US Civil War General John Sedgwick (1813 – 1864) was born into a family of Revolutionary War veterans. His ancestors include one grandfather who served as a general alongside George Washington. Sedgwick became a respected and competent Union general and corps commander during the Civil War. His kindliness and paternal affection, combined with concern for his soldiers’ wellbeing, earned him his men’s love and the nickname “Uncle John”. Unfortunately, as seen below, he is more widely remembered for his ironic last words than for his solid military career.
A Solid Military Career
John Sedgwick graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1837, and was commissioned as a US Army artillery officer. He served ably in the Army for decades, and was still in uniform when the Civil War broke out in April, 1861. Sedgwick was given command of a cavalry regiment, and by August, 1861, his demonstrated ability had earned him promotion to command of his own brigade in the Army of the Potomac.
Sedgwick’s rise through the ranks continued, and by February, 1862, he was in charge of his own division. He fought bravely in the Peninsula Campaign, and was twice wounded during the Seven Days Battles. At the Battle of Antietam, Sedgwick was ordered to make poorly planned charge, and his division was shot to pieces: he lost 2200 men, and was hit by three bullets while at it. When he recovered from his wounds and returned to duty, he was promoted to command of his own corps.
The Civil War’s Most Unfortunate Last Words?
General Sedgwick won early success with his Sixth Corps during the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863, even though that battle ended in a Union defeat. During the Overland Campaign in 1864, he led his corps in the Battle of the Wilderness. On May 9th, 1864, at the start of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Sedgwick was positioning his artillery when his troops came under sniper fire and started to get jittery. So he chided his men for their timidity under single bullets.
Sedgwick wondered aloud just how the men would react when they confronted the massed enemy on the firing line, and faced full volleys. The men were ashamed, but they continued to flinch – they had seen what bullets could. So Uncle John Sedgwick continued: “Why are you dodging like this? They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dista…”, at which point his pep speech was interrupted by a sniper bullet. It struck him in the face beneath his left eye, and killed him instantly. Sedgwick’s was the highest-ranking Union battlefield death of the Civil War.
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Some Sources & Further Reading
American Battlefield Trust – The Death of John Sedgwick
Catton, Bruce – The Civil War, Three Volumes in One (1984)
History Halls – Deaths You’ll Got to Hell for Laughing At: Catherine the Great
