New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-29
PHIL SHERIDAN STATUE.
TO BE UnCeiled at Somerset. Ohio,
{ Where He Spent His Bouhood.

An equestrian statue of General Phil III Sher-
idan. said TO be the first to the memory of the
famous fighter. viii be unveiled at Somerset
Chic on November .. The statue has been
erected at cost of $4,000 by the State OF
Ohio and Somerset has been chosen as its To-
cation because it was there the general spent
his boyhood Though ne was born IN albany.
\. Y, March 6. 1881 the year after the arrival
OF his parents in this country from Ireland the
family removed to Somerset when he was NJ
such a tender age that he always looked upon
the town his native place
Governor Herrfck has been active in seer,r,ns
the erection of the statue. being one of the com
inlssioners charged with its construction; The
Eames OF the commissioners. which are TO be
cut into the base of the statue are Myron r.
Herr1ck, Governor Of the State OF Ohio; Captain
Thomas D. Buckley William NJ. Walker and
the Rev Daniel j. Kennedy. The monument will
also be marked with the name of the general
the dates of his birth and death and this line.
Erected to the memory Of General PhiItp ~.
Sheridan by the State of Ohio. 1905" Carl
Heber is the sculptor. and w. L. CottreIl, who
worked out the design, says that an effort was
made to depict in it the general he appeared
when, after his memorable ride from winches-
ter, twenty miles away" he dashed on the bat
tlefield at Cedar Creek. The monument was
erected by the Harrison Granite Company of
New-York
The statue contains IS 300 pounds Of xsantte
and $500 pounds of bronze or about thircy-oue
tons of material all told. but. though the great
bulk of the horse and rider is reared high In
air. this is accomplished without the use OF
support beneath the body of the horse In the
Sheridan statue the weight of the animal and
his rider is balanced the hoof OF one OF tho
horses feet and the tip of the other This
is accomplished by means of a method used
much in Europe.
The metal base and the statue itself are all
cast in one piece. and the rear legs and launches
of the animal reinforced with inside iron sup
ports are. like the base, solid bronze, the upper
part of the animal and the rider being cast hol-
low. In this way the weight of the solid parts
is made TO balance the weight of the hollow
parts rising in the air. The statue is Of heroic
size. and the model from which it was worked
out was approved not only by the members OF
the monument commission but by old veterans
who had served with Sheridan. Photographs OF
the general were also depended on to make the
likeness as nfelike as possible
For the people of Somerset where Sheridans
boyhood was passed. the equestrian statue OF
the general will have a significance independent
OF that attaching to it because of his fsmous
ride. Even when a small boy he was a great
lover of horses. and his mother in her declining
years often told how -Phiilier as she AWAY.
called him. would wait for the arrival OF the
stage. that he might ride the horses to water.
1t was this early love of horses that DOUBTLESS
led Sheridan into the cavalry arm of the army
One writer, recalling visit to the home OF
Sheridan in 1856 says that he arrived in Samer-
set the day before the general was to arrive
He found the place i'm gala dress and literally
buried beneath a wealth of flags and bunting
The generals old mother had many caless the
night before She sat in the doorway cP her
nome ana her constant remark was: My Hhillia
tell of his boyhoOd. He was a good lad a biz
wild perhaps. and his father used 10 whirs hin,
something awful for riding the stage horses To
water | told father once that ne ought rot To
whip Phillfe so hard. but he replied that xhin-
pings would do him good when he grew ND 70 s.
q soldier"