[TheHag]

In 1864, the poet Thomas Buchanan Read composed his famous wartime poem "Sheridan’s Ride" in this beautiful house on E 8th St. The poem commemorates Gen. Philip Sheridan's legendary ride from Winchester, Virginia, to Cedar Creek on Oct. 19, 1864. The Ohio born General was able to rally his retreating Union infantry and rout Confederate Jubal Early's army. The poem was widely published, and its fame was such that a bronze marker was placed directly under the third floor room where the poem was written.


Photo One:
The residence at 21 East Eighth Street was a fashionable apartment, hotel and even a restaurant. The bronze tablet reads "Here T. Buchanan Read wrote 'Sheridan's Ride' November 1, 1864." The building was razed in the mid 1960's, but the Archdiocese of Cincinnati saved the plaque, which is displayed at 23 E 8th St.

"Hurrah! hurrah for Sheridan!
Hurrah! hurrah for horse and man!
And when their statues are placed on high
Under the dome of the Union sky,
The American soldier’s Temple of Fame,
There, with the glorious general’s name,
Be it said, in letters both bold and bright:
“Here is the steed that saved the day
By carrying Sheridan into the fight,
From Winchester–twenty miles away!”

Photo two:
An undated lantern slide view of the Sheridan. The church on the corner is St Ludwigs Catholic Church.
St. Louis Church stands on the corner of 8th and Walnut today.

Photo three:
A postcard view of the Sheridan.
The advertisement for the Sheridan's restaurant is from the from the American Family Theater program for week of March 6, 1911.

Photo four:
The poem "Sheridan's Ride" was so famous that the building was still considered a tourist attraction 44 years after its publication. The “Musical directory of greater Cincinnati and visitor's guide for the season 1907-8” lists the house as a point of interest on a walking tour of the city.