The reason I titled this posting "Convenient Criticism" is because I just stumbled across a couple of short bios of both of these men on a site at PBS named, "New Perspectives on the West" where these men are being written about for the tactics used against the Native-Americans on the Plains in the 1870's and 80's. Of course, the Native-Americans (as many of you know I'm a "card carrying" tribal member) are far more sympathetic creatures in our current society than they once were. To see how the view of these men is so much more "convenient" based on the subject matter, go to these two (2) links and read how they are described. Compare this to how they are usually described when it comes to the "March to the Sea" and in the Shenandoah Valley.
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/sherman.htm
Most famous for his scorched-earth tactics in the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman brought that same military philosophy to the West, where he shaped a policy and strategy that would finally subjugate all the native peoples of the plains.
The Civil War brought him back to active service in 1861, and brought him lasting fame (or infamy) for his "march to the sea," on which he cut a swathe through the heart of the Confederacy, burning Atlanta and laying waste to vast stretches of farmland.
He once declared that all Indians not on reservations "are hostile and will remain so until killed off."
He perceived clearly the devastating effectiveness of striking at the economic basis of the Plains Indians' lives, once commenting to General Philip Sheridan that "it would be wise to invite all the sportsmen of England and America... for a Grand Buffalo Hunt, and make one grand sweep of them all."
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/sheridan.htm
A ruthless warrior, General Philip Sheridan played a decisive role in the army's long campaign against the native peoples of the plains, forcing them onto reservations with the tactics of total war.
He attended West Point and, after a year's suspension for assaulting a fellow cadet with a bayonet, graduated near the bottom of his class in 1853.
After the war, Sheridan was first given command over Texas and Louisiana, where his support for Mexican Republicans helped speed the collapse of Maximillian's regime and where his harsh treatment of former Confederates led to charges of "absolute tyranny." Within six months he was transferred to the Department of the Missouri, where he immediately shaped a battle plan to crush Indian resistance on the southern plains.
Following the tactics he had employed in Virginia, Sheridan sought to strike directly at the material basis of the Plains Indian nations. He believed -- correctly, it turned out -- that attacking the Indians' in their encampments during the winter would give him the element of surprise and take advantage of the scarce forage available for Indian mounts. He was unconcerned about the likelihood of high casualties among noncombatants, once remarking that "If a village is attacked and women and children killed, the responsibility is not with the soldiers but with the people whose crimes necessitated the attack."
The key engagement in this successful campaign was George Armstrong Custer's surprise attack on Black Kettle's encampment along the Washita River, an attack that came at dawn after a forced march through a snowstorm. Many historians now regard this victory as a massacre, since Black Kettle was a peaceful chief whose encampment was on reservation soil, but for Sheridan the attack served its purpose, helping to persuade other bands to give up their traditional way of life and move onto the reservations.
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I must say, I was rather surprised by the tone of these biographies, especially on the PBS site. On the pages devoted to the Civil War on the PBS site, there is no such critical description of these men. Hmmmmm.
Jim