The 2nd United States Sharpshooters was a

sharpshooter 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" ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. From 1861 to January 1863 they were members of the " First Iron Brigade" also known as the "Iron Brigade of the East".

Service

The 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters was raised as follows: *Company "A" in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

on October 5, 1861. *Company "B" in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

on October 4, 1861. *Company "C" in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on October 4, 1861 *Company "D" in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

on November 2, 1861. *Company "E" in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

on November 9, 1861. *Company "F" in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

on November 28, 1861. *Company "G" in

on December 10, 1861. *Company "H" in

on December 31, 1861. The 2nd and the

1st United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiment The 1st United States Sharpshooters were an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During battle, the mission of the sharpshooter was to kill enemy targets of importance (''i.e''., officers, NCOs, and arti ...

were consolidated on December 31, 1864, and the regiment was broken up on February 20, 1865, and the remaining companies distributed as follows: *Company "A" transferred to the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. *Company "B" transferred to the

5th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 5th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from Michigan that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was mustered into federal service in August 1861 and served in the Eastern Theater. It fought in a ...

. *Company "C" transferred to the 105th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. *Company "D" transferred to the

17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 17th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was particularly noted for its service during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Organization The 17th Maine was organized at C ...

. *Company "F" transferred to the

5th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry The 5th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment has the unfortunate distinction of having sustained the greatest total loss in battles of any infantry or ...

. *Company "G" transferred to the

. *Company "H" transferred to the 4th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 8 officers and 117 enlisted men who were killed in action or mortally wounded and 2 officers and 123 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 250 fatalities.

Commanders

*Colonel Hiram Berdan in 1861 *Colonel Henry A.V. Post from January 1, 1862, to November 16, 1862 *Colonel Hiram Berdan from November 16, 1862, until 1864 *Colonel Homer R. Stoughton Jan 19, 1864.

Notes

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References

The Civil War ArchiveReenactors, Company C, 2nd United States Volunteer Sharpshooter RegimentReenactors, Company D, 2nd United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiment
United States Volunteer Civil War units and formations Eastern Iron Brigade Sharpshooter units and formations of the American Civil War 1861 establishments in the United States Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864

Service

Total strength and casualties

Commanders

See also

Notes

References