"Phil Sheridan has a mythos around him. Most people when thinking about the Sheridan Presidency only focus on three things, Louisiana, his violent want to remove the natives from the west, and his untimely death. I think that is unfair to the rest of his tenure in the White House. It is easy to characterize a president, It's harder to analyze one. President Sheridan handed out the third most vetoes of any President. His relationship with congress was tenuous to say the least. Liberal congressmen routinely passed final packages towards the end of the Civil Service issue. Sheridan vetoed every single one. The Republicans were becoming more populist sure, but it's impossible to ignore the simple fact that most Republican politicians were Stalwarts.
On the economic front the President found himself to be a moderate on the quickly forming coinage debate. The Liberals had come to be full blown gold standard men, the entire party agreed to make support for the Gold Standard a fundamental plank. Republicans on the other hand were either Free Silverites or moderates. Sheridan generally tried to not exasperate the debate. He vetoed any explicit gold standard support bills from the Liberal Congress but didn't make any push towards free silver following the standards set by existing laws. When it came to tariffs, like most Republicans Sheridan was generally protectionist. He signed two increases to tariffs during his Presidency, in a bipartisan alliance with the Liberals. Sheridan also signed multiple pension increases for Civil War vets and he happily signed the Interstate Commerce Act. The ICA was a brainchild of Sheridan and Hayes, adding more regulations to railroad tycoons. Many labor leaders applauded the President for this.
Sheridan greatly expanded the United States Military. Unsurprisingly the former Commanding General of the Army had notes when it came to funding. Sheridan's military reforms lead to a much needed expansion of the navy. Many new ships were commissioned and the President regularly attended their maiden voyages.
While Sheridan's hopes for full scale war on the plains were never realized, held back by the Liberals, he would do everything in his power to strip tribal land rights. Sheridan began using the Act that dismantled the Sequoyah tribes to dismantle the plains and southwestern tribes as well. While not explicitly illegal, it was dubious, as it was unclear that the Garfield Act applied to tribes outside of Sequoyah. This problem would be rectified in 1887 when the Garfield Act was amended to include all tribes in the United States.
Abroad, Sheridan was the first internationalist President since Seward. While McClellan, Hancock and Adams all avoided foreign policy like the plague, 'Fighting Phil' embraced it. First off, perhaps the biggest achievement of the Sheridan Presidency was the negotiation and purchase of the land rights to the
Nicaraguan Canal. Set to begin construction in 1888, Sheridan single handedly pushed for such a canal to connect the Pacific and Atlantic. He personally went to Central America to oversee the beginning of the construction and ensured the total 'cooperation' of the Nicaraguan Government with the new and upgraded vessels of the navy...
In 1887, the US began to lease the port of Pearl Harbor in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Mere months later there was a revolution on the islands. The 'Hawaiian Patriotic League' crafted a new constitution and successfully placed King Kalākaua under house arrest. The League had broad support amongst the people, many were terrified of Sheridan and American influence. The ensuing chaos led to two important actions. One the American businessmen on the islands desperately requested support. And two the 'King' also 'requested' American assistance. Today historians doubt the King who was locked in his palace had any damn clue about this letter.
On August 8th 1887 US marines flooded Honolulu, the Patriotic League was defeated without a fight and the Marines invited the American businesses to write a new constitution for the Kingdom. While in house arrest, the final powers the king held evaporated, it was now a matter of time before the indepence of the islands would come to a close..."
-from Fightin' Phil
by Kieren Hutchison, published 1994
"Francis Nichols v The United States was a trial held in Washington DC from June 8th 1886 to July 2nd 1886. Former Louisiana Governor Francis T. Nichols was being tried for treason and armed insurrection not just against the State of Louisiana, but against the United States.
Here's the thing, the outcome of this trial was already clear, everyone in the country, even the Democrats knew that Nichols was guilty. The prosecution absolutely ripped into Nichols. He actively plotted a coup against a coup against Louisiana Republicans and he attempted to stop Federal Marshals from entering the state with force. The defense didn't even really defend Nichols. Instead trying to cast Republicans in successful reconstruction as insurrectionists as well, seen as the Democrats were so weak in states like Tennessee and Alabama! This didn't stick.
In a shock to no one Nichols was found guilty and sentenced to the gallows. That's right, he was to be executed. Immediately there were riots all over the failed reconstruction states. There were even protests in DC. On August 1st President Sheridan seeing the disorder as a threat to his future plans, commuted Nichols' sentence and instead ensured he would serve life in prison.
Again, this decision wasn't motivated by a change of heart. Sheridan desperately wanted to see Nichols swing, but he needed at least a semblance of order to do his next action. Even though Vice President Adams heavily protested, Sheridan directed the DoJ to indict seven Louisiana legislators involved in the coup, two Louisiana National Guard commanders, 16 officials in the offices of the Mississippi, South Carolinian and Louisianian Governor's and even one former Hancock DoJ employee all for treason. Sheridan planned to throw the book at everyone he possibly could, bar state Governors, who happened to be involved in the Standoff at Springhill.
It was here that Adams and the Liberals officially stopped vocally supporting Sheridan on the southern issue. They believed that justice was served to Nichols and that there was no point in extending this process. The court dates took a lot of time to be set, eventually they would be set for early in 1888. In the meantime many of these officials won re-election during the 1886 midterms. In Louisiana Democrats swept the legislature due to the lack of freedmen in the state. Andreiux wasn't up for re-election until 1888, but he was as good as a lame duck. He employed round the clock security and saw the writing on the wall. Indicted criminals would force him back into exile..."
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from A Freedman's History of America
by Guy Young, published 1999
"On February 3rd 1888, while returning from Nicaragua the President suffered a massive heart attack on the deck of the USS Seward. He was treated by the medic on board and barley survived. After a week of rest, he returned to his duties on February 11th. He told his wife he felt fine and apparently seemed jovial according to people in the White House. On February 15th, the President was heard gasping for air in his office. A second heart attack. By the time Vice President Adams entered the room Sheridan was already dead, and Adams realized that he was the new President. A third President had died in just four years, and the nation now had it's third Liberal President. (Including Edmunds)
John Quincy Adams II had a very different agenda than his former boss. On the 17th, Adams directed the DoJ to offer plea deals to all the Springhill defendants. Most quickly accepted, the ones that didn't watched as the cases were dropped by March. Adams told his colleagues that he privately despised the traitors, but killing them and drawing out the process was useless. The Democrats could have Louisiana, most of the freedmen had fled the state anyways and the violence in the streets was becoming truly worrying.
On the 20th a State Funeral for Sheridan was held. Adams gave the eulogy, promising to fight just as hard as '
Fightin Phil'..."
-from KING JOHN ADAMS: Third of His Name, Son of Charles Adams 'The Great'
by Nicole Jillings, published 2000
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Told you I'd get this chapter out! Thanks for reading excited to hear feedback as always!
