page_title: John Sedgwick
section_title: Legacy
hierarchical_section_title: John Sedgwick / Legacy
caption_attribution_description: Statue of MG John Sedgwick at West Point
context_page_description: John Sedgwick was a military officer and Union Army general during the American Civil War.
  He was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an unsuccessful assault against Confederate forces, 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 thus did not see much action. Sedgwick was killed by a sharpshooter at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House on May 9, 1864, making him and Major Generals James B. McPherson, Joseph K. Mansfield, and John F. Reynolds the highest-ranking Union soldiers to be killed in the war. He is remembered for his ironic last words: "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
context_section_description: Sedgwick's reputation was that of a solid, dependable, but relatively unaggressive general. He was well liked by his soldiers, who referred to him affectionately as "Uncle John". His death was met by universal sorrow; even Robert E. Lee expressed his sadness over the fate of an old friend. George G. Meade wept at the news. Meade had recently quarreled with Sedgwick for being over-reliant on fellow corps commander Gouverneur Warren for advice, and said of him "I wish we could have parted on better terms." Ulysses S. Grant characterized Sedgwick as one who "was never at fault when serious work was to be done" and he told his staff that the loss for him was worse than that of an entire division.
  Sedgwick is buried near his birthplace of Cornwall Hollow, Connecticut. An equestrian statue honors him and the VI Corps at Gettysburg National Military Park.
  There is a monument of General Sedgwick at West Point. Academy legend has it that a cadet who spins the rowels of the spurs on boots of the statue at midnight while wearing full parade dress gray over white uniform under arms will have good luck on his or her final exam.
  The following were named in his honor:
  Sedgwick, Colorado
  Sedgwick County, Colorado
  Sedgwick, Kansas
  Sedgwick County, Kansas
  Fort Sedgwick was one of the forts of the Union siege line in the Siege of Petersburg 1864–65.
  Camp Rankin was renamed Fort Sedgwick in 1865, near Julesburg, Colorado.
  A major street in the Bronx, in New York City, is named after him.  An east–west street in Washington, D.C., near American University, is also named in his honor, as is another on Chicago's near north side, with a CTA station named after the street. Grand Army of the Republic Post #4 in Keene, New Hampshire; Post #12 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Post #17 in Santa Ana, California; and Post #37 in York, Pennsylvania, are all named after him. Also, a junior high-school (John Sedgwick Middle School "Home of the Generals") in Port Orchard, Washington, was named after him.
  Farley, his headquarters at the time of the Battle of Brandy Station, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
caption: A statue of General Sedgwick at West Point
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