The Historic 1st U.S. Sharpshooters
Formation of Sharpshooters
At the beginning of the war, a New Yorker Hiram Berdan who was not only a noted marksman, but an engineer proposed to the war department that a regiment be formed comprised of the best marksmen in the north. The idea was accepted and this birthed the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooter regiments.
Berdan was commissioned a Colonel of volunteers and was authorized to set up his own specifications as to personnel, weapons, training, uniforms, tactics and equipment. Circulars were published and distributed calling for the formation of companies of sharpshooters.
Each applicant had to first pass a shooting test having to put ten bullets in succession within a 10” circle at 200 yards at a rest, and 100 yards off hand. The first regiment was comprised of 10 companies from a variety of states, and the 2nd company contained eight companies; two each from Vermont and New Hampshire, and one each from Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Michigan, and Maine.
The 1st U.S. Sharpshooters Co. H was mustered in New York City in September, 1861.
Training and Weapons
At their camp of instruction on the north side of Washington, D.C., the sharpshooters training was practical yet tough, and they were taught to never expose themselves to danger recklessly, to take cover whenever possible, and to waste no ammunition for the sake of shooting. All orders were given by bugle call in imitation of European light troops. They trained daily in this camp from Sept. 1861 to March, 1862.
The early Sharpshooters trained with their own rifles, and were promised by Berdan that the government would pay them $60. for every suitable weapon. Unfortunately this promise was never kept. Colonel Berdan settled on the breech-loading 1859 Sharps rifles as the best possible weapon as they were accurate and reliable.
Uniforms
Captain C.A. Stevens, the Sharpshooters’ historian described their uniforms as being: of fine material, consisting of a dark green coat and cap with black (ostrich feather) plume, light blue trousers (afterwards exchanged for green ones) and leather leggings, presenting a striking contrast to the regular blue of the infantry. The knapsack was of hair-covered calfskin, with cooking kit attached, considered the best in use, as it was the handsomest, most durable and complete.”
Service
The Sharpshooters first action was a two-company skirmish (C&E 1st Regiment) at Lewinsvilie, VA, in September 1861 against enemy foragers. From then on they claimed participation in sixty-five actions and battles, especially distinguishing themselves at South Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.