Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, during the War Between The States, in 1864. Major General John Sedgwick, USAicon, was chiding his staff for ducking the bullets whizzing by, saying "I am ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance!" A big man, though a good deal smaller than an elephant, General Sedgwick was struck in the face moments later, and soon died of the wound. The shot is credited to Sergeant E. R. Grace of the 4th Georgia Infantry Regiment, using a Britishicon Model 1858 Whitworth rifle fitted with a telescopic sight. Sedgwick was the highest-ranking Federal casualty of the war. Sergeant Grace, an erstwhile turkey hunter, is believed to have been more than 800 yards distant.
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