Its wars within wars and old antagonisms and animosities getting all tangled up with political issues. Hobart Ward (WIA) Strength; 6 Infantry regiments 2 Sharpshooter companies. Leaping across the water, Kelly fell to the ground, hit by shrapnel in the leg. As darkness fell, the Confederates withdrew to the hilltop. The leading generals at the Battle of Prairie Grove, Dec. 7, 1862, were Thomas C. Hidman (left), with the South, and James G. Blunt, with the Union, on display Wednesday morning, Oct. 12, 2011, in Hindman Hall Museum at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Arkansas. Vinson, in turn, was promptly wounded and the flag was passed to John Marley who was quickly dispatched by a hissing bullet. His soldiers absolutely loved him. He then sent the pro-Southern Missourians to recruit soldiers and partisans in their home state. This photograph, taken by Alexander Gardner's assistant Timothy O'Sullivan, depicts a dead Confederate soldier at the likely location of his death on the western side of Devils Den. 17325, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. The basic Sharpshooter impression is not much different than that of the average Confederate infantryman with the exception of his weapon and perhaps a small badge or patch particular to the unit in which he belonged. WebGoodnight Robicheaux (died 1879). O'Sullivan, Timothy H., 1840-1882, photographer, Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882, photographer (former attribution, - 1863. Credit: NPS Photo. Is the item digitized? WebUnion performance on November 16, at the Battle of Campbells Station, 16 miles west of Knoxville, played out like moves on a chess board, according to one observer. color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of The Confederacy West of the Mississippi River had come back from the dead, Shea wrote of Hindmans achievement. Hiram Berdan's green-coated marksmen of the 1st United States Sharp Shooters made things miserable for the Confederates around Yorktown, Virginia. Parsons, who had fought at Carthage, saw victory as the only way to return to Missouri. This view of the boulders of Devil's Den shows the western slope of Little Round Top in the distance to the right. In just ten minutes the 26th North Carolina had used ten different color bearers. I saw trees bloody higher than you could reach, wrote Gad Bryan, a Union officer. Photograph. The Epic Battle Between the 24th Michigan and 26th North Carolina at Gettysburg, Help Purchase & Restore Sought-after Property at Gettysburg. In Oklahoma, a bitter conflict raged between those members of the Five Civilized Tribes who had been forced to walk the Trail of Tears, and those who earlier signed treaties agreeing to forfeit their land in Georgia and Tennessee in exchange for new land in Oklahoma. The body of this soldier would be moved by the photographers from this location to another one some 40 yards away, where he would become the subject of one of Gettysburgs most indelible images. If the lines of civilian loyalty were blurred in the East, they were at many times unintelligible in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas. All you have to do is go to Prairie Grove and stand on that flat valley floor and imagine how the artillery would wipe out anybody coming across that flat landscape, Shea said. Left image William Frassanito in "Gettysburg: A Journey in Time" credits Timothy O'Sullivan as the photographer of this image. Credit: Library of Congress. Goodnight is one of the seven men enlisted to help defend the town of Rose Creek. In early 1862, a Union army under the command of Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis pushed the Confederates out of Missouri and crossed the border into Arkansas. Credit: Library of Congress. Title and descriptive statement inscribed in ink on verso. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in Brown had his sight elevated for fifteen hundred yards! - On one occasion when a member of the 1st U.S.S.S. Gettysburg, the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog One of Berdans men recalled that when he peered out of his trench, a ball flattened the corner of my cap down on my head. Seeing the man fall to the ground, the enemy marksman thought he had a kill. site.). In the decades after the war, civic organizations returned to Prairie Grove to give the dead a proper burial. Kellys friend, L.A. Thomas, picked the flag up and began to move up the hillside. Left image He began to consider how best to disengage, but at that moment heard a barrage of artillery from an unexpected direction. Learn more about who the Confederate "sharpshooter" may have been on our blog. total: 2,423 engaged: 5,525 total: Casualties and losses; 138 killed 548 wounded 135 missing 3 Cannons captured total: 821: 329 killed 1,107 wounded 378 missing. Nearing the works, Berdans men halted to wait for orders and reinforcements. In March, a larger Confederate force under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn attacked Curtis at Pea Ridge. Its the Army of the Potomac. As more of the tough westerners from Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan filed into the woods, Archers men began to slowly fall back towards Willoughbys Run. To die within sight of your own house is very grim.. and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). Among those overlooked events is a battle near the tiny Arkansas hamlet of Prairie Grove. O'Sullivan, Timothy H. - Gardner, Alexander. Although Hindman lacked military training, he was a tireless administrator and motivator. We now arranged our plans. Just something that was accurate to shoot for them. Gen. Francis Herron and Maj. Gen. James Blunt. He fought in General lees army. 1195 Baltimore Pike Each time the Confederates counter-attacked, but were stopped cold by a withering hail of grape shot from Union artillery batteries positioned on the valley floor. Maj. Henry Frisbie of the 37th Illinois a Union veteran of the campaign that culminated near here in December 1862 wondered after the Civil War why events in the East so often overshadowed events in the West. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Lane would suffer aterriblebullet wound to the back of the neck. While they were in front of Yorktown, Berdans men talked about one particular Confederate marksman more than any othera black sharpshooter. On one occasion a detachment of eight sharpshooters drew the attention of a particularly talented Southern marksman. Left image On the latter expedition, Roosevelt's personal physician was threatened by a wild boar, and Collier tackled it and stabbed it to death. (See: Early photography at Gettysburg / William Frassanito. However, in April 1862 the Confederate Congress passed an act to organize battalions of sharpshooters: Cannon rifle shells recovered from the Battle of Prairie Grove, Dec. 7, 1862, are on display in the Hindman Hall Museum Wednesday morning, Oct. 12, 2011, at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Arkansas. Photograph shows a Rebel sharpshooter lying on the ground behind a wall of stones and between two large rocks; his rifle leans against the wall of stones. WebCivil War. The Lincoln administration kept a close eye on events on the East Coast and maybe the near Midwest, but events in the Mississippi Valley, or the Trans-Mississippi went largely unnoticed. Every purchase supports the mission. The one thing it wasnt was simple.. Berdan and Lieut.-Col. Ripley, of the Sharpshooters, deserve great credit throughout the siege for pushing forward the rifle pits close to the enemys works, and keeping down the fire of the enemys sharpshooters. Many other officers and men lauded the sharpshooters as well, but all the praise the Union marksmen garnered might well have been summarized in one sentence written by a soldier in New Yorks Excelsior Brigade. The Confederates pursued and a final attempt to break the Union line was made by four Missouri regiments under Brig. The next morning a macabre scene unfolded. Old Californy is in his glory., Aside from the larger detachments sent to other units, individual groups of sharpshooters were also deployed to help man picket outposts. A clipping from Confederate veterans, v. 33 glued to back of the mount of LOT 4168, no. D. H. Hill - The Confederate Angel of Death: Lee's Fighting Color Sergeant Abel Peck of the 24th was killed straight off and the regiments colors were quickly grabbed by Corporal Charles Bellore before it hit the ground. Several accounts claim that Ripley advanced out to the location and picked up the dead mans rifle. Herron was present at Prairie Grove, but thats it. This photograph creates a fascinatingjuxtopostion betweenthe long-standing artform of sketching and the new technology of the day in photography. The men had been promised accurate Sharps breechloading rifles, but they did not receive them in time for the beginning of the campaign. Lieutenant Blair of the 26th, seeing the prostrate flag and knowing its recent history, exclaimed, no man can take those colors and live.. We immediately deployed as skirmishers and closed in towards the fort, recalled a sharpshooter in the advance party. WebRecommended Reading: Sharpshooters of the American Civil War 1861-65. - (LogOut/ Particularly because Blunt treated his black and Indian regiments the same way he treated his white regiments.. Instead, aside from a few men who carried civilian rifles with telescopic sites, they would carry Colt five-shot revolving rifles into their first real action. This photograph depicts two dead Confederate soldiers in the Slaughter Pen. Finally, after marching nearly 20 miles, they spotted a makeshift earthwork near a stream crossing. (Hindmans) real weakness was that he had no real military training, and on the battlefield he tended to freeze up and let the initiative go to the other side, Shea said. Gen. John Schofield, Union commander in Missouri, and prompted him to request help from Blunt, one of the most controversial figures in the Trans-Mississippi and commander of Union troops in Kansas. Shea says the region had become a logistical desert where armies could not operate without difficulty. Citing Primary Sources. William Frassanito has shown that while Hoge died at Gettysburg, his regiment was not involved in fighting near Devil's Den during the battle. Major Gen. John Sedgwick . As the Tarheels began their climb up the hill, the Federal soldiers and artillery held their fire. The tenacity of the 26ths assault forced the 24th Michigan back to a third line in the woods. 4. Adjusting the scope and taking careful aim at the adversary in the treetop, he pulled the trigger. As related by the regiment's commanding officer, Col. James Morehead, in a rare one-on-one encounter Pvt. A dead Confederate soldier lies in front of a large boulder near Devil's Den. (sheet), Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, ppmsca 33066 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.33066, ppmsca 33067 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.33067. A dead soldier lies in front of rocks near Devils Den. Corporal Charles Bellore, who had carried the 24ths colors since Sergeant Pecks death during the morning assault, was killed near the second line. We soon came within sight of them, and could plainly see the men loading the guns behind the ramparts, wrote one sharpshooter. On March 27, the sharpshooters received word they would lead a reconnaissance toward Big Bethel. 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3. Right image The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield. Now seeing the distinctive Hardee hats on the heads of the Michigan men, some of Burgwyns men exclaimed, here are those damned black hat fellows again. With barely 40 yards separating the two lines, the 24th Michigan unleashed a devastating volley upon the Tarheels. Gen. George Morell sent a staff officer ahead to halt the sharpshooters, followed by orders to return to camp. Pennsylvania United States Gettysburg, ca. Years of weather and traffic have shifted some of the rocks in this area, but enough has remained unchanged that the location can be easily determined. As Ripley stated, deadly shots from the sharpshooters made manning the Confederate defenses dangerous work. Contrary to popular belief, Confederate sharpshooters were not all snipers. Private John Stamper grabbed the regiments colors as they entered into the brush near the stream but fell before he made it across. The central boulder and surrounding boulders identify the exact spot where Waud sat in 1863. By the aid of a glass I could see his black mug peeping from behind a tree. Those guys had a lot to lose if Arkansas didnt act to protect slavery.. 1. were detailed as skirmishers, to protect the cannoneers, while the rest of the regiment was sent to suppress enemy artillery fire. Jacksons rump legislature proved to be the zenith of Confederate aspirations in Missouri. Carefully examining the object with a field glass, Berdan watched as the bird would periodically appear and disappear. Once again they had been chosen to lead the way. Credit: Library of Congress. The three campaigns of Wilsons Creek, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove so devastated the people and the landscape of Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri that it no longer was able to support military operations, he said. WebGardner & O'Sullivan - Confederate Sharpshooter in Original Location near Devils Den Then & Now Left image A dead Confederate soldier lies amidst debris near Devils Den, with a gun and hat near his head. Lane concurred, but picked up the flag nonetheless and yelled, twenty-sixth, follow me.. Herron embarked on a series of forced marches that would see his army traverse the difficult landscape between Springfield and Fayetteville in just four days. By 10:00 on the morning of July 1, 1863, the situation near McPhersons Ridge, outside the town of Gettysburg, was becoming increasingly desperate for the Army of the Potomac. Fortunately for the Army of the Potomac, the veteran Iron Brigade, among the toughest units in the army, was just arriving on the western outskirts of the town of Gettysburg, near the prominent Lutheran Seminary. Close your men quickly to the left. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. Gen. Solomon Meredith, commander of the Iron Brigade, brought his forces back across Willoughbys Run and placed his regiments into a compact line inside Herbst Woods. These men accompanied regular Due to the haste of the Confederate retreat, many of the Southern dead went unidentified. 1863) Home of a Rebel sharpshooter. While most of the regiment made it safely to the banks of Willoughbys Run, the 26ths color guard, always a tempting target, suffered much heavier losses. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. Commanded by the boy general, 21-year old Colonel Henry King Burgwyn, the officers of the 26th were anxious to enter the fight before the day was done. The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the Secretary of War my secure to be organized a battalion of sharpshooters for each brigade, consisting of not less than three nor more than six companies, to be composed of men selected from the brigade or otherwise, and armed with long-range muskets or rifles, said Waiting in the thick woods were the trained rifles of the 24th Michigan. Johan, where are you? As Burgwyn fell to the forested floor he was momentarily heldaloft withinthe folds of the battle flag that he so proudly held. They executed a daring raid across the Boston Mountains and captured Van Buren along with two riverboats full of supplies that had lingered in the town after Hindmans withdrawal. Accessibility - The True Story Behind The Gettysburg Sharpshooter Pi Following quickly behind the retreating 24th was the remains of the 26th North Carolina. It also would entail, according to Shea, the most extraordinary forced march of the Civil War by Union men determined to rescue their comrades. Author Robert F. ONeill reconsiders three overlooked 1863 cavalry clashes. Despite taking heavy casualties during the morning counterattack, the Iron Brigade had performed brilliantly once again. The soldiers were excited to have an opportunity for action, but as one officer acknowledged, their first brush with the enemy would likely be significant: Their reputation [could] be made or lost on this reconnaissance.. Blunts Army of the Frontier was a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-lingual institution the likes of which, as far as I know, didnt exist anywhere else in the United States, he said. - It was an ephemeral, short-lived institution, but it was really extraordinary. So much so, one scholar contends, that it closely resembles a postmortem photograph. To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our It was a clear night, and by the time the smoke cleared, this incredible scene was illuminated with moonlight. Throughout the campaign, Hindman would emerge on the north side of the Boston Mountains, and then withdraw to the safety of the Arkansas River Valley before he could be lured into a major battle. Once the target was pointed out to him, the marksman found a good position, took careful aim and fired. Thomas, like so many before him, was hit shortly afterwards and handed the flag to John Vinson. The battle the last major fight on the Ozark Plateau would prove to be a desperate and bloody affair that resulted in nearly 2,600 casualties. Standing toe to toe in the deep woods, the two proud regiments poured deadly fire into each other. As he did so Brown fired, and my joker fell, with a bullet through him. The shattered remains of the Iron Brigade filed quickly behind a barricade of rails erected on Seminary Ridge and awaited the next assault from the Confederates. Credit: NPS Photo. Around midnight, the Confederates slipped out of their lines and began the long, cold march back to Van Buren. The body of this soldier would be moved by the photographers from this location to another one some 40 yards away, where he would become the subject of one of Gettysburgs most indelible images. He had been shot in the chest at Pea Ridge in March of that year, and had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He is the only general officer that I know of who repeatedly fought in his own battles. Pointing out the location to Lieutenant William Elmendorf, of Company B, Berdan ordered the lieutenant to take six men to put some holes through the object. Waiting for the optimal chance to strike their enemy, the Union line unleashed a devastating fire that drove back the Confederate attackers. He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day. Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter Then & Now. total: 1,815 Pressing further into Archer's right flank, the 24th Michigan and the 19th Indiana struck and overlappedthe 13th Alabama, forcing them to rapidly retire towards Herrs Ridge. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012647605/. - Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Today Prairie Grove is a state park, but it gets scant mention in histories of the war, something that Frisbie thought unjust long before Shea joined his campaign. Many veterans of Western campaigns and battles shared the same sentiment, including Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. 15 photographic prints : albumen ; 19 x 25 cm. Col. Alexander Steen pointed his sword at the federal lines and shouted to his men: Remember, yonder is the way to your homes. Although the homesick Missourians made several valiant charges, they were met each time with enfilading artillery fire that cut wide swathes in their ranks. He has written numerous books on the Civil War, including histories of the Pea Ridge and Vicksburg campaigns. were relieved and retired to the woods in the rear. On a crisp December day in 1862, a Confederate army of nearly 12,000 men under the command of Maj. Gen. Thomas Hindman took the field against two smaller Union PA Adjusting his range, he tried two more shots, missing both times. Left image Learn more about who the Confederate "sharpshooter" may have been on our blog. The value of this branch of the service became so apparent that companies and battalions were organized in most of the brigades of infantry Cpt. The 26th North Carolina, as part of Pettigrew's Brigade, participated in the fateful Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge against Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863. The modern photograph of this area reveals the Plum Run footbridge and the slope of Little Round Top in the distance. The Sharpshooters have a great name down here now, boasted one of Berdans men to his parents. Home of a Rebel sharpshooter. a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate. These 10-pound projectile shells, mostly used by Union forces, were fired by a 14-pounder James Rifle cannon and had a range around 1,700 yards. The 2nd U.S.S.S. Blunts isolation was detected by Brig. Blunt was furious and ordered his men to march cross country to the sound of the battle. A dead Confederate soldier lies behind a stone fortification, a gun propped against the rocks next to him. Berdan had begun organizing his distinctive organization soon after the Federal Armys defeat at Bull Run in July 1861. There was a leg of one of the enemy hanging up in a tree top 30 feet high.. He allowed his subordinates to take control of the fight and they let him down.. It was getting towards night, when a puff of smoke was seen to rise from a tree near the fort, and a bullet came whistling past our heads. Credit: Library of Congress. Van Dorn took his entire army, and all the ammunition and supplies he could lay his hands on, across the Mississippi River, leaving Arkansas virtually undefended. Guessing that he was firing too low, the marksman increased the angle and discharged his weapon. WebConfederate Sharpshooter Berry Benson and His Enfield Berry Benson was a civil war sharpshooter and was on the confederates side. Before long, opposing groups of marksmen were dueling each other, and Berdans men quickly gained respect for their counterparts. Probably the most effective troops in the late civil war for the number of men engaged, were the sharpshooters. It had a lot to do with simple distance. You have permission to edit this article. Confederate artillerymen from other parts of the line soon began targeting Berdans men, and the sharpshooters also attracted the attention of increasing numbers of Confederate skirmishers and marksmen, resulting in casualties. The Army of Northern Viriginia dressed in Blue. It seems he occupied a hollow tree more than 1,000 yards in front of their line. Right image The rock formations near Devils Den remain unchanged in a modern photo of this location. Credit: Library of Congress. Despite suffering enormous casualties on July 1st, both the 24th Michigan and 26th North Carolina would see even more combat later in the three day battle. Scores died in the squalid conditions of makeshift hospitals in and around Fayetteville. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through In the night many of the wounded had been partially consumed by feral hogs, called razorbacks by local farmers, which wandered the countryside of Northwest Arkansas. For the next four weeks the sharpshooters would play an important role in those effortspicking off enemy artillerymen, dealing with Southern sharpshooters, guarding the fatigue details digging trenches and earthworks, engaging the enemy from the closest line of trenches and bolstering the picket lines. Finally, at 2:30pm, the 26th and the rest of Pettigrews Brigade was ordered forward. I mean, we won: The Century-Long Battle Over This Confederate Flag, Revisiting the Small but Important Riots between Brandy Station and Gettysburg. The whole thing was illuminated, Shea said. The plight of the wounded, on both sides, following the battle was horrible. Joined by the 19th Indiana and 7th Wisconsin, the Iron Brigade now had roughly 1,450 men positioned to take on the 1,200 soldiers in Archers Brigade. Berdans men pursued the retreating Confederates, capturing some stragglers, and proudly planted their colors on the enemy earthwork. As the 26th North Carolinas men prepared for yet another charge, their flag lay on the ground in front. Once he made this realization, he ordered his men to rush after Hindman, but his column made a wrong turn and marched to the Union wagon train at Rheas Mill, about seven miles northwest of Prairie Grove. Companies C and E of the 1st U.S.S.S. Remedies were applied, but no relief came and he died six hours after being taken. The same rocks near Devils Den are unassuming today. With the 26ths men reforming on their colonel and colors, Private Frank Honeycutt moved forward to take the flag from his colonel. Early the next day Berdans men pushed forward toward the outer defenses of Yorktown. Reference staff can As a sharpshooter, he volunteered as a skirmisher, served on picket duty, and engaged in considerable shooting practice. March! came the order. The rebel infantry, he wrote, which at first responded with a vigorous fire, found that exposure of a head meant grave danger, if not death., As Ripley stated, deadly shots from the sharpshooters made manning the Confederate defenses dangerous work. Hindman arranged for the return of two Missouri regiments taken by Van Dorn to Mississippi. A mural depicting the Battle of Prairie Grove, Dec. 7, 1862, hangs over the entryway to the Hindman Hall Museum Wednesday morning, Oct. 12, 2011, at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Arkansas. Harris (a lieutenant at the time) continued in command of Archers sharpshooters until April 2, 1865 when he was severely wounded (for the seventh time) trying to stem the Union breakthrough at Petersburg. Confederate survivors of the battle fared little better. Left image Looking over the land in front of him, Heth was determined that his afternoon attack would deliver the victory that he knew was expected of him. The rifle of choice for Confederate sharpshooters was the English Whitworth. Price lists, contact information, and order forms are available on the Col. Henry Morrow of the 24th then directed the Michigan troops across Willoughbys Run and into the rear ofthe Tennessee regiments who were busy holding off the rest of the Iron Brigade. Notably, the mans youthful features and the lack of gore on the body present a somewhat sanitized and romanticized version of death at Gettysburg. On April 19, Companies A and C, under Major Casper Trepp, were sent to Brig. WebWhitworth Sharpshooters were the Confederates' answer to the Union sharpshooter regiments, and they used the British Whitworth rifle. the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. That night, Hindman took stock of his supplies and determined that he could not sustain another battle. After that incident Berdans men sent back for some comrades carrying target rifles and scopes; four marksmen came up and manned the pit to make sure they would not be outgunned again. such as microfilm or copy prints? Pennsylvania United States Gettysburg, ca. The two companies with target rifles then took a position where they could command a battery, and picked off many of the gunners, which made them more careful of exposing themselves.. William Frassanito has shown that while Hoge died at Gettysburg, his regiment was not involved in fighting near Devil's Den during the battle. A tenth, unnamed man, took his turn holding the colors. Right image On a crisp December day in 1862, a Confederate army of nearly 12,000 men under the command of Maj. Gen. Thomas Hindman took the field against two smaller Union armies totaling about 9,000 men under Brig. Pictured are Joseph Taylor and his sons Joshua Taylor, 4, and Jeremiah Taylor, 6 (left). Leon killed a Union sharpshooter, whom the Confederates identified as a "Canadian Indian". Photograph. The 26th North Carolina entered the battle with 843 soldiers and incurred687 casualties, including its colonel and lieutenant colonel. Brigadier General Charles Jameson gave the honor to six sharpshooters, however, saying, The Sharpshooters have been at the front during the entire siege, and they shall not be displaced now., Upon occupying the abandoned position, the Union soldiers heard stories from escaped slaves that further bolstered the reputation of Berdans marksmen. His shift to the defensive was one of the turning points of the campaign. The 24th Michigan was moved to Culp's Hill - the Union's vulnerable right flank - to help shore up that critical position. The works seemed strong, and McClellan decided the best course of action would be a siege operation. Lanes counterpart, Colonel Henry A. Morrow of the 24th also become a casualty during the fight. This photograph, taken by Alexander Gardner's assistant Timothy O'Sullivan, depicts a dead Confederate soldier at the likely location of his death on the western side of Devils Den. On May 9, 1864, General John Sedgwick became the highest ranking United States soldier to be killed in the U.S. Civil War when a sharpshooter killed him at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.But despite Sedgwicks leadership and his bravery, he is most known for his last words. One marksman remembered that slaves who had escaped from the Confederate lines told of a day of slaughter on April 5, when out of a whole company that worked the guns in a battery near the peach orchardonly 12 were fit for duty the next morning. In the course of the next week, more Union soldiers arrived at Fortress Monroe, and preparations were made for an advance in force toward the Confederate defenses at Yorktown.