Meet General Sickles
Gettysburg National Military Park Kidzpage

General Sickles after Gettysburg
General Daniel Sickles
(National Archives)
Daniel Edgar Sickles was born in New York City on October 20, 1819, the son of a lawyer and legal wrangler. The young Sickles was not a model child or a model school student, but exhibited an attitude of independence from his studies. After completing school the young Sickles settled into the newspaper business and then took up the study of law. His expertise in legal matters and opinions on political subjects won him recognition and he was elected to Congress as a representative for New York. Sickles arrived in Washington with his young bride and immediately enjoyed the political atmosphere and made many friends. Yet, his fortunes took a sudden turn in 1859 when he discovered that his wife had been having a year-long affair with a well-known socialite. The enraged Sickles shot and killed his wife's lover in broad daylight on the streets of Washington. A lengthy trial followed and amazingly he was acquitted. Wrapped in scandal, supporters believed Sickles' political career to be at an end; yet Daniel Sickles was certain that he was not through with the world of politics.

Soon after the Civil War began, Sickles offered his services to New York and was authorized to raise a regiment. The reaction to his name in the newspapers and on posterboards was electric and Sickles had over two thousand volunteers ready for war within a few weeks. He received a brigadier general's star for his efforts and was appointed to command the "Excelsior Brigade" made up entirely of New York troops, even though he had no formal military training. The brigade was sent to the Army of the Potomac and first experienced battle at Williamsburg in 1862. Despite his lack of military training, General Sickles exhibited a hard-hitting attitude on the battlefield. He also used his experience in politics to benefit both himself and his command with high ranking officers and by the spring of 1863, General Sickles was in command the Third Corps, a force of nearly 19,000 men. Despite his political dabbling and controversy surrounding his appointment to major general, Sickles dutifully performed his duties as a corps commander when he first commanded the Third Corps at the Battle of Chancellorsville May 2-5, 1863. Though the Army of the Potomac suffered a humiliating defeat, Sickles' troops fought well throughout the battle and he did a creditable job. Two months later, he led his command to the field of Gettysburg, which was to be the most controversial event in his military career.

The Third Corps arrived at Gettysburg during the night of July 1 and was placed on the left flank of the line early the next morning. General Sickles was dissatisfied with his position and preferred higher ground marked by a large peach orchard, just to the west of the main Union line. After gathering information that a Confederate force was gathering in front of him, he ordered his troops forward to the high ground. This new position stretched his Third Corps into a thin line extending from the Devil's Den to the Peach Orchard and north along the Emmitsburg Road. Within an hour, his troops were attacked by Longstreet's Corps and the fighting was some of the most desperate of the war. The general was seriously wounded by a cannon ball that struck him in the right leg. Carried from the battlefield on a stretcher, General Sickles cheered the Union reserves headed to the scene of battle. Union surgeons found the general's leg so shattered that amputation was necessary and as a fitting memorial to the sacrifice of one of his limbs, Sickles requested that the shattered bones be saved for future study.

Sickles' shattered leg bone
The shattered leg bone of General Sickles.
(National Park Service)
General Sickles' days with the army were over. After the close of the Civil War, he became active in the Grand Army of the Republic ("GAR"), the national organization of Union veterans, and began a renewed career in politics. He was appointed as the United States minister to Spain and was later re-elected to Congress. While in Congress he sponsored the Sickles Bill, which Federalized the Gettysburg battlefield. The bill was approved in 1895 and Gettysburg National Military Park became the property of the American people. The aging general visited Gettysburg several times and was keenly interested in the park's development. Despite the controversy of his tactical decisions on the second day of the battle, General Sickles was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for the service he rendered in rallying and inspiring the troops at Gettysburg. He was the last surviving corps commander of the Army of the Potomac to fight at that battle and attended the 1913 Anniversary and Grand Reunion, where he was warmly greeted by all of the veterans in attendance. The general was in his glory and entertained everyone he encountered. He continued to be active in the GAR and politics until his death on May 3, 1914. General Sickles is interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Gettysburg National Military Park
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