Theodore Wint Grave is a public artwork by an unknown artist, located at the

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

, United States. This sculpture was surveyed in 1995 as part of the Smithsonian's

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...

program. "Theodore Wint Grave" serves as the final resting place for Brigadier General Theodore J. Wint.

Description

This granite marker feature a profile bust relief of Brigadier General Theodore J. Wint in military uniform with epaulets on the proper left shoulder. The relief is placed in an oval shape with

palm frond The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm ''(Phoenix)'' was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represented immortality. In ...

s extending from the top and bottom. This bronze relief is placed on a tall, column like, multi-tiered unit that has a polished

sphere A sphere () is a Geometry, geometrical object that is a solid geometry, three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

on the top. The sphere rests on top of a rope or chain design. The rear of the base has a plaque of the

Seal of Pennsylvania The Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the Seals of the U.S. states, state seal for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the state's website, the seal was authorized by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1791, and is ...

. The front of the base, below the relief is inscribed: :THEODORE J. WINT :BRIGADIER GENERAL U.S. ARMY :1845--1907 :ERECTED BY THE COMMONWEALTH :OF :PENNSYLVANIA :1908 One side of the base is inscribed: :SERVED IN :CIVIL WAR which is followed by five battle sites and dates. The other side of the base is inscribed: :SIXTH PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY which lists his ranks and outfits below it. The bottom of the Seal is inscribed: :VIRTUE :LIBERTY AND :INDEPENDENCE File:Theodore J. Wint proper left.jpg, Proper left & Front File:Theodore Wint Grave (1908) Control IAS VA000197 Detail.jpg, Detail

Information

Born in Pennsylvania in March 1845, Theodore Jonathan Wint served with the

6th Pennsylvania Cavalry The 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry was a Union Army, Union cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. They were known for their early use of 9-foot lances, and were called "Rush's Lancers." History The regiment was raised during August and Septe ...

during most of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

; he joined the mounted service as a

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in February 1865. On November 24 of the same year he was appointed to the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of the 4th Cavalry. On May 9, 1866 he was promoted to

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

, to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on April 21, 1872. After continuing to gain rank, his final title was

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on June 9, 1902. Wint served the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. He also served in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(1900–1901). He was injured in the

Battle of Santiago de Cuba The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurred ...

when a

Mauser Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arme ...

bullet broke his thighbone. Wint, along with John D. Miles, selected the site of Fort Reno in Indian Territory in July 1874. Situated on the south side of the North Canadian River five miles west of present-day El Reno, Oklahoma, this fort was established after the Cheyenne uprising of 1874 to protect Darlington Indian Agency (located directly north across the river).''Forts of the West: Military Forts and Presidios, and Posts Commonly Called Forts, West of the Mississippi River to 1898''. Robert Walter Frazer, University of Oklahoma Press, 1965 Theodore Jonathan Wint married Lydia Porter Bullis in 1880. Dying in Philadelphia in March, 1907, of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

, he was buried with full military honors. A train traveled from Philadelphia to

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

and then proceeded to the cemetery. Lydia is buried nearby and died in 1913. He was scheduled to retire in 1909 and was months away from his final promotion to

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. Upon his death

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, who was

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...

at the time, described him as "a quiet man who did things."

Fort Wint Fort Wint was part of the harbor defenses of Manila and Subic Bays built by the Philippine Department of the United States Army between 1907 and 1920 in response to recommendations of the Taft Board prior to the non-fortification clause of the Wa ...

in the Philippines was named after him as well as

VFW The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or ...

Gen. Theodore J. Wint Post 25 in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

. A street at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

is also named after him, Wint Avenue.

Acquisition

This grave marker, located in Section 2, was erected by the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

in 1908 and was fabricated by Worden Brothers Monument Manufacturing Company.

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed by

in 1995 and was described as needing treatment. In 2004 Ponsford Ltd., a private conservation and restoration group, were commissioned to wash and wax the Wint memorial along with selected other graves by Arlington National Cemetery.

References

External links