Asharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with "marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" is one of the threemarksmanship badges awarded by theUnited States Army and theUnited States Marine Corps. TheUnited States Navy and theUnited States Coast Guard use a ribbon with an attached "S" device to note a sharpshooter qualification.
Some of the earliest mentions of rifling and sharpshooting units in the United States originate during around theAmerican Revolutionary War and theWar of 1812. During the 1777battles of Saratoga,Continental Army officerBenedict Arnold strategically arranged for sharpshooter units to target enemy officers and artillery units. All such sharpshooters units were disbanded following the war's end in 1783, but they were later revived in theUnited States Army underAnthony Wayne and used in theBattle of Fallen Timbers of theNorthwest Indian War in 1794.[1] The unit was again disbanded in 1796 following the conclusion of the conflict.[1] However, over the next decade, tensions between the U.S. and Britain would continue to escalate eventually culminating into theChesapeake–Leopard affair in 1807. As a result of the incident, the US passed legislation increasing the size of the U.S. Army to allow for the establishment of theRegiment of Riflemen in 1808. As opposed to the standardline infantry equipped withmuskets and bright blue and white uniforms, this new regiment focused on specialistlight infantry tactics and uniforms were tactically colored in black and green to blend in with surroundings. The unit was equipped with the first American manufacturedrifle, theHarpers Ferry Model 1803. Prior to entering the War of 1812, the unit would have seen some of its first combat in theBattle of Tippecanoe in 1811 as part of the precedingTecumseh's War, though they had fought in this battle using smoothbore muskets. By 1813, the unit had found its way to Canada where they launched a series of raids. In February, under the command of Lieutenant-ColonelBenjamin Forsyth, the regiment led one such successful attack on a Britishgrenadier unit, with one member of the unit later remarking that he had "Never experienced such sharpshooting."
Sharpshooter units were also used during theNapoleonic Wars in theBritish Army. While most troops at that time used inaccuratesmoothboremuskets, the British "Green Jackets" (named for their distinctive green uniforms) used the famousBaker rifle. Through the combination of a leather wad and tight grooves on the inside of the barrel (rifling), this weapon was far more accurate, though slower to load. TheseRiflemen were the elite of the British Army, and served at the forefront of any engagement, most often inskirmish formation, scouting out and delaying the enemy. Another term; "sharp shooter", was in use in British newspapers as early as 1801. In theEdinburgh Advertiser, 23 June 1801, can be found the following quote in a piece about the North British Militia; "This Regiment has several Field Pieces, and two companies of Sharp Shooters, which are very necessary in the modern "Stile of War"." The term appears even earlier, around 1781, in Continental Europe, translated from the German Scharfschütze.
During theAmerican Civil War, sharpshooters were used extensively by both sides. Units such as the1st United States Sharpshooters played a critical role in the war and benefited from technological advances such as theMinié ball, which could kill a target up to a half mile away and was accurate at 250 yards (230 m).[2] However, despite advancements, proficiency atlong-range shooting required extensive training, which many of these units did not receive, and as a result sharpshooters during the civil war would not uniformly adopt long-range tactics akin to modern-daymarksmen.[3] Some of these units, however, would have been considered elite and many were well equipped and trained for such shooting. Common duties of sharpshooters includedpicket duty,scouting, andskirmishing. In some cases, they were placed at the front of columns to engage the enemy first.[citation needed] Their battlefield role could be misunderstood at times.[citation needed] At theBattle of Mine Run, one sharpshooter company was ordered to conduct a bayonet charge, even though they were equipped with rifles that were unable to take bayonets.[4]
Notable sharpshooter units of the Civil War included the1st and2nd United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiment (USVSR), composed of companies provided by numerous (primarily eastern) Union states. The U.S.V.S.R. were organized by ColonelHiram Berdan, a self-made millionaire who was reputed to be the best rifle marksman in the nation at that time.[5] There were also battalion size sharp shooter units including the Ohio Battalion Sharp Shooters, The First New York Battalion Sharp Shooters and the First Maine Battalion Sharp Shooters.[6] Both the1st and2nd Company Massachusetts Sharpshooters saw extensive combat during the conflict.[7] They were armed with heavy, custom target rifles and Sharps rifles during their service.[7][8]
There was also an all-Native American company of sharpshooters in theArmy of the Potomac. These men, primarilyOdawa,Ojibwe, andPotawatomi from northern Michigan, comprised the members of Company K of the1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters. This regiment saw intense battle during theBattle of the Crater. The sharpshooters were recognized for their effective service during the onslaught and the unit suffered a number of casualties:
A few Indians, of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters, did splendid work. Some of them were mortally wounded, and drawing their blouses over their faces, they chanted death songs and died - four of them in a group.[9]
In the Western Theater were the well known66th Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Western Sharpshooters), originally known as "Birge's Western Sharpshooters" and later the "Western Sharpshooters-14th Missouri Volunteers". The regiment was raised by MGJohn C. Fremont at St. Louis' Benton Barracks as the Western Theater counterpart to Berdan's sharpshooters. Members were recruited from most of the Western states, predominantly Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri. Competitive induction required candidates to place ten shots in a three-inch circle at 200 yards (180 m). They were initially armed with half-stock Plains Rifles built and procured by St. Louis custom gunmakerHorace (H.E.) Dimick.
These "Dimick Rifles" (as they were known in the unit) were modified for military use by the installation of the Lawrence Patent Sight, and fired a special "Swiss-chasseur" minie ball selected by Horice Dimick for its ballistic accuracy. They were the only Federal unit completely armed with "sporting rifles". Beginning in the autumn of 1863 soldiers of the regiment began to reequip themselves with the new 16 shot, lever actionHenry Repeating Rifle giving them a significant advantage in firepower over their opponents. Over 250 of the Western Sharpshooters purchased Henrys out of their own pocket, at an average price of forty dollars (over three months pay for a Private).Illinois Governor Richard Yates provided Henrys for some members of the64th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment orYates Sharpshooters and other soldiers of the unit appear to have similarly equipped themselves with Henry Rifles in 1864.
On the Confederate side, sharpshooter units functioned aslight infantry. Their duties includedskirmishing andreconnaissance.Robert E. Rodes, colonel of the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment, and later a major general, was a leader in the development of sharpshooter units.[10] TheConfederate States Army made more widespread use of sharpshooters than Federal forces, often having semi-permanent detachments at the regimental level and battalions of various size attached to larger formations. Dedicated sharpshooter units included the1st Georgia Sharpshooter Battalion and three more from that state, the9th (Pindall's) Battalion Missouri Sharpshooters as well as the sharpshooter battalions of theArmy of Northern Virginia.
Confederate sharpshooters were often less well equipped than their Union counterparts, commonly using the muzzleloadingEnfield Rifled Musket or (the more uncommon)hexagonal bore BritishWhitworth rifles, rather than the breechloadingBerdan Sharps rifles used by the Union Army. These marksmen accompanied regular infantrymen and were usually tasked with eliminating Union artillery crews. However, the exceptional long-range accuracy of the Whitworth rifle allowed the eponymousWhitworth Sharpshooters to score several high-profile kills, including the infamous deaths ofBrigadier GeneralWilliam Lytle atChickamauga andMajor GeneralJohn Sedgwick at theSpotsylvania.
In his memoirs, Confederate soldier Louis Leon detailed his service as a sharpshooter in the Fifty-Third North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War. As a sharpshooter, he volunteered as a skirmisher, served on picket duty, and engaged in considerable shooting practice. Of his company's original twelve sharpshooters, only he and one other were still alive after Gettysburg. As related by the regiment's commanding officer, Col. James Morehead, in a rare one-on-one encounter Pvt. Leon killed a Union sharpshooter, whom the Confederates identified as a "Canadian Indian".[11]
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