John Sedgwick
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John Sedgwick (September 13, 1813 – May 9, 1864) was a military officer and Union Army general during the American Civil War.
He was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an unsuccessful assault against Confederate forces, causing him to miss the Battle of Fredericksburg. Under his command, the VI Corps played an important role in the Chancellorsville Campaign by engaging Confederate troops at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Salem Church. His corps was the last to arrive at the Battle of Gettysburg and thus did not see much action. Sedgwick was killed by a sharpshooter at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House on May 9, 1864, making him and Major Generals James B. McPherson, Joseph K. Mansfield, and John F. Reynolds the highest-ranking Union officers to be killed in the war. He is remembered for an ironic remark among his last words: "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
Early life and education
Sedgwick was born in the
In the summer and fall of 1860, Sedgwick commanded an expedition to establish a new fort on the Platte River in what is now Colorado. This was a remote location with no railroads, and all supplies having to be carried long distances by riverboat, wagon train or horseback.[5] Even though many of these supplies failed to arrive, Sedgwick still managed to erect comfortable stone buildings for his men before the cold weather set in.
American Civil War
At the start of the
In the
From December 26, 1862, he briefly led the II Corps and the
At the
Prior to the start of the
In the Overland Campaign, the VI Corps was on the Union right at the Battle of the Wilderness and defended against assaults by Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps.
Death
Sedgwick died at the beginning of the
Reports that he never finished the sentence are apocryphal, although the line was among his last words.[8] He was shot by a Whitworth rifle bullet moments later under the left eye and mortally wounded. His chief of staff Martin T. McMahon said that the sharpshooters' bullets were flying all around, making whistling noises, and "The same shrill whistle closing with a dull, heavy stroke interrupted me, and I remember distinctly that I commenced to say 'General, they are firing explosive bullets.' when his face turned slowly to me, and blood spurting from his left cheek under the eye in a steady stream, brought to me the first knowledge of our great disaster. He fell in my direction and I was so close to him that my effort to support him failed, and I went to the ground with him." Corps medical personnel were immediately summoned, but Sedgwick never regained consciousness and continued to bleed out for some time, until his hair was soaked with blood.[9][Note 1]
Sedgwick was the highest-ranking general officer in the US Volunteers to be killed in the war. Although Major General James B. McPherson was in command of an army at the time of his death and Sedgwick of a corps, Sedgwick had the most senior rank by date of all major generals killed. However, McPherson was a brigadier general in the Regular Army and outranked Sedgwick, who was a colonel. Upon hearing of his death, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, flabbergasted by the news, repeatedly asked, "Is he really dead?"[10]
Legacy
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2024) |
Sedgwick's reputation was that of a solid, dependable, but relatively unaggressive general. He was well-liked by his soldiers, who referred to him affectionately as "Uncle John". His death was met by universal sorrow; even
Sedgwick is buried near his birthplace of Cornwall Hollow, Connecticut. An equestrian statue honors him and the VI Corps at Gettysburg National Military Park.
There is a monument of General Sedgwick at West Point. Academy legend has it that a cadet who spins the rowels of the spurs on the boots of the statue at midnight while wearing full parade dress gray over white uniform under arms will have good luck on his or her final exam.
The following were named in his honor:
- Sedgwick, Colorado[11]
- Sedgwick County, Colorado
- Sedgwick, Kansas[12]
- Sedgwick County, Kansas[13]
- Fort Sedgwick was one of the forts of the Union siege line in the Siege of Petersburg 1864–65.[14]
- Camp Rankin was renamed Fort Sedgwick in 1865, near Julesburg, Colorado.[15]
Farley, his home and headquarters at the time of the Battle of Brandy Station, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[16][17]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ According to Rhea, the preeminent historian of the Overland Campaign, pp. 93–96, there is no record of the identity or location of the sharpshooter. Union troops from the 6th Vermont claim to have shot an unidentified sharpshooter as they crossed the fields seeking revenge. Ben Powell of the 12th South Carolina claimed credit, although his account has been discounted because the general he shot at with a Whitworth rifle was mounted, probably Brig Gen. William H. Morris. Thomas Burgess of the 15th South Carolina has also been cited by some veterans.
Citations
- ^ "John Sedgwick". Who's Who In The Civil war. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ^ "Decoding Connecticut Militia 1739-1783". Journal of the American Revolution. 27 July 2016.
- ^ Berthrong, pp. 133–140.
- ^ Grinnell, pp. 111–121.
- ^ Sedgwick, Dennis. "SEDGWICK.ORG – A Sedgwick Genealogy: page 100". sedgwick.org.
- ^ "John Sedgwick – Civil War Trust". www.civilwar.org.
- ^ Foote, p. 203.
- ^ "The Last Words of John Sedgwick".
- ^ McMahon, Martin T. (1886). "The Death of General John Sedgewick". In Johnson and Buel (ed.). Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. IV. New York. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Rhea, p. 95.
- ^ "Profile for Sedgwick, Colorado, CO". ePodunk. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ^ Kansas State Historical Society (1916). Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society. Kansas State Printing Plant. pp. 205.
- ^ Kansas State Historical Society (1916). Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society. Kansas State Printing Plant. pp. 283.
- ^ Fort Hell. The Civil War Siege of Petersburg.
- ^ Sedgwick County Archived 2014-07-29 at the Wayback Machine. Center for Colorado and the West at Auraria Library.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (September 2007). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Farley" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
- References
- Berthrong, Donald J. The Southern Cheyenne. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979. OCLC 254915143
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- ISBN 0-394-74913-8.
- Grinnell, George Bird. The Fighting Cheyennes. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1956. OCLC 419857. First published 1915 by Charles Scribner's Sons.
- Jurgen, Robert J., and Allan Keller. Major General John Sedgwick, U.S. Volunteers, 1813–1864. Hartford: Connecticut Civil War Centennial Committee, 1963.
- Rhea, Gordon C. The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7–12, 1864. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8071-2136-3.
- Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who In The Civil War. New York: Facts on File, 1988. ISBN 0-8160-1055-2.
- Winslow, Richard Elliott. General John Sedgwick: The Story of a Union Corps Commander. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1982. ISBN 0-89141-030-9.
External links
- Death of General John Sedgwick
- Short biographical sketch
- Another short bio
- Tribute site
- "John Sedgwick". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-11-01.