Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan

New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1888 Two volumes. Illustrated with numerous portrait plates (including frontispiece portraits at beginning of both volumes) and maps. First editions, first printings. Publisher's dark green cloth, with rider on horseback stamped in gilt to front boards, lettered in gilt, band of military stars in gilt to spines, and floral endpapers; near fine set, with light toning to spines, light rubbing to spine ends and corners, a hint of rubbing to boards, very bright gilt, previous owner's bookplates to front pastedowns, light offsetting to title pages from frontispiece portraits, and a small closed tear to fold-out map in Vol. 2 between pp. 26-27. Overall, a handsome and vibrant set, with clean pages. In Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, the famous Civil War general traces his fascinating life story. Sheridan is perhaps best remembered for "The Burning," a brutal campaign in which he and his troops decimated the Shenandoah Valley, which was considered to be the "Breadbasket of the Confederacy." The campaign's scorched earth policy foreshadowed Sherman's March to the Sea. After the Civil War, Sheridan fought in the Indian Wars, where he led aggressive attacks against Native Americans, and supposedly coined the disturbing phrase, "the only good Indian is a dead Indian." Sheridan is also known for playing a key role in the creation of Yellowstone National Park. Sheridan wrote his memoirs near the end of his life at the urging of Mark Twain, who also influenced Ulysses Grant in writing his own memoirs (both Grant and Sheridan published their works with Twain's publishing firm, Charles L. Webster and Company). Personal Memoirs is widely considered to be one of the most important first-hand accounts of the Civil War and Indian Wars. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.