Berdan's United States Sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac

Dispensing 52-caliber death at long distance was their specialty and it made them a favorite target. With their Colts, Sharps, and Whitworth globe rifles, led by one of the world's premier marksmen, Berdan's sharpshooters played an important role at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Brandy Station, and many other battles.Here is the complete history of this unique cadre of men and how they prosecuted their unique brand of warfare from 1861 to 1865.Engineer, inventor, military officer, world-renowned marksman, and commanding colonel of the United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiments during the American Civil War, Hiram Berdan's story and that of his men are little-known today. Yet it is one of the most compelling, exciting, and important stories of the war.Berdan's regiments played a pivotal role in delaying Confederate attacks at Devil's Den and the Peach Orchard at the Battle of Gettysburg.Charles N. Race, of Company K, was one of the youngest soldiers in the Union service, having mustered in 1862 at the age of 14, and was the only Berdan Sharpshooter of the original members remaining as a sharpshooter until the end of the war, July 17, 1865After the war, Hiram Berdan invented the Berdan rifle, Berdan primer, and other weapons.