Major General John Sedgwick - Hartford, CT - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

The State Capitol Building in Hartford has several sculptures of Connecticut heroes. The marble statue of Major General John Sedgwick is in a niche on second elevation of the south side of the building. The 6' high statue of the General was created by Hermon A. MacNeil in 1934.

Major General John Sedgwick is dressed in military uniform. He stands erect as the middle figure in a Gothic style marble niche. He is wearing a double breasted belted coat and long boots and is holding a large hat by his side with his right hand. His left hand is resting on the hilt of a sword. The marble plinth is inscribed: SEDGWICK

John Sedgwick was born on September 13, 1813 in Cornwall, CT. He United States Military Academy and graduated as a 2nd lieutenant in 1837. He was assigned to the in the U.S. Army artillery.

He saw service in the Seminole Wars and the Mexican-American War where he received brevet promotions to captain then major. Subsequently he transferred to the cavalry and served in Kansas, the Utah War, and in the Indian Wars.

When the Civil War began, Sedgwick was a colonel and Assistant Inspector General of the Military Department of Washington, DC. He was promoted to brigadier general on August 31, 1861 and served with the Army of the Potomac. He fought at Yorktown, Seven Pines, and was wounded in the arm and leg at the Battle of Glendale. He was promoted to major general on July 4, 1862.

He returned to action at the Battle of Chancellorsville in April of 1963. His unit arrived at the Battle of Gettysburg on June 2 1863 and saw limited action. He then participated in the Overland Campaign.

General Sedgwick was shot and killed by a sniper at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, on May 9, 1864; making him the highest ranking Union casualty in the Civil War. He is buried near his home in Cornwall Hollow, Connecticut