Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons > Long Range Muzzleloading

Long Range Sharp Shooter

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Firewalker:
On the evening of May 9th, General John Sedgwick was inspecting his line and directing artillery placements at Spotsylvania. Confederate sharpshooters were firing shots at the Union army from around 1,000 meters away, causing them to duck for cover which prompted General Sedgwick to say “What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line?”
Trying to shore up his men’s spirits, he assured them “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” Just moments after he uttered those words, a Confederate sharpshooter struck and killed him.
He was hit in the left eye and died instantly.

Ohio Joe:
Have always kind 'a wondered if he took that bullet from an Enfield 1853 or '58 Rifled-Musket, that were being supplied to the South by England?

No Powder:
Irregardless which gun it would have been, would it have used some type of conical bullet or a round ball?

Ohio Joe:
I personally think it would have been a Conical bullet - only because of the distance the Confederates were shooting from. When you think about it, what are the odds of picking off General John Sedgwick from that distance with a head shot? He probably rode (or walked) right into the bullet's path.

The Whitworth rifle saw extensive use with the Confederate sharpshooters in the American Civil War, claiming the lives of several Union generals, including Major General John Sedgwick, one of the highest-ranking Union officers killed during the Civil War, shot on 9 May 1864, at Spotsylvania.

No Powder:
It's hard for me to comprehend anyone being able to shoot accurately at that distance. Let alone to be able to tell if they had hit anyone. Whatever they were shooting at had to be pretty small.

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