Posted on 10/13/2015 7:42:54 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
"τετελεσται"
(perfect tense)
The real irony is that Sedgwick was right: the Confederates almost certainly could not hit an elephant at that range, and he was killed by a round that was either not intended for him, or was blind luck.
People claim the snipers were about 1000 yards away, but careful measurements taken by the NPS place the actual distance at about 550 yards.
You'll get varying opinions about how accurate snipers and their rifles were in those days, but most agree that 300 yards was about the limit of complete surety range for weapons used by Confederates at Spotsylvania, with 500-700 yards being a 1/4 proposition, and 1000 yards being about 1/10. [It gets heated on the Civil War message boards, with some people saying that using black powder and the packing methods of the day, and no spotters, anything over 400 yards was a complete crapshoot, to others who say Civil War snipers hit 700 yards all the time...]
Add to that, Sedgwick was moving up and down the line, so he was not stationary, and you should probably conclude it was a very lucky shot.
The function of the sharpshooters in that case was to postpone effective deployment as long as possible, and not necessarily to kill a Union general. Obviously they'd accept that as a bonus.
John Segwick, Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Range ~1000yds, head shot below left eye. Probably a Whitworth
Custer: Where did all those effin Indians come from?
Was that the kind that took a hexagonal bullet?
CC
Adolf Hitler: “This marriage is finished.”
My favorite tombstone inscription reads;
“Here lies the body of Annie Proctor,
Took a purge but didn’t call a doctor,
She could not stay, she had to go,
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.”
“Or “I wonder what this button does.” “
That one was going around after the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up:
Q: What were Christa McAuliffe’s last words?
A: “I wonder what this button does?”
“They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance.”
Shortly before being killed by a Confederate sniper from supposedly approximately 1000 yards away.
arg...I should have read further...
The other joke I heard was, “What were the last words heard on Challenger? ‘Bud Light’”
Gen. Stonewall Jackson, dying & delirious after being hit by friendly fire:
“No, no, let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.”
This was later corrupted into,
“Carry me across the river, boys, and let me rest under the shade of the trees.”
W.C. Fields’ epitaph, not last words:
“On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadelphia”
My uncle who was a lifelong avid golfer had for his epitaph:
“This is my ninth hole in one, and my last!”
If you dare to listen, this is his String Quartet No. 3.
Right before he kicked a Bucket. Loved that Movie.
“Let’s roll!”
“Was that the kind that took a hexagonal bullet?”
Yes, the Whitworth fired a hexagonal bullet. At one time, replica Whitworth rifles were being sold - I would love to try one.
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