John Sedgwick
Library of Congress
John Sedgwick, a Union Army general in the American Civil War, was considered to be a brave leader who inspired his troops. Unfortunately, he’s more cemented in history for the words he uttered right before his death.
Sedgwick was born in Connecticut in 1813 and named after his grandfather, who served in the military with George Washington. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Sedgwick graduated from West Point in 1837 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army shortly after.
By 1860, Sedgwick had been promoted to colonel after fighting in both the Utah War and Indian Wars.
When the Civil War began in 1861, Sedgwick reported to Washington, D.C. to serve as the assistant inspector general of the Military Department. Once again, he was quickly promoted and given his own division to command, the 2nd Division, 2nd Corps of the Army of the Potomac.
As a commander, his most well-known moment came on May 9, 1864 at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia. The entire battle lasted a week, but for Sedgwick, it only lasted a single day.
Library of CongressJohn Sedgwick (right) sits with other officers at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia. 1862.
The Union forces at Spotsylvania totaled around 100,000 men. On May 9, John Sedgwick was inspecting his line while Confederate sharpshooters were firing at them from more than 3,000 feet away. When the men on Sedgwick’s line would duck for cover, he said, “What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line?”
Then Sedgwick ironically and tragically uttered these words: “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.”
A few seconds later, the bullet from one of the Confederate sharpshooters hit and killed Sedgwick. As his chief of staff, General Martin McMahon wrote, “The general’s face turned slowly to me, the blood spurting from his left cheek under the eye in a steady stream.”
