General Phil Sheridan Honored at Arlington National Cemetery

 

One of the notables buried at Arlington National Cemetery is Philip H. Sheridan (1831 - 1888) who lead the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War.  In 1865, his cavalry was instrumental in forcing the Confederate surrender at Appomattox.  Sheridan later fought Indians during the Plains Wars.

Sheridan was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1884, and took command of the United States Army. In 1888, he was promoted to Full General. He finished writing his memoirs, "Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan," just before he died on August 5, 1888.

One of the earliest memorials to be built in the cemetery was the Sheridan Gate.  The gate was built in 1879 as one of the entrances to the then walled cemetery and dedicated to Sheridan after his death.  By the mid-1900s, the gate was no longer able to accommodate the trucks and construction equipment that were vital to the cemetery’s expansion.  In 1971, the cemetery expanded and the Sheridan Gate was dismantled.

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