  I am glad

to say; however; that his failure was an exceptionally honest one;

and due more to the fact that he was in advance of his surroundings

than to any other cause。



I remained with Fink & Dittoe until I entered the Military Academy;

principally in charge of the book…keeping; which was no small work

for one of my years; considering that in those days the entire

business of country stores in the West was conducted on the credit

system; the customers; being mostl

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