14th Missouri Cavalry (Union)

From Family Search.

This was the last Union regiment James Bolin served in.

The regiment was organized  at St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri,  November 30, 11864, and May 13, 1865.  It was attached to the District of St. Louis to November 1865.  It had duty at St. Louis until June 1865.

It performed a scouting expedition from Waynesville to  Coal Camp Creek May 23-26.

It moved to Nebraska and had frontier duty on the Plains until November.  They mustered out November 17, 1865.

Lost during service:  2 killed and 34 to disease.

It's commander was Lt. Colonel Joseph J. Gravely.

--Old Secesh

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 5: Yellowstone and the Great Chicago Fire

8.  HIS INFLUENCE HELPED YELLOWSTONE BECOME A NATIONAL PARK

Sheridan ended up being a key proponent of the protection of what is today Yellowstone National Park in 1870.  At one point, he even directed a cavalry unit to take control of it to prevent development.

A mountain peak there was named in his honor.

9.  HE WAS (BRIEFLY) THE MILITARY RULER OF CHICAGO

The post from which Sheridan oversaw the forces in the Great Plains was Chicago (because it was a major railroad intersection) and he was there during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  he took a major role in fighting the fire, ordering his troops to  dynamite buildings in the path of the flames in order to block them.

And, he briefly was ruler of the city when martial law was imposed following the fire.

--Old Secesh

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 4: "The Only Good Indians I Ever Saw Were Dead"

**  6.   HE WASN'T A FAN OF TEXAS

After the war, Sheridan went to Texas and Louisiana to oversee Reconstruction there.    He's credited with being an opponent to corruption and  stirred things up when he dismissed the governor of Texas.  He ended up being removed by President Johnson who reportedly told U.S. Grant that Sheridan's term there had "been one of  absolute tyranny."

Sheridan, for his part, wasn't too impressed with Texas.  Reportedly he once said:  "If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent Texas and live in Hell."

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**  7.  HE OVERSAW BRUTAL CAMPAIGNS AGAINST NATIVE AMERICANS --  AND BISON

His postwar career also had him overseeing military campaign against the Indians of the West.  And, he employed the same "scorched earth" tactics he had used against the Confederates.  In addition, he gave little consideration to non-combatants who got in his way, meaning Indian women, children and the elderly received harsh treatment.

It was during this time, that Sheridan supposedly uttered the words:  "The only good Indians I ever saw were dead."

Another casualty of his Indian Wars were the bison.  Since they were such an important part of the Plains Indians life, he urged the widespread, over-hunting of the animals.  He brought in hunters to take out the herds, telling them:  "For a lasting peace,let them kill, skin and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated."

One Has to Wonder Why There Has Not Been a Movement to Take Down His Statues.  --Old Secesh

Find Out About General Sheridan's Role in Chicago's History and Postwar Career

The last several days I have been writing about General Philip Sheridan's postwar career in Chicago and as commander of the U.S. Army on the Great Plains in my RoadDog's RoadLog Blog.  According to the Chicago Tribune article, Sheridan is credited with saving the city three times, twice during and after the Great Chicago Fire.  He also saved it from the civil unrest of the 1880s and was key in the removal of Plains Indians to reservations.

Sheridan Road connecting Chicago and Wisconsin along Illinois' North Shore and Fort Sheridan in Highland Park were named for him.

--Old Secesh