The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-06-02
JOHN SEDGWICK.
THE MAJOR GENERAL WHO WAS KNOWN As
UNCLE JOHN. OF THE SIXTH CORPS.

corps mas forgotten ncle John?
Major General John Sedgwick-of al
the brave men | ever knew, the gentles
and best; woman hearted, almost whel
occasion demanded the sweet graces o
the gentler sex, and ion-hearted for sur,
and every time when manly courage wa
the want of the hour.
No one knew why he was called Uncle
John.
Yet when he bestrode old Pygmalion-
Pygmalion, fat and waddlng, and never
known to move in any other than the
mildcst kind of amble, in which he al
ways got there-and took his place al
the head of the corps, whether it was te
advance or retreat, whether there was
grub or no grub, he was your Uncle Was
he not. my Sixth Corps veterans, youl
Uncle and NINE The most considerable,
level headed, uucompromising and fear.
less soldier we ever knew.
All. What man was he? Majestic
and stern, yet tender as child.
He fought not according to the book,
for he had no rear.
He led, but with so much modesty and
so little parade, that no one expected he
could elsewhere be.
Twas my sad fortune to be gazing
most intently N his manly, handsome
face when messenger came that called
him across the dark river.
1t found him just where we knew he
wished to be found-at the front: and he
was mustered out with the same sweet
smile, the same winning and paternal ex
preston that made him Uncle to an
Army Corps.
And what shudder ran through the
ranks when his death was made known.
Aye Many ramrod sent home its
bullet with an additional jerk, and many
sponge staff was piled with redoubed
vigor on that morning in Nay, at Spott-
sylvania, when his mighty spirit took it's
fight. Gentle reader. ii you were not
there. | know you will pardon this poor
and feeble tribute to one of the best and
bravest men: of the war.
If you were there, if you knew him.
You know how poo:, how feeble and ut
terly inadequate is this brief mention of
his merits and virtues.
Indeed Z! He stood high on that Clio
lt,f, of IL, IL
the sentiment:
The brightest have gone before us,
The dullest remain behind.
Uncle John was not polite General.
Mcmahon used to say, and Mcmahon
knew him, that newspaper correspond
ent made our Uncle John sick.
need not elaborate the point, perhaps
that this disease was not epidemic in
the army.
Uncle John was not an ambitious Cen
eral. And when lie was offered the com
mand of the Army of the Potomac he
gazed into the camp fire, pulled at his
moustache and mildly Remarked:
Lads. l recon the old Sixth Corps
will do for u.s." And then, why then,
we all went into McMahons tent and
took reorganization.
Uncle John was not fastidious about
his uniform.
There were dudes in the war, just as
there are dudes in peace. Putting it
mildly, lie was no dude. He was never
celeb ated or promoted. for the fit of his
coat or the cut of his whiskers.
Until he met with a little adventure it
was his delight to get into soldier $
blou. and on old Pygmalon go sort of
meandering about where the leaden
zephyrs were blowing and funerals were
being started.
One chirpy morning. while an ordi-
nance wagon connected with the artillery
was crossing pontoon bridge at rate
of speed which the attentions of the
cheerful Southern patriots in no wise
seemed to lessen. Uncle John rode up
to the wagon driver and demanded to
know to what battery the wagon be-
longed.
what battery?' replied the driver;
"can't You read, you old lunkhead:
Look at the side of the wagon"
Well. well! In your minds eye, my
patriotic reader, in your minds eye, just
put yourself in that drivers place, for,
say, four hours after that speech, that is
to say, supposing it to have been made
to some Major Generals l wot Of?
Shall tell you what would have come
of it?
You would have been converted into
spread eagle in the twinkling of an eye
opener.
You would have been fastened by your
wrists and ankles to the spare wheel of
a caisson, and to make it pleasant for
you they would have turned the wheels
SO as to put your heels where your head
ought to have been.
What did Uncle John doo
He halted and pulled his moustache.
He patted Pygmalion's neck.
He and the old horse sort of ruminated
together in such an emergency.
Then he called up an orderly and sent
for pair of shoulder straps, quietly re-
marking.
Il don't seem to be very well known
about here"
1t would have done you cool, oh, pa
triot! You who used to send picked
onions and things to the soldiers; it would
have warmed the cookies of your heart
to have seen the varying expressions of
those two men, Uncle John and the dri-
yer, when they next met. as they did, in
about an hour after the above described
interview.
The driver looked at Uncle John, he
also foresathered on the Major General
shoulder-straps and then came to him
self, tumbed to it, as the late lamented
Macauley puts it.
lie WAS recruit. lie ulu not know
just whom he had designated unkhead,
but he plainly saw that his future might
not be bright like and pleasant.
Did you ever have brick house fall
on you?
That's how that driver felt.
But Uncle Johns face wore the old
perennial smile, and that driver reached
for his canteen with convulsive grasp
as Pygmalion shuf1led on.
Do you suppose there was any particu
lar Mace that driver would not 90 n If