Who Was He: American teacher and Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. Career Highlights: Having missed much of the opening battles with cholera, Sedgwick (then a brigadier general) fought in the Peninsula Campaign and was injured at the Battle of Glendale, after which he was promoted to Major General. He also played a minor role in the final Union counterattacks at the Battle of Gettysburg. Context of Last Words: At the beginning of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, in May 1864, Sedgwicks men were cowering from Confederate sharpshooters stationed roughly 1000 yards away. Sedgwick strutted around in the open, berating his men for cowardice, and was then shot under his left eye in mid-sentence. He was the highest ranked Union casualty in the entire Civil War. Last Words: I'm ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist-."
Freelance copywriter, film buff, community radio presenter. Former host of The Movie Hour podcast (http://www.lionheartradio.com/ and click 'Interviews'), currently presenting on Phonic FM in Exeter (http://www.phonic.fm/). Other loves include theatre, music and test cricket.
