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 "
Military sharpshooter history
American Revolutionary War and War of 1812
Some of the earliest mentions of rifling and sharpshooting units in the United States originate during around the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. During the 1777 battles of Saratoga, Continental Army officer Benedict 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 the United States Army under Anthony Wayne and used in the Battle of Fallen Timbers of the Northwest 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 the Chesapeake–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 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 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. Prior to entering the War of 1812, the unit would have seen 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 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-Colonel Benjamin Forsyth, the regiment led one such successful attack on a British grenadier unit, with one member of the unit later remarking that he had "Never experienced such sharpshooting."
Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)
Sharpshooter units were also used during the
U.S. Civil War (1861–1865)
During the
Union Army
Notable sharpshooter units of the Civil War included the
There was also an all-Native American company of sharpshooters in the
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
Confederate Army
On the Confederate side, sharpshooter units functioned as
Confederate sharpshooters were often less well equipped than their Union counterparts, commonly using the muzzleloading
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]
Noted sharpshooters
- Annie Oakley (1860–1926)
- Calamity Jane (1852–1903)
- Alvin York (1887–1964)
See also
References
- ^ a b Shock Troops of the Confederacy, Fred L. Ray
- ^ The Civil War, Geoffrey C. Ward, 130
- ^ Institute, Author Civil War (2019-04-30). "Small but Deadly: The Minié Ball". The Gettysburg Compiler. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
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has generic name (help) - ISBN 978-1612004860.
- ^ "History of Hiram Berdan". Berdansharpshooters.org. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
- LCCN 2009908475.
- ^ a b Senechal de la Roche
- ISBN 978-1-4402-3017-2.
- ^ The Story of American Heroism Thrilling Narratives of Personal Adventures During the Great Civil War As Told by the Medal Winners and Roll of Honor Men, JW Jones, 460
- ISBN 978-0-9649585-5-5.
- ^ The Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier (PDF). Charlotte, NC: Stone Publishing Company. 1913. p. 72.