Today marks the anniversary of Sheridan’s Ride. On 19 October 1864, Confederate forces under Jubal Early attacked Union forces under Horatio Wright. The Union forces fell back in disarray. Sheridan’s absence was quickly made apparent in the chaos that ensued. He was returning from a trip to Washington, D.C. when he determined that something was wrong the closer he got to Cedar Creek. He rushed from his position to the battlefield, rallying the disorganized soldiers and launching a determined counterattack. Union forces drove the Confederates off the field, scoring another significant strategic and political victory for Union forces. Before Sheridan’s return, Sheridan ordered Wright to reconnoiter his position each day, but they failed to do so the day they were attacked. There is also some evidence to indicate that Union forces began to rally by the time of Sheridan’s arrival, but Wright was still glad to have him on the field. This victory only aided in Lincoln’s reelection in early November that year. Grant initially wanted some Union forces to return to Petersburg, but Sheridan was wise enough to push back against an order. Therefore, the laurels of this victory rest in the army of the Shenandoah.
Liberty remains undefeated in football along with the Kansas City Chiefs. I can only hope it stays that way. Unfortunately, the Kansas City Royals lost to the Yankees, but at least they made the playoffs this season. As for the rest of college football, I will assume that ranked teams will continually get knocked off, and there is no definitive answer to who will make the college football playoffs. I am excited to attend another K-State game this season as they remain a possible victor of the Big Twelve Conference. It will not be to see them play KU because their season has taken a turn for the worst as they are losing by single digits. This past season, they were a threat to be reckoned with, but times have changed.
More significantly, the Jayhawkers of the Civil War caused more significant problems for the Union, as John Schofield experienced during his time in the trans-Mississippi Theater. John Schofield created the Army of the Frontier in October of 1862 but was under the command of Samuel Curtis. He had control over the Department of Missouri and was a politically appointed general. Halleck and Schofield took issue with this fact but knew they could do little about it. Halleck wrote to Schofield, “The waste of money and demoralization of the Army by having incompetent and corrupt politicians in nearly all military offices, high and low, are working out terrible results.” Samuel Curtis was hardly an incompetent general winning the Battle of Pea Ridge and being outnumbered, but Halleck was addressing the ongoing problem of bringing more politicians into the military ranks. It was an essential lesson for Schofield. Donald Connelly eloquently said, “The more successful the general, the less political interference he would suffer. Of course, the more political toes even a successful general stepped on, the more vulnerable he would be if and when he suffered a small setback.”
Until now, Curtis was known as a deserving general for their role at Pea Ridge, while Schofield was only known for his role at Wilson’s Creek, which turned into a Union retreat. Therefore, Curtis was rewarded for his efforts. He was also close with the radicals; many of his soldiers belonged to Kansas regiments and were former Jayhawkers during Bleeding Kansas. James Blunt, A former Jayhawker, was another political general who fought during Bleeding Kansas. At the outbreak of the war, he was also connected to irregular forces until he was
appointed as commander of the First Division in the Army of the Frontier. Schofield managed to win a few skirmishes, and Blunt's division won the Battle of Old Fort Wayne, but Schofield retreated from northwest Arkansas, being unable to adequately supply his men. Not long after, Schofield fell ill, giving command to James Blunt. In that period, James Blunt's aggressive attitude brought on the Battle of Prairie Grove, where Blunt and Francis Herron won an incredible victory over Thomas Hindman's force despite being outnumbered.
Schofield fell as Blunt's star rose due to his absence, which was mainly outside his control. Halleck certainly did not view the Battle of Prairie Grove as a significant strategic victory; instead, it had the opposite effect. The Battle of Prairie Grove was a reaction to a Confederate advance. Curtis prioritized protecting the Missouri border over Halleck's order to take Little Rock, Arkansas. Nevertheless, the Army of the Frontier proved an effective fighting force, and James Blunt proved a capable military officer.
Schofield continued reorganizing the Department of Missouri and Kansas to relieve the tension between the radical Jayhawkers of Kansas and the conservatives of Missouri. Conservatives, like Schofield, were not necessarily against slavery and held racist views. Over time, Schofield and many other conservatives came to believe in advancing African Americans, but he thought it should be done carefully without disrupting the political institutions of Missouri and Kansas. Schofield was concerned that men like James Lane would only enrage conservatives in Missouri and have them running into the arms of the Confederate army. One of John Schofield's more significant political decisions was the appointment of Thomas Ewing Jr. of the District of the Border. His moderate views brought about support from both Jayhawkers and conservatives alike. This decision replaced James Blunt but enabled him to act in a battlefield capacity, where he greatly excelled.
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