Union General John Sedgwick was killed by a Confederate sniper on May 8, 1864. Why was this death tragically ironic?
Answer: Sedgwick was a noted skeptic of the role of the sniper, and he was shot while dismissing the likelihood of a successful hit. His final words were, ‘why they couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist…’
Source: Sniping – A History by Pat Farey