About John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick (September 13, 1813 – May 9, 1864) was an American military officer who served as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was one of the highest-ranking Union officers to be killed in the war, along with Major Generals James B. McPherson, Joseph K. Mansfield and John F. Reynolds. Sedgwick was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an unsuccessful assault against the Confederate Army, 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 did not see much action. Sedgwick was killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House on May 9, 1864 by a long-range shot from a Whitworth sharpshooter, and is remembered for an ironic remark among his last words: "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
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