A sharpshooter 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 three
marksmanship badges awarded by the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
and the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...
. The
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and the
United States Coast Guard use a ribbon with an attached "S" device to note a sharpshooter qualification.
History
Post-American Revolution (1794–1815)
Some of the earliest mentions of rifling and sharpshooting units in the United States originate in the time following the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...
and during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...
. The US army abolished rifle units following the war in 1783, but they were later revived under General
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mi ...
and used in the
Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
[Shock Troops of the Confederacy, Fred L. Ray] The unit was again disbanded in 1796 following the conclusion of the
Northwest Indian War.
However, over the next decade, tensions between and US and British would continue to escalate eventually culminating into the
Chesapeake–Leopard affair in 1807. As a result of the incident, the US passed legislation increasing the size of the US Army to allow for the establishment of the
Regiment of Riflemen in 1808. As opposed to the standard
line infantry equipped with
muskets and bright blue and white uniforms, this new regiment focused on specialist
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
tactics and uniforms were tactically colored in black and green to blend in with surroundings. The unit was equipped with the first American manufactured
rifle, the
Harpers Ferry Model 1803
The Harper's Ferry M1803 rifle was the first standard rifle (as opposed to a smoothbore musket), made by an American armory.
History
Rifles existed long before the 17th century, but were rarely used by military forces. In order to be effectiv ...
. Prior to entering the War of 1812, the unit would seem some of its first combat in the
Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 as part of the preceding
Tecumseh's War, though they had fought in this battle using smoothbore mustkets. By 1813, the unit had found its way to Canada where they launched a series of raids. In February, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Benjamin Forsyth
Benjamin Forsyth (c. 1760June 28, 1814) was an American officer of rifle troops in the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. Born in North Carolina, Forsyth joined the United States Army in 1800 as an officer and was a captain of th ...
, the regiment led one such successful raid on a British grenadier unit, with one member of the defeated unit later remarking that he had, "Never experienced such sharpshooting."
Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)
Another use of units of marksmen was during the
Napoleonic Wars in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
. While most troops at that time used inaccurate
smoothbore muskets, the British "
Green Jackets" (named for their distinctive green uniforms) used the famous
Baker 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. These
Riflemen were the elite of the British Army, and served at the forefront of any engagement, most often in
skirmish formation, scouting out and delaying the enemy. Another term; "sharp shooter", was in use in British newspapers as early as 1801. In the ''Edinburgh 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.
U.S. Civil War (1861–1865)
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
, sharpshooters saw limited action, as tacticians sought to avoid the heavy casualties inflicted through normal tactics, which involved close ranks of men at close ranges. The sharpshooters used by both sides in the Civil War were less used as snipers, and more as skirmishers and scouts. These elite troops were well equipped and trained, and placed at the front of any column to first engage the enemy. Their battlefield role could be misunderstood, too. At the
Battle 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.
Union Army
Notable sharpshooter units of the Civil War included the
1st
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
2nd United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiment
The 2nd United States Sharpshooters was a sharpshooter regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. From 1861 to January 1863 they were members of the " First Iron Brigade" also known as the "Iron Brigade of the East".
S ...
(USVSR), composed of companies provided by numerous (primarily eastern) Union states. The U.S.V.S.R. were organized by Colonel
Hiram Berdan, a self-made millionaire who was reputed to be the best rifle marksman in the nation at that time. There were also battalion size sharp shooter units including the Ohio Battalion Sharp Shooters, The First New York Battalion Sharp Shooters and the First Maine Battalion Sharp Shooters.
Both the
1st
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
2nd Company Massachusetts Sharpshooters
The 2nd Company Massachusetts Sharpshooters was a company of sharpshooters that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was also known as the 2nd Andrew's Sharpshooters after the governor of Massachusetts, John Albion Andrew. Th ...
saw extensive combat during the conflict.
[Senechal de la Roche] They were armed with heavy, custom target rifles and Sharps rifles during their service.
There was also an all-Native American company of sharpshooters in the
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...
. These men, primarily
Odawa,
Ojibwe, and
Potawatomi from northern Michigan, comprised the members of Company K of the
1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters
The 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army's Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.
Service
The 1st Michigan Sharpshooters was organized at Kalamazoo and Dearborn, Michigan, be ...
.
In the Western Theater were the well known
66th 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 MG
John C. Fremont
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
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. They were initially armed with half-stock Plains Rifles built and procured by St. Louis custom gunmaker
Horace (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 action
Henry 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 the
64th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment or ''Yates Sharpshooters'' and other soldiers of the unit appear to have similarly equipped themselves with Henry Rifles in 1864.
Confederate Army
On the Confederate side, sharpshooter units functioned as
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
. Their duties included
skirmishing and
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...
.
Robert E. Rodes, colonel of the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment, and later a major general, was a leader in the development of sharpshooter units.
The
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
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 the
1st Georgia Sharpshooter Battalion
The 1st Georgia Sharpshooter Battalion was a sharpshooter unit of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It was authorized by an act in April 1862 by the Confederate Congress, and was formed in Savannah, Georgia. The 1st Battali ...
and three more from that state, the
9th (Pindall's) Battalion Missouri Sharpshooters as well as the sharpshooter battalions of the
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most o ...
.
Confederate sharpshooters were often less well equipped than their Union counterparts, commonly using the muzzleloading
Enfield Rifled Musket or (the more uncommon)
hexagonal bore British
Whitworth rifles, rather than the breechloading
Berdan Sharps rifle
Sharps rifles are a series of large-bore, single-shot, falling-block, breech-loading rifles, beginning with a design by Christian Sharps in 1848 and ceasing production in 1881. They were renowned for long-range accuracy. By 1874 the rifle was ...
s 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 eponymous
Whitworth Sharpshooters to score several high-profile kills, including the infamous deaths of
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...
William Lytle at
Chickamauga and
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
John Sedgwick at the
Spotsylvania.
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".
See also
*
Designated marksman
*
Marksman
*
Sniper
References
{{reflist, 30em
Combat occupations
Marksmanship
Sniper warfare
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