When I first heard the story of Union Major-General John Sedgwick, I had to research it further as it sounded too much like an exaggeration and possibly a legend at best. In my research I have verified the truth to the story as it was originally told to me. Sedgwick was very successful in the Civil War, rising from the rank of Colonel to his final rank as a Major General in only three short years. He served in the Army of the Potomac, thus finding himself commanding a division and later a corps during many serious battles against the Confederate army commanded by General Robert E. Lee.
He was wounded on several occasions, some of his wounds were severe, and that could very well be the root cause to the ironic manner in which he died. I’ve heard it said that if you are bitten by a snake often enough, you will eventually gain an immunity or tolerance to the snake’s venom. In other words, you become impervious to the effects of the poison due to your body’s ability to stop its caustic effect upon your nervous system. (Note: I have not verified this on my own and will take their word for it!)
On May 9th, 1864, Sedgwick met his fate during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. (Yes, I spelled that right!) His army corps was probing the left flank of the Confederate defenses and he was directing the artillery emplacements along his line. As he made his dispositions for his guns, Confederate sharp-shooters began firing at both he and his staff as they rode along the front. He noticed that most of his staff and the artillerymen were 'dropping for cover' as the bullets sang through the trees and dense underbrush. Maybe because of the many times he had been wounded in the past and his becoming accustomed to it, he was overheard to say: “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 an elephant at this distance." As the men continued to cower, he was heard to repeat the phrase a second time. Seconds later he fell from his horse, a stray bullet had found its mark just below his left eye, killing him instantly.
We all have a little bit of the General in us, it seems. Bad things can only happen to other people, and to think of ourselves as merely mortal or slightly less in most of life’s situations is hard for us to fathom. I’ve seen people do crazy things, and I have performed many stupid feats myself that were preceded by the phrase, “Hey ya’ll, watch this!” Thankfully, these actions become less the norm as we get older and wiser. No one in my small town would make it past the age of 60 if it were not so.
I’ve thought of this application in my Christian life as well. Many times the temptations I believed I was most immune to, the ones that surely could not affect me, were the very ones that caused a rough patch in my spiritual walk with Him. And the sad thing is that I know I am not alone in discovering this mystery in the life of a Christian. One look in the wrong direction, a turn toward things that are not to be, or words that should never be uttered from my mouth can cause a slip or an outright failure on my part. One minute I find myself on a spiritual plain where life is bliss and blessings seem unlimited; a second later I’ve descended into the depths of a dark valley that is rife with depression and misery. And strangely enough when I look back, that descent originated out of a process that was of my own making. I took that step, I said those things – it was all me.
Paul writes in I Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Sometimes I need to remember who I am and by Who’s grace I am to live my life. Me by myself? I’m nothing special. You could say I’m apt to fall or misplace my Christian walk at the drop of a hat. It is only through His will and His power that I can stand as a Christian and weather the storms the evil one can and will send my way. At all times, I need to trust in His strength and learn to depend less on my own. Especially if I am to stay on that straight and narrow path I’ve been destined by faith to travel.
After all, Satan is gunning for me and he is noted for being able to hit an elephant at this distance.
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