According to Porter, Sedgwick “seemed particularly cheerful and hopeful that morning, and looked the picture of buoyant life and vigorous health.”71 Shortly after Grant rode off, Sedgwick, a smart, good-natured, and much beloved bachelor, affectionately nicknamed “Uncle John,” mocked his men for being afraid of Confederate snipers taking potshots at them. They didn’t have to worry, he insisted, because the rebels “couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.”72 These were his last words as he toppled over dead on his horse, struck by a marksman’s bullet to the head.
