In 1830, John and Mary Sheridan left their leased holdings in Ireland to purchase passage across the Atlantic Ocean, emigrating to America with their two children. Their third, Philip, was born in America a year later. Eventually, he would rise to command the Army of the United States in 1888 during President Grover Cleveland’s second term.
Before Phil Sheridan burned the Shenandoah Valley to turn back the Confederates during the Civil War and waged calloused campaigns against the Indigenous people of the Great Plains, he spent time posted at Fort Vancouver.
After working as a clerk in a dry goods store, Sheridan entered West Point in 1848. He was suspended in his third year when he threatened to bayonet another cadet, whom he felt had insulted him. After graduating 34th in a class of 52 in 1853, he found himself in Texas. A year later he was assigned to the 4th Infantry at Fort Reading, Calif., not far from present-day Redding. A year later, the 4th Infantry marched from Fort Reading to Fort Vancouver. The unit camped at the Switzler farm on the south side of the Columbia River because there wasn’t enough housing in Vancouver for them.
In October 1855, the Yakama War broke out, and the fort’s commander, Maj. Gabriel Rains, sent troops against the Yakama people, who held white settlers and drove back one expedition. Second Lt. Sheridan led 40 dragoons to free them, arresting 13 Natives. Col. Wright ordered 10 hanged. During the Rogue River War, Sheridan lived with an Indigenous woman from that area. Through his campaign participation, Sheridan learned to lead troops, face combat and negotiate with the enemy.
