Sgt. Grace - 4th Georgia Infantry:

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10851Man

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I thought the account of Grace's shot was incredible.

The date was May 9th 1864, when Sgt Grace, a Confederate sniper, achieved what was considered to be an incredible shot at the time, and what is definitely the most ironic demise of a target in history.

It was during the battle of Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Virginia, when Grace took aim with his British Whitworth Rifle. His target was General John Sedgwick and the distance was said to be 800 to 1,000 yards. An extremely long distance for the time.

During the beginning of the skirmish, the confederate sharpshooters were causing Sedgwick’s men to duck for cover. Sedgwick refused to duck and was quoted as saying “What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. They couldn’t hit Elephants at this distance.”

His men persisted in taking cover. As Sedgwick repeated “They couldn’t hit elephants at this distance,” Grace’s shot hits Sedgwick just under his left eye.

Sedgwick was the highest ranking Union casualty in the civil war and upon hearing his death Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant repeatedly asked “Is he really dead”.

Wonder what his first name was????
 

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Grace along with South Carolinian Ben Powell both claim to have shot a mounted man from his horse. There was indeed another officer who was mounted and shot at about the same spot, but it wasn't Sedgwick. Sedgwick was on foot when he was hit. We really don't know who shot Sedgwick.

What is important that there was a change in command as folks were pushed up the ladder as a result of Sedgwick's death. Two days later Col. Emory Upton attacked a weak point in the Mule Shoe and captured it. However, his attack was unsupported (by Gershom Mott) and it failed. Two days later a larger corps scale assault was tried by Hancock's II Corps. That was a very bloody battle. Some Union soldiers believed that had Papa Sedgwick been around to coordinate either assault, it would have succeeded (Credit goes to Gordon Rhea as the first modern Civil War historian to point this out).
 
Charles D. Grace of Co 'B' enlisted 26 Apr 1861, wounded and furloughed, last record surrendered Appomattox Court House 9 Apr 1865. This company was mustered into service on 3 May 1861 at Augusta, Ga. He enlisted at La Grange, Ga. On 26 Apr 1861 he was at a hospital.

31 Dec 1863 he was wounded and on furlough.

He was sent for exchange from Ft. Delaware to Aikens Landing, Va 2 Oct 1862 and declared exchanged on 10 Nov 1862.

He is on the list of soldiers surrendered by Gen. Lee at Appomattox.

He was in a regimental hospital on 13 Nov 1861 with a fever. I can read the type of fever but am unfamiliar with it. He returned to duty 14 Nov 1861. On 21 May 1864 he is shown as being at Jackson hospital, Richmond, Va. He was furloughed for 60 days. He was shot in the left shoulder by a minie ball and admitted at Jackson Hospital on 16 May.
 
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