Sedgwick Monument is a memorial to Union General John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick was a teacher, a career military officer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was the highest ranking Union casualty in the Civil War, killed by a sniper at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.-Early life:Sedgwick was born in the Litchfield Hills town of...

 at West Point

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

. "Uncle John" Sedgwick was born in Cornwall, Connecticut, 67 miles northeast of West Point, New York. Sculpted by Launt Thompson

Launt Thompson

Launt Thompson , American sculptor, born in Abbeyleix, Ireland. Due to the potato famine occurring in Ireland at the time, he emigrated to the United States in 1847 with his widowed mother, and they settled in Albany, New York. There, he found work as a handyman.-Biography:After studying anatomy...

 and dedicated in 1868, the monument was erected by officers and soldiers of the 6th Army Corps to commemorate Major General Sedgwick and his death at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...

 in 1864. Originally, the monument was located on the northwest edge of the Plain

The Plain (West Point)

The Plain is the parade field at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The flat terrain of the Plain is in contrast to the varied and hilly terrain of the remainder of the campus. The Plain rises approximately above the Hudson River and has been the site of the longest...

, it was later relocated to its current location at Trophy Point

Trophy Point

Trophy Point is a scenic overlook of the Hudson River Valley located at West Point, New York. It has been the subject of numerous works of art since the early 19th century. Trophy Point is the location of Battle Monument, one of the largest columns of granite in the world...

 across Washington Road from Battle Monument

Battle Monument (USMA)

Battle Monument is a large doric column monument located on Trophy Point at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. Designed by Stanford White, it was dedicated on 30 May 1897 by surviving Civil War veterans. The monument was financed by monthly contributions from the pay of the...

. Legend holds that if a cadet is deficient in academics, the cadet should go to the monument at midnight the night before the term-end examination, in full dress, under arms, and spin the rowels on the monument’s spurs. With the resulting good luck, the cadet will pass the test.