At about nine thirty, while doing reconnaissance, Sedgwick ordered the Fourteenth New Jersey to build additional rifle pits for better protection. Their work prompted sporadic fire from Confederate sharpshooters. The men ducked while Sedgwick, striding around in the open, laughed. “What! What! Men dodging this way and that for single bullets! What will you do when they open fire along the whole line?” As the men continued to flinch, he said, “I am ashamed of you. They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” Moments later a bullet hit Sedgwick just below his left eye, killing him instantly.
