General Philip H. Sheridan Memorial Grave
Section 2, Grave S-1
The namesake of Sheridan Drive and Sheridan Gate at Arlington National Cemetery, General Philip H. Sheridan dedicated his entire life to military service. Born in 1831, he graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1853, and served on the western frontier between 1854 and 1861. During the Civil War, Sheridan was one of the outstanding military leaders in the United States Army. He led the destructive Shenandoah Valley campaign in 1864, a major Union victory and turning point in the war. Sheridan was appointed as commanding general of the Army in 1883 and general of the Army of the United States (the nation's highest military rank) on June 1, 1888, about two months prior to his death. General Sheridan received the first full military honors burial ceremony at Arlington, and his funeral helped to elevate the cemetery to national prominence.
The monument at Sheridan's gravesite is a granite Egyptian-style obelisk — similar to the Washington Monument, also completed in 1888. English sculptor Samuel J. Kitson designed the cast bronze bas-relief sculpture, featuring a bust of Sheridan encircled by a wreath of palm fronds and buckeye leaves. The plot also includes four footstones, marking the burial sites of Sheridan's wife, Irene Rucker Sheridan, and his three daughters, Mary, Irene and Louise. His son, U.S. Army Major Philip H. Sheridan Jr., is buried nearby in Section 2, with a large memorial marker of his own.