★ ★  Sedgwick, John

John “Uncle John” Sedgwick

Sedgwick.png
Born:
September 13, 1813

Birthplace: Cornwall Connecticut

Father: Benjamin Sedgwick 1781 – 1857
(Buried: Cornwall Hollow Cemetery Cornwall Hollow Connecticut)​

Mother: Olive Collins 1783 – 1859
(Buried: Cornwall Hollow Cemetery Cornwall Hollow Connecticut)​

Signature:
Sedgwick sign.png


Education:
1830 – 1831: Attended Cheshire Academy​
1837: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (24th in class)​

Occupation before War:
1837 – 1839: 2nd Lt. United States Army, 2nd Artillery​
1839 – 1849: 1st Lt. United States Army, 2nd Artillery​
1847: Brevetted Captain for Gallantry at Battle of Churubusco Mexico​
Sedgwick 1.jpg
1847:
Brevetted Major for Gallantry at Battle of Chapultepec Mexico​
1849 – 1855: Captain, United States Army, 2nd Artillery​
1855 – 1861: Major, United States Army, 1st Cavalry Regiment​
Civil War Career:
1861: Lt. Colonel United States Army, 2nd Cavalry Regiment​
1861: Colonel United States Army, 1st Cavalry Regiment​
1861: Served in the Defenses of Washington D.C.​
1861 – 1864: Colonel of United States Army 4th Cavalry Regiment​
1861: Acting Inspector General for Department of Washington, D.C.​
1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers Infantry​
1861 – 1862: Brigade Commander in Defenses of Washington, D.C.​
1862: Division Commander during the Virginia Peninsula Campaign​
1862: Wounded during the Battle of Glendale, Virginia​
1862 – 1864: Major General of Union Army Volunteers Infantry​
1862: Wounded during the Battle of Antietam, Maryland​
Sedgwick 2.jpg
1862 – 1863:
Commander of Second Army Corps​
1863: Commander of Ninth Army Corps Army of the Potomac​
1863 – 1864: Commander of Sixth Army Corps Army of the Potomac​
1863: Corps Commander at Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania​
1863: Corps Commander at Battle of Rappahannock Station, Virginia​
1863: Corps Commander at Battle of Mine Run, Virginia​
1864: Killed by Confederate Sharpshooter at Battle of Spotsylvania​

Died: May 9, 1864

Place of Death: Spotsylvania County, Virginia

Age at time of Death: 50 years old

Burial Place: Cornwall Hollow Cemetery, Cornwall Hollow, Connecticut
 
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The division He led through the Peninsula, until his wounding at Frayser's Farm,was the same division that was led by Gen. Charles P. Stone until his arrest. He then received his commission as Major General on July 4th, 1862.
 
"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist...."

Easily the most famous last words in American history. Truly a shame given Uncle John's record, but he ignored common sense warnings in a vicious battle (whether for troop morale, or ignorance it was a bad call), and posterity has not been kind to him for it.
 
One account of the death and avengement of Gen. Sedgwick:
Link:https://archive.org/details/cannoneerthe00buelrich

So much irony in this war. Apparently Sedgwick was to Grant almost as Jackson was to Lee. Both these great Generals died almost to the day, one year apart, and a few miles from each other.....

View attachment 387214
That's so interesting @farrargirl . Thanks for sharing this account. There are some older threads discussing who the shooter might have been and from what I can tell there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer. This is the first time I've read an account of the potential shooter being killed.
 
I've read where Sedgwick was the 3rd Corps Commander to be killed in action. Who were the other two?

It's from a year ago but I'll answer. There were 3 Union corps commanders killed/mortally wounded during the war: Joseph K.F. Mansfield (Antietam), John F. Reynolds (Gettysburg), and John Sedgwick (Spotsylvania). Jesse L. Reno was lost at South Mountain but he was an acting corps commander and so isn't an official casualty for this list.

Incidentally, the Confederates also lost 3 corps commanders killed/mortally wounded: Thomas J. Jackson at Chancellorsville, Leonidas Polk at Pine Mountain, and A.P. Hill at Petersburg. Personally, I would also add J.E.B. Stuart to that list as he was commanding the Cavalry Corps at the time of his death but he doesn't show on most lists.

Ryan
 
That's so interesting @farrargirl . Thanks for sharing this account. There are some older threads discussing who the shooter might have been and from what I can tell there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer. This is the first time I've read an account of the potential shooter being killed.
Thanks....one can get lost in the vault of archive.org. but I try to discern the “glorious Lost Cause” books from the more specific and well-documented ones. This little Cannoneer book is very interesting....
But...you have to give a little credit to the shooter. The scarecrow technique was creative, but totally backfired
on him :+)))....
 
Sedgewick also commanded the secondary wing of the Chancellorsville manuever, where he advanced his reinforced Corps into Fredericksburg and keep Lee pinned in place.
Didn't work, but Lee did have to leave behind about 10K men to face Uncle John instead of Hooker, and helped pressure Lee into abandoning pursuit of Hooker's retreating force so he could stop Sedgewick's advance.
 
Sedgewick also commanded the secondary wing of the Chancellorsville manuever, where he advanced his reinforced Corps into Fredericksburg and keep Lee pinned in place.
Didn't work, but Lee did have to leave behind about 10K men to face Uncle John instead of Hooker, and helped pressure Lee into abandoning pursuit of Hooker's retreating force so he could stop Sedgewick's advance.
The 1st New Jersey Brigade was part of his force and fought and suffered many casualties at Salem Church , the action/battle I believe you are talking about. I do know this is where Uncle John was stopped .This battle was after they over ran Marye's Height's . The church still stands as does a monument to the 23rd NJVI on the grounds and the 15th NJVI has a monument across the highway about a mile east of there.
 
Sorry way back in the 4th post I mentioned his being promoted to replace Robert E. Lee. That was back before the war when Lee went from Lt. Col.to Colonel then resigned in the US Army. In 1860 Sedgwick commanded a new fort on the Platte in Colorado territory. That very well could have been Lee in charge.Or did I miss it by several months?
 
The 1st New Jersey Brigade was part of his force and fought and suffered many casualties at Salem Church , the action/battle I believe you are talking about. I do know this is where Uncle John was stopped .This battle was after they over ran Marye's Height's . The church still stands as does a monument to the 23rd NJVI on the grounds and the 15th NJVI has a monument across the highway about a mile east of there.
Yes. The 23rd was commanded by E. Burd Grubb, future friend of Woodrow Wilson.
 
Sorry way back in the 4th post I mentioned his being promoted to replace Robert E. Lee. That was back before the war when Lee went from Lt. Col.to Colonel then resigned in the US Army. In 1860 Sedgwick commanded a new fort on the Platte in Colorado territory. That very well could have been Lee in charge.Or did I miss it by several months?

Robert E. Lee: promoted to lt. colonel, 2nd Cavalry on March 3, 1855; promoted to colonel, 1st Cavalry on March 16, 1861; resigned April 25, 1861.

John Sedgwick: promoted to lt. colonel, 2nd Cavalry on March 16, 1861; promoted to colonel, 1st Cavalry on April 25, 1861.

Sedgwick filled the slots that Lee vacated either by promotion or resignation twice within 6 weeks in 1861.

Ryan
 
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