Show r. r I A Picture by an Obscure Newspaper Artist Inspired Thomas Buchanan Read to Write to An American Classic Classic Classic- Sheridan Sheridan's s Ride I t. t t. t t y J. J r r j T- T j A rf sj s- s t r rr r i it PaP J t s s. s t 1 F r 3 a.- a. r PS IT f ip-i ip a fe r 4 5 SS S Y T. T SHERIDAN'S RIDE TO THE TIlE FRONT FRONT From From a drawing by Sol Eytinge Jr which appeared first in Harpers Harper's Weekly in 1864 and was reprinted in 1867 with a statement by Thomas Buchanan Read saying that it inspired hr him tn to write TT iio Vile his famous Sh ns n's Ride Ride By ELMO ELl SCOTT V WATSON ATSON Released by Western Newspaper r Union FIVE years ago this month occurred an event S SEVENTY FIVE which is familiar to every American American- Ride For it was on the morning of October 19 1864 that Gen Phil Sheridan famous cavalry leader in the Union army was aroused from sleep in a house in Winchester Winchester Winchester Win Win- chester Va by a staff officer who reported heavy artillery firing from the direction of Cedar Creek where his army was stationed There Thereupon poh Fighting Phil moun mounted ted his coal coal- coal black black charger Rienzi and rode toward the sound of the guns to find that his army was being routed by a surprise surprise surprise sur sur- sur- sur prise attack by Gen J Jubal ubal A. A Early of the Confederate ca cavalry valry How he checked the I flight of his disorganized troops gathered up the stragglers formed a newline new newline newline line of battle and transformed what seemed to be a disastrous disastrous disastrous trous defeat into a Union victory victory victory vic vic- tory is too familiar a story to need retelling here It was one of the most dramatic dramatic dra dra- matic incidents of the War Var Between Between Between Be Be- tween the States but it is not improbable improbable improbable im im- im- im probable that the memory of Sheridan's exploit might have become become become be be- come dimmed through the passing passing pass pass- ing lug of the years had it not been for a poet For just as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow helped immortalize Paul Revere by writing writing writing writ writ- ing a poem about his famous ride at the opening of the Revolution so did Thomas Buchanan Read perform a similar service for Phil Sheridan But there is another man who should be mentioned along with Read in connection with this famous famous famous fa fa- poem You probably have never heard of him for he was a special artist for an illustrated ed weekly newspaper and although although al al- a- a though he helped make a pictorial pictorial pic plc- tonal record of the greatest civil war the world had ever known his name is all but forgotten Tt AU I now j- j jut cUI ut 11 u. yuu win WILL leal 1 Ine nit files of Harpers Harper's Weekly until you come to the September 14 1867 issue you will find reproduced there the picture shown above and with it this statement We HWe reproduce on this page the interesting engraving of Sheri dans dan's Ride to the Front published published published pub pub- three years ago and in connection with it we give the spirited verses of T. T Buchanan Read now well known and admired admired admired ad ad- mired throughout the country It will be seen by the following note from the distinguished author that the poem was inspired by the picture of Mr Eytinge New York Aug 29 29 1867 1857 Ed Harpers Harper's Weekly Dear Door Sir In reply to your question It gives me pleasure to acknowledge that the spirited picture which you published of Ride Inspired me with the final impulse to write the poem Very respectfully T. T BUCHANAN READ From this it is evident that Sol Eytinge Jr who was one of Harpers Harper's Weekly's special artists during the Civil war period veriod deserves some of the credI cred cred- I it for the poem And it is quite likely that he portrayed that historic historic historic his his- scene more accurately than did Read who was an artist aswell as aswell well as a poet You will notice in Reads Read's painting of Ride which is reproduced with fic r Sheridan and his mount were dust-covered dust and grimy Most of the time during his ride he was carrying his cap in his hand because he always had difficulty difficulty difficulty dif dif- in keeping a hat on his round like bullet-like head In another another an an- another other respect Eytinge's picture is undoubtedly more accurate historically his his- i than Reads It shows Sheridan with a a full beard instead in instead in- in instead stead of a moustache and photographs photographs photographs photo photo- graphs taken during the Civil war confirm Eytinge's accuracy in inthis inthis inthis this detail as well as the detail of his wearing a cap instead of a ahat ahat ahat hat for his headgear If Read was inaccurate as a painter he was equally careless 7 I f va fi f i yi 44 4 4 k s Y ya 9 r e f 24 0 f r M y r k 4 M SHERIDAN'S RIDE RIDE From From the painting by Thomas Buchanan Read author of the famous poem by that name this article that he shows Little Phil impeccably dressed in his generals general's uniform with his black blackhat blackhat hat set firmly on his head as ashe ashe ashe he waves his sword in his right hand while his charger Rienzi seems to be in midair midair midair mid mid- air with all four feet off the ground According to the testimony of men who saw Sheridan as he dashed toward Cedar Creek on October 19 1864 the reality was quite different from Reads Read's pictured pictured pictured pic pic- version of it Instead of being a veritable plate fashion-plate of- of of facts as a tl writer writer unless unless of course poetic license is sufficient sufficient sufficient justification for error In the first place Sheridan wasn't twenty miles away as the poem has it It was only 13 or 14 miles from Winchester to Cedar Cedar Ce Ce- dar Creek and Sheridan had his first view of his disorganized army at Mill Creek less than a amile amile amile mile from Winchester From there to the actual front front it if there was such a n thing on that day of panic near-panic and near dis aster it aster it wasn't much more than nine or ten miles |