One Union General John Sedgewick was reported to have been killed by a bullet from a Confederate sniper firing a Whitworth rifle with a primitive scope. The Union forces had been advancing against the Confederates until they had to cross a wide-open area and had known there was a Rebel sniper working from the tree line opposite them.
General John Sedgewick rides up with his staff and begins to harangue the Union soldiers for being cowards and not taking advantage of the opportunity to advance. He is reported to have said, “They could not hit the side of an elephant at this range!” No sooner than he had said this, a sniper’s bullet hit the general below his left eye. He was dead before he hit the ground.










Very interesting Mr Samples thanks
General William Haines Lytle was another Union general killed by a sniper at the battle of Chickamauga and one of the generals on either side to die in combat. There were approximately 1,000 generals on both sides. 124 died of wounds, 38 from illness and accidents, and 2 by suicide.

The sniper’s role was unique. Selected as one of the very best rifle marksmen in the entire Confederate army, he was seldom assigned to any specific unit but allowed to go wherever he felt he could do the most harm to the enemy. One prime location was to target the artillery batteries of the enemy. While it took as much as two minutes to reload a Whitworth rifle, it was deadly effective at a longer range than any other rifle used by either side. I have recently read that in a field test against modern sniper rifles, the Whitworth rifle was deadly accurate out to as much as 1,000 yards.

All artillery batteries were quite knowledgeable about the Whitworth’s accuracy and range. I have read where entire Union batteries would open and fire on a suspected sniper’s location. Left unopposed, the sniper on either side could kill entire gun crews if left unopposed. Due to the unique whistling sound of a Whitworth bullet, it was easy to know when you were targeted by a sniper with a Whitworth rifle.

Let me circle back and connect this story with that of Bagdad and the purchase of weapons and other critical military supplies. I have read that a single Whitworth rifle with a scope would bring as much as $500 in gold by the Confederacy.

Also, as a rumor, I have read that after the surrender at Appatomox, General Grant allowed the Confederates to keep their weapons. However, I have also read that any Rebel soldier carrying a Whitworth rifle was subject to execution, due to the high number of lives he had killed.

There was one that made it back to north Texas and remained in the family for several generations. It finally was given to a museum in Oklahoma City and is still there for viewing.

Of the more than 1,000 Union and Confederate generals who served in the Civil War, 124 died of wounds received in battle, while 38 died from illnesses, accidents, or in other bizarre incidents. Among those in the latter category were two who committed suicide—one after being demoted by Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the other after being placed under arrest by notorious Union Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles. While most of the generals who survived the four years of carnage would die of natural causes, a fraction perished in tragic mishaps during peacetime. One of Maj. Gen. Phil Sheridan’s ablest lieutenants, for example, drowned in a shipwreck on his way to Mexico in 1880. A Union division commander who helped repel Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg died in a train accident nine years after he fought in that epic battle. Most buffs know of Union Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis’ murder of Maj. Gen. William “Bull” Nelson, a fellow Yankee, during the war, and the slaying of Confederate Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn by the husband of his mistress in April 1863, but they probably aren’t familiar with the stories of the Confederate generals killed in street fights or assassinated in the 1870s and 1880s. Compiled here is a list of 10 bizarre and tragic deaths of Union and Confederate generals both during and after the war.

I was curious as to the number of admirals and generals killed in World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam. There were 4 admirals, 26 Army generals, 3 Air Force generals, and 3 U.S. Marine generals. It is good to know if you are going into harm's way, that your leadership is right there with you! I have heard comments about never seeing any brass above a major on the front lines. However, helicopter crashes accounted for a high percentage. At least two were killed by sniper fire. Just Sayin…RJS

One Union General John Sedgewick was reported to have been killed by a bullet from a Confederate sniper firing a Whitworth rifle with a primitive scope. The Union forces had been advancing against the Confederates until they had to cross a wide-open area and had known there was a Rebel sniper working from the tree line opposite them.
General John Sedgewick rides up with his staff and begins to harangue the Union soldiers for being cowards and not taking advantage of the opportunity to advance. He is reported to have said, “They could not hit the side of an elephant at this range!” No sooner than he had said this, a sniper’s bullet hit the general below his left eye. He was dead before he hit the ground.

General William Haines Lytle was another Union general killed by a sniper at the battle of Chickamauga and one of the generals on either side to die in combat. There were approximately 1,000 generals on both sides. 124 died of wounds, 38 from illness and accidents, and 2 by suicide.

The sniper’s role was unique. Selected as one of the very best rifle marksmen in the entire Confederate army, he was seldom assigned to any specific unit but allowed to go wherever he felt he could do the most harm to the enemy. One prime location was to target the artillery batteries of the enemy. While it took as much as two minutes to reload a Whitworth rifle, it was deadly effective at a longer range than any other rifle used by either side. I have recently read that in a field test against modern sniper rifles, the Whitworth rifle was deadly accurate out to as much as 1,000 yards.

All artillery batteries were quite knowledgeable about the Whitworth’s accuracy and range. I have read where entire Union batteries would open and fire on a suspected sniper’s location. Left unopposed, the sniper on either side could kill entire gun crews if left unopposed. Due to the unique whistling sound of a Whitworth bullet, it was easy to know when you were targeted by a sniper with a Whitworth rifle.

Let me circle back and connect this story with that of Bagdad and the purchase of weapons and other critical military supplies. I have read that a single Whitworth rifle with a scope would bring as much as $500 in gold by the Confederacy.

Also, as a rumor, I have read that after the surrender at Appatomox, General Grant allowed the Confederates to keep their weapons. However, I have also read that any Rebel soldier carrying a Whitworth rifle was subject to execution, due to the high number of lives he had killed.

There was one that made it back to north Texas and remained in the family for several generations. It finally was given to a museum in Oklahoma City and is still there for viewing.

Of the more than 1,000 Union and Confederate generals who served in the Civil War, 124 died of wounds received in battle, while 38 died from illnesses, accidents, or in other bizarre incidents. Among those in the latter category were two who committed suicide—one after being demoted by Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the other after being placed under arrest by notorious Union Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles. While most of the generals who survived the four years of carnage would die of natural causes, a fraction perished in tragic mishaps during peacetime. One of Maj. Gen. Phil Sheridan’s ablest lieutenants, for example, drowned in a shipwreck on his way to Mexico in 1880. A Union division commander who helped repel Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg died in a train accident nine years after he fought in that epic battle. Most buffs know of Union Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis’ murder of Maj. Gen. William “Bull” Nelson, a fellow Yankee, during the war, and the slaying of Confederate Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn by the husband of his mistress in April 1863, but they probably aren’t familiar with the stories of the Confederate generals killed in street fights or assassinated in the 1870s and 1880s. Compiled here is a list of 10 bizarre and tragic deaths of Union and Confederate generals both during and after the war.

I was curious as to the number of admirals and generals killed in World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam. There were 4 admirals, 26 Army generals, 3 Air Force generals, and 3 U.S. Marine generals. It is good to know if you are going into harm's way, that your leadership is right there with you! I have heard comments about never seeing any brass above a major on the front lines. However, helicopter crashes accounted for a high percentage. At least two were killed by sniper fire. Just Sayin…RJS