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or less from the center of the target. They used a piece of string to measure from the center point to each bullet hole. The accumulated distance for all the shots on this string could measure no more than 50 inches (127 cm) long. They were allowed to choose a rifle and position of their preference for the test. A man eligible to be a
Sharpshooter had to possess a keen eye, steady hands and a great deal of training and skill with a rifle. In addition to that, for a man to be a Sharpshooter, it took cool nerves in order to be able to estimate their target carefully, determine the high
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447:, on September 6, 1824. Not only was Berdan a military officer in the Civil War and creator of the Sharpshooters regiment, he was also an American mechanical engineer and creative inventor. Some of Berdan's inventions included the Berdan rifle (a repeating rifle) and the Berdan center fire primer, a range finder torpedo boat for evading torpedo nets during and after the Civil War. Berdan also developed the first commercial gold amalgamation machine to separate gold from ore. Berdan was also known for being an amateur champion
670:. After Lincoln watched Berdan perform a demonstration of the Sharps rifle's extreme speed and accuracy he was so impressed that he ordered them to be immediately issued to both Sharpshooter regiments. Nevertheless, many of the men still continued to use their own rifles, no matter how heavy and bulky they were, probably because that is what they had training and experience with. The sharpshooters were finally issued their Sharps rifles on May 8, 1862.
654:), weighed about 12 pounds (5.4 kg), was 47 inches (1,200 mm) in length with a 30-inch (760 mm) barrel and fired cartridges with a .52 caliber conical ball. The Sharps rifle was accurate up to 600 yards (550 m), so the typical Sharpshooter was able to put twenty bullets in a 24-inch (610 mm) pattern from 200 yards (180 m) away. The first Sharps rifle in the regiment was purchased by
706:. Furthermore, Sharpshooter knapsacks were a Prussian-style fur sack fitted over a wooden frame, as opposed to the usual tarred canvas. However, as the war went on the men were not reissued this clothing and many of the men received standard federal clothing making it harder for rebel troops to notice their elite capabilities. By the Gettysburg campaign most of the men were wearing modified blue uniforms.
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694:, but also sometimes was a disadvantage because they were easy to distinguish against the rest of the Union soldiers for Confederate marksmen to spot and target. Sharpshooters were high-priority kills amongst the Confederate army, because they had such high skills and good salvageable equipment. Sharpshooters used more
632:, sporting arms, and various other custom-made privately owned target weapons. Some of these rifles weighed up to 30 pounds (14 kg) because they contained the first breed of telescope sights. At first, many of the Sharpshooter riflemen used their own weapons, but this led to problems when it came to
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During the Civil War, regiments were usually composed of companies all from the same state. On the other hand, due to the strict qualifications and special skills in order to become a member of the
Sharpshooters, each regiment was assembled of companies from various different Union states. Below is a
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test in order to qualify to be a member of the
Sharpshooters; each man had to be able to place ten shots in a circle of 10 inches (250 mm) in diameter from 200 yards (180 m) away. The shots were to be accurate enough so that the average distance of them all would be 5 inches (127 mm)
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denied Berdan's request because he feared the issuance of Sharps rifles would lead to a waste of ammunition. Lt. General Scott insisted that Berdan's men use a standard
Springfield rifle. Berdan was not at all satisfied with Scott's ruling, so he took his request for Sharps rifles directly to
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in the United States. Berdan's interest in rifles and shooting led him to the idea of creating a regiment full of men who all had notable shooting skills: the
Sharpshooters. Berdan left active service in the field in the summer of 1863. He died on March 31, 1893, and was buried in the
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of volunteers began service in late
November 1860. During their service, they fought in every Eastern battle up until autumn of 1864. During their tour, the Sharpshooters were noted for efficient service in the battles of
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Ten of the regiment's officers and 143 enlisted men were killed in action or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 128 enlisted men died of disease, for a total of 282 deaths in the service.
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The most notable aspect of the Berdan
Sharpshooter uniform is the green color, rather than the standard Union blue. They were one of only a few regiments that went outside the typical
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on any of their buttons. Their shoes were standard Union issue, but their pants were made of green wool just like the frock coats, with a pair of
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Berdan chose the Sharps rifle mainly because of its fast breech loading and outstanding accuracy from long-range distances. Lieutenant
General
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The first United States
Sharpshooter regiment consisted of the following commanding officers (listed by company):
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battle tactics than the rest of the Union infantry. Along with the green uniform, a soldier was to have no
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while the regiment was at the camp of instruction outside
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Hiram C. Berdan began recruiting men for the first Sharpshooter regiment in 1861. He recruited men from
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The men of the Sharpshooters regiment were armed with various types of rifles, including the
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supply. As a result, Berdan made a request to receive issuance of Sharps rifles to his men.
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list of each company in the first regiment, their origin and date of establishment.
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that could be fired eight to ten times per minute (three times the rate of the
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needed and to take in consideration the effect that any current wind may have.
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Berdan's United States sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865
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for his heroism as second in command of the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters at the
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uniform. The green uniform gave the sharpshooters the clear advantage of
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was the founder of the Sharpshooters. Berdan was born in the town of
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Company B - 1st Regiment U.S.S.S. (United States Sharp Shooters)
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Berdan's United States Sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac
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877:“Sharpshooters Made a Grand Record This Day” - Timothy J. Orr
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Sharpshooter units and formations of the American Civil War
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The Civil War Archive website after Dyer, Frederick Henry.
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Union unit during the US Civil War consisting of marksmen
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United States Volunteer Civil War units and formations
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Christian Sharps invented the Sharps rifle in 1848 in
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Military units and formations disestablished in 1864
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http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unusvol.htm
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
936:Military units and formations established in 1861
550:Company D- Captain George S. Tuckerman, New York
741:List of United States Volunteer Civil War units
565:Company H- Captain George G. Hastings, New York
553:Company E- Captain Amos B. Jones, New Hampshire
756:1st Battalion New York Volunteer Sharpshooters
833:Medal of Honor Citation, William Y. W. Ripley
547:Company C- Captain Benjamin Duesler, Michigan
472:Companies "A", "D" and "H" were organized at
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905:The Correspondence of Benjamin Shreve Calef
872:Guide to the Caspar Trepp Papers, 1858-1863
544:Company B- Captain Stephen Martin, New York
857:, The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, 2008
822:. 3 vols. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1959.
801:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
751:Company G, 1st United States Sharpshooters
571:Company K- Captain S. J. Mather, Michigan
568:Company I- Captain A. M. Willet, Michigan
556:Company F- Captain Edmund Weston, Vermont
541:Company A- Captain Casper Trepp, New York
393:was to kill enemy targets of importance (
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
931:1861 establishments in the United States
820:A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
469:Companies "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K"
432:were consolidated on December 31, 1864.
401:, and artillery crews) from long range.
124:1st United States Sharpshooters Regiment
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766:2nd Company Massachusetts Sharpshooters
761:1st Company Massachusetts Sharpshooters
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682:The green uniform of the sharpshooters
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607:The volunteer recruits had to pass a
309:Second Battle of Rappahannock Station
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656:Private Truman "California Joe" Head
389:. During battle, the mission of the
47:adding citations to reliable sources
723:was wounded and later received the
328:Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
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855:"The Sharpshooter and His Weapon"
58:"1st United States Sharpshooters"
562:- Captain Edward Drew, Wisconsin
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831:Military Times, hall of Valor,
746:2nd United States Sharpshooters
372:1st United States Sharpshooters
34:needs additional citations for
894:. Saint Paul, Minnesota: 1892.
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785:Stevens, Capt. C. A. (1892).
710:Total strength and casualties
479:Company "B" was organized at
218:Battle of Hanover Court House
907:at Dartmouth College Library
835:, retrieved February 3, 2014
888:Stevens, Charles Augustus.
454:Arlington National Cemetery
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276:Battle of Chancellorsville
304:Battle of Bristoe Station
267:Chancellorsville Campaign
247:Second Battle of Bull Run
233:Battle of White Oak Swamp
323:Battle of the Wilderness
262:Battle of Fredericksburg
252:Battle of South Mountain
228:Battle of Mechanicsville
643:. It was a single shot
588:and from the states of
474:New York City, New York
299:Second Battle of Auburn
861:Berdan's Sharpshooters
729:Battle of Malvern Hill
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514:on September 23, 1861.
430:2nd U.S. Sharpshooters
238:Battle of Malvern Hill
213:Battle of Williamsburg
849:The Civil War Archive
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641:Hartford, Connecticut
576:Selection of recruits
504:on September 13, 1861
497:on September 9, 1861.
333:Battle of Cold Harbor
721:William Y. W. Ripley
490:on August 21, 1860.
460:Raising the regiment
281:Battle of Gettysburg
43:improve this article
381:that served in the
338:Siege of Petersburg
718:Lieutenant Colonel
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533:Company commanders
528:on March 30, 1862.
483:in September 1860.
476:in September 1860.
387:American Civil War
318:Battle of Mine Run
257:Battle of Antietam
223:Seven Days Battles
204:Peninsula Campaign
199:American Civil War
696:guerrilla warfare
652:Springfield rifle
521:on March 4, 1862.
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428:The 1st and
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419:Spotsylvania
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391:sharpshooter
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360:Hiram Berdan
189:Sharps rifle
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41:Please help
36:verification
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853:Sid Sidlo,
508:Company "G"
385:during the
195:Engagements
915:Categories
843:References
692:camouflage
666:President
634:ammunition
614:trajectory
423:Petersburg
415:Gettysburg
404:The first
383:Union Army
353:commanders
346:Commanders
69:newspapers
797:cite book
602:Wisconsin
560:Company G
512:Wisconsin
185:Equipment
137:Disbanded
735:See also
598:Michigan
526:Michigan
519:Michigan
488:Michigan
449:marksman
411:Yorktown
406:regiment
379:regiment
376:infantry
374:were an
179:Regiment
169:Infantry
704:gaiters
674:Uniform
620:Weapons
594:Vermont
502:Vermont
436:Founder
357:Colonel
351:Notable
145:Country
129:Founded
83:scholar
628:, the
586:Albany
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772:Notes
700:brass
158:Union
90:JSTOR
76:books
803:link
600:and
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421:and
399:NCOs
370:The
175:Size
165:Type
62:news
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395:i.e
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