Sheridan's Ride
Artist
Thomas Buchanan Read
(American, 1822 - 1872)
Date1866
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 25 3/8 × 20 1/8in. (64.5 × 51.1cm)
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Credit LineProctor Collection
Terms
Object numberPC. 92
Description On View
Not on viewCollections
CopyrightNo known copyright restrictions.
Label TextDuring the American Civil War (1861-65), General Philip H. Sheridan led the cavalry of the Union Army. He faced his greatest challenge on October 19, 1864 in the Shenandoah Valley. Informed that his troops were being overrun at the Battle of Cedar Creek, he leapt on his horse and galloped some twenty miles at breakneck speed to rally them. He arrived on the field in two hours and turned an almost certain defeat into victory. News of this event excited the imaginations of northerners. President Lincoln was pleased because he could not afford any setbacks on the battlefield with the presidential election only weeks away. Artist and poet Thomas Buchanan Read visited Sheridan’s camp to make preliminary sketches for a painting of the general’s legendary ride. He also wrote a poem, which helped President Lincoln get re-elected in 1864. After the war, Read completed several versions of the painting, including this one, which the Proctor family owned for many years.
Maureen Marton
