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Some small patches of trees set the backdrop for Sedgwick and his noble steed. The legs of the horse are positioned in mid stride with all hoves touching the platform. The code says, all four legs planted means that Sedgwick lived and was not wounded.
Does the horse code hold true for John Sedgwick? Consider the facts. Sedgwick was wounded twice at the Battle of Glendale, three times during Antietam, and was killed during the Battle of Spottsylvania.
Does it sound like the end of the horse code debate? Defenders of the code would tell you that none of this counts because Sedgwick was not killed or wounded during The Battle of Gettysburg. That makes sense, considering this is a statue in the Gettysburg Battlefied.
I feel this misrepresents Sedgwick. He received many wounds during his service, and died giving his life to his country. Isn't that worth including if there were such a code? What if no other statue of Sedgwick was made? If I were a sculptor and I wanted to follow the code, I would have taken these things into consideration.
