John sedgwick civil war biography releases
John Sedgwick
American teacher, career military officer, and Union Army general
This article is about the American military officer. For the American author, see John Sedgwick (author).
Not to be confused with John Sedgewick.
John Sedgwick (September 13, 1813 – May 9, 1864) was an American military officer who served as a 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 Litchfield Hills town of Cornwall, Connecticut. He was named after his grandfather, John Sedgwick (brother of Theodore Sedgwick), who was Lieutenant Colonel of the 14th Regiment of Connecticut Militia during the American Revolutionary War. He attended Sharon Academy for 2 years and Cheshire Academy in 1830–31. After teaching for two years, he attended the United States Military Academy, graduated in 1837 ranked 24th of 50, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army's artillery branch. He fought in the Seminole Wars and received two brevet promotions in the Mexican–American War, to captain for Contreras and Churubusco, and to major for Chapultepec. After returning from Mexico, he
With Sedgwick at Spotsylvania
Nothing like a monument dedication to spark some controversy. Subscribers to the National Tribune veterans’ newspaper or the Southern Historical Society Papers could expect a flurry of related articles immediately after a new monument appeared. John Watson Mauk, the Pennsylvania who shot A.P. Hill, only went public with his full side of the story after reading the false accusations against him in the leadup to the dedication of Hill’s statue in Richmond on May 30, 1892.
The death of Major General John Sedgwick, Mauk’s corps commander, on May 9, 1864, is most famous for the general’s supposed final words – “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” Sure enough, the phrase frequently appears in 1887 articles, at which time the Sedgwick Memorial Association was erecting a monument marking the spot of his death on the Spotsylvania battlefield. It is improbable that every Union soldier who claimed to hear that line is telling the truth, but between the different versions of the story, we can piece together the details of the general’s last moments.
The elephant quote spread immediately, every major newspaper publishing a rendition. Just two days after Sedgwick’s death, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran its story. “General Sedgwick was shot through the head on Monday morning, whilst superintending the mounting of some heavy guns in an angle the men had just prepared. There was no skirmishing at the time, but occasionally a sharp-shooter sent a bullet in that direction which caused the cannoneers to wince and to dodge. General Sedgwick was near by, with some of his staff, and twitted the men about their nervousness. ‘Pooh, man, you can’t hit an elephant at that distance.’ Immediately after the ball struck him, and the blood began to ooze from his nostrils. He smiled serenely, and fell dead in the arms of his Assistant Adjutant-General.”[1]
Lieutenant Colonel Martin Thomas McMahon cradled Sedgwick to the ground and his versi Overall Performance Story It is difficult to imagine now, but for all its gorgeous scenery, the American West might have been barren tundra as far as most Americans knew well into the 19th century....From the River to the Sea
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General Sedgwick and the Underestimated Risk: A Lesson from History we can Apply to Settlement Negotiations
Mon, Aug 5th, 2024 | by Miles Mediation and Arbitration |Article|Social Share
By Joe Murphey
“They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.”
-Famous last words of Brig. Gen. John Sedgwick, May 9, 1864
It was a bright, spring morning in early May 1864. The kind of morning that would typically bring gentle breezes and the mating calls of songbirds drifting up from the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley. But on this fateful day, the sounds echoing through the valley were those of scattered rifle shots and the rumble of mule-drawn caissons and cannons being brought to bear by the Confederate and Union armies, each against the other. The conflict brewing on this date, the Battle of Spotsylvania as it would become known, was among the first of the final major conflicts between armies commanded by Generals Grant and Lee, respectively. In the end, by the numbers of troops involved and casualties inflicted (32,000 total), the Battle of Spotsylvania would rank as the principal battle of the Overland Campaign and one of the most significant of the American Civil War. When the smoke cleared, after several days of bloody conflict, both sides declared victory. Each had some right to the claim. Grant did not drive Lee’s army from the battlefield (his objective) and Lee did not advance his army to Fredericksburg (his objective).
For someone writing an article that seeks to draw lessons in trial risk management from battlefield tactics, the Battle of Spotsylvania is a rich source of material. But I choose here to focus on a singular event that occurred around 9 am on May 9, 1864, the second full day of engagement between the two armies. Brigadier General John Sedgwick, commanding a division of Grant’s VI Corps, sat atop his horse, high on a ridge, nearly 1,000 yards away from the nearest Confederate batteries. His purpose was to