The Death of General John Sedgwick
by Martin T. McMahon, Brevet Major-General, U.S.V.;
chief-of-staff,Sixth Corps.
On May 8th, 1864, the Sixth Corps made a rapid march to the support of Warren, near Spotsylvania Court House.
..."General, do you see that section of artillery? Well, you are not to go near it today. He answered good-naturedly, "McMahon, I would like to know who commands this corps, you or I? I said, playfully,"Well, General, sometimes I am in doubt myself"; but added,
"Seriously, General, I beg of you not to go to that angle; every officer who has shown himself there has been hit, both yesterday and to-day."
..., "a man who had been separated from his regiment passed directly in front of the general, and at the same moment a sharp-shooter's bullet passed with a long shrill whistle very close, and the soldier, who was then just in front of the general, dodged to the ground. The general touched him gently with his foot, and said, "Why, my man, I am ashamed of you, dodging that way," and repeated the remark, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." The man rose and saluted, and said good-naturedly, "General, I dodged a shell once, and if I hadn't, it would have taken my head off. I believe in dodging." the general laughed and replied, "All right, my man; go to your place."
"For a third time the same shrill whistle, closing with a dull, heavy stroke, interrupted our talk, when, as I was about to resume, the general's face turned slowly to me, the blood spurting from his left cheek under the eye in a steady stream."
by Martin T. McMahon, Brevet Major-General, U.S.V.;
chief-of-staff,Sixth Corps.
On May 8th, 1864, the Sixth Corps made a rapid march to the support of Warren, near Spotsylvania Court House.
..."General, do you see that section of artillery? Well, you are not to go near it today. He answered good-naturedly, "McMahon, I would like to know who commands this corps, you or I? I said, playfully,"Well, General, sometimes I am in doubt myself"; but added,
"Seriously, General, I beg of you not to go to that angle; every officer who has shown himself there has been hit, both yesterday and to-day."
..., "a man who had been separated from his regiment passed directly in front of the general, and at the same moment a sharp-shooter's bullet passed with a long shrill whistle very close, and the soldier, who was then just in front of the general, dodged to the ground. The general touched him gently with his foot, and said, "Why, my man, I am ashamed of you, dodging that way," and repeated the remark, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." The man rose and saluted, and said good-naturedly, "General, I dodged a shell once, and if I hadn't, it would have taken my head off. I believe in dodging." the general laughed and replied, "All right, my man; go to your place."
"For a third time the same shrill whistle, closing with a dull, heavy stroke, interrupted our talk, when, as I was about to resume, the general's face turned slowly to me, the blood spurting from his left cheek under the eye in a steady stream."