Philip Henry Sheridan

Born on March 6, 1831, Philip Henry Sheridan grew up in Ohio and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point before beginning his army career on the frontier. During the Civil War, he rose with unusual speed, earning a reputation for hard-driving leadership in both the western fighting and the eastern campaigns.

Sheridan became especially famous for his cavalry command under Ulysses S. Grant, for his campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley, and for his role in the final Appomattox campaign that helped bring the war to a close. His name remained closely tied to Union victory, and he became one of the best-known American generals of the era.

In the years after the war, Sheridan stayed in the regular army and took on major responsibilities in the postwar West. He eventually became the commanding general of the U.S. Army, remaining an influential military figure until his death on August 5, 1888.