New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-26
IN SHERIDAN'S MEMORY
MONUMENT Is UNVEILED.
President. General Porter and Secre-
tara Hight Speak.

rs--~ads.- General F4orce Porter and Luke E.
Wright Secretary Of War, all paid warm trio-
ME 70 the memory Of General Sheridan The
President spoke as follows:
Z IS erninentiy fitting that the nations Illus
+-intss men rre men Who loom as heroes before
the ewes OF our people should be ftttngly com
rneuo-ated here at the national capital and l
an glad indeed 70 take part in the unveiling Of
this statue 70 General Sheridan. His name viii
always stand high the list Of American
worthless Not only he q great general. but
he showed his greatness with that touch OF
originality which We cali genus Anoeeo TINS
quality Of brflliance has been in one sense
disadvantage 10 his reputation for IT has tended
70 overshadow his solid ability.
We tend 10 think Of him only as the dashtnS
cavalry leader. whereas he was in reality not
crIv that but also a great commander OF
course. the fact IN his most readily recog-
rlzed his mastery in the necessarily modern
art Of handling masses of modern cavalry so as
70 give them the fullest possible effect, not only
n the ordinary operations Of cavalry which pre-
cede and follow battle. but in the battle itself
But in addition he showed in the Civil War that
re was J first class army commander bolIl d
s subordinate of Grant and when in independent
command His record. in the Valley campaign.
and again from Five Forks TO Appomattox, -
one difficult 70 parallel in military history.
After the close Of the great war. in neid
where there scant glory 10 be won by the
general IN chief. he rendered signal service
which has gone almost unnOtiCed. for IN the
tedious weary Indian the great plains
sCr the system % campo igning in winter which,
g. the cost OF bitter hardship and peril, finally
abe warriors. the horse Indians
A TYPICAL AMERICAN CAREER
F55s career was typicaIy American. for from
NAN beginnings h- rose 10 the highest military
r-e;---- II our land. We honor his memory
go and moreover. as in the case Of the
-.bs~ z~aar commanders Of his day. his career
s-~boizes the careers Of all those men who II
ne Years Of the nations direst need sprang 10
r. front 70 risk everything. including lie Itself
e-5 - spend the days Of their strongest young
manhood n vaIorous conflict for an ideal
often We Americans are taunted with having
o-5v = material ideal. The empty folly Of the
tau-r IS sufficiently shown by the presence here
TO-DAY n YOU men OF the Grand Army; YOU the
comrades OF the dead general. the men VINO
served with and under him In all history we
have 10 greater instance 81 subordination Of
se-r Of the exalrIng OF lofty ideal over merely
material weIIbeing among the people Of a great
nation. than vas shown by ou- own people IN
tn civil Wa--
And you the men who wore the blue. would
D. the -5rs- say that this same lofty indiffer
ence 70 the things OF the body. when compared
70 ne thlIlES OF me sou vas slloEH % ~ ~
c-otle-S VINO wore the gray 5reau1ul was lIle
suffering. dreadful the loss. OF the Civil War
Yet II stands alone among wars II this: that
row that The WOUNDS are healed. the memory
OF the mighty deeds Of valor performed on one
side n less than on the other has become the
common heritage Of al our people n every
quarter % this country
The completeness with which this is true is
shown by what Is occurring here to-day. We
meet together 70 raise q monument 10 q great
NI-a1 genera. II ne presence OF many OF the
survivors, q the Union army. and the SeCTe-
?
T1e by virtue o. his Office occupies q special
relation 70 the celebration IS himself e man
who fought il the Confederate -erviCe. Few
indeed have been the countries where SUCH i
conjunction would have been possible. and blessed
indeed are we that in our own beloved land il
S not cnIy possible but entirely natural
10 excite no comment whatever
THE True AAIERICANIsM
There is another point in General Sheridan
Cz--e- which i is good for all Of Us TO remem-
By. Whereas Grant Sherman and Thomas were
OF The Old native American stock. the parents
q sheridan Ike Ire parents OF tarTagut- were
born the other side Of the water Any one
O. -he five vas just as much a type OF the real
American. Ct what IS best II America as the
other four
We should keep steadily before our minds the
fact that A1ericanisTn IS question OF principle.
90 purpose. OF iGealisrT. Of character. that il is
not q matter OF birthplace. creed. line of
descent Here n THIS country the representa-
--r3s Of many Old Y GRID races are being fused
-as---lsT INTO q new Itpe-a = Pc me main teal-
u-eS II which are already determined. and We're
determined al the tine Of the Revolutionary
n ar for TIE cTIclbie III which all the new
types are melted into one was shaped from 1715
20 1-s9. and our nationality was definitely fixed
al SIS essentials By the men OF WashingtOn's
5a- The strains viii not continue 10 exist sepa-
-a-ely in this country in the Old World.
They will b. combined in one and OF this new
-ype those men viii best represent what is lofti-
as- IN thu nations past. what Is finest in her
hope for the future. who stand each solely
bis worth q man: who scOrn TO 90 evil 70
others and who refuse 10 submit 70 wTongdolns
themselves T-ho have IN them faint Of weak
ness HIO never fear 10 night when fighting IS
demanded by SOUND ana hlgh morailtT. but
who hope bv their lives 10 bring ever nearer
The day when justice and peace shall prevail
within oLr own borders and IN our relations
with ali foreign powers.
Much q the usefulness OF any career must lie
n rhe impress that Il makes upon. and the
lessons that il teaches 10. the generations that
come after We % this generation have orr
OWL problems 10 solve. and the condition OF our
solving them is that snail all work together
as American citizens without regard 10 differ
enCes of section or creed or birrhpl ace, copy
snE not the divisions which IameuCabiv sun
dered ou- fathers one from another, but rhe
spirit Of burning devotion 70 duty which drove
them forward each 10 90 the right as il was
given him 70 see the right. in the great years
when Grant. Farrag1t. Sherman. Thomas and
Sheridan. WneD Lee and jackson and the John
Etons. rre valiant Of the North and the
valiant man OF the South fought 70 a finish the
great Civil War.
They did not themselves realize in the bitter
ness Of the struggle. that thu blood and the
grim suffering marked the death throes Of what
was worn out and The birth pangs Of and
more glorious national life Mighty Is the her
Tsge which nave received from the mn Of
rhe mighty days We, in our turn must grid
u our loins meet the issues with the
sn ideal which marked our fathers who be-
lCnged 70 the generation Of the man in whose
honor we commemorate this monument to-day.
TRIBUTE To sHERIDANs VALOR
General Porter reviewed General shertdan's
career al length. and paid eloquent tribute 10
his ability and courage Speaking Of the battle |
q Five Forks he said. "I felr that / had never |
measured the true scope OF his matchless genius /
until that memorable DAY al Five Forks. At the /
close = him. 7 could help feeling that /
yuu exposed yourself TO-DAY IN a manner hardly /
.-s-.dahle on the par Of a commander Of such /
important movement His reply gave what /
seems 10 De he true key 70 his uniform success |
tho field I have never IN my life taken |
command into battle and had the slightest desire
e alive unless [ won,