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The 1st United States Sharpshooters were an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Hiram C. Berdan of New York state created the Sharpshooters. Berdan began recruiting men for the first Sharpshooter regiment in 1861. He recruited men from New York City and Albany and from the states of New Hampshire, Vermont, Michigan and Wisconsin. The volunteer recruits had to pass a rifle test in order to qualify to be a member of the Sharpshooters; each man had to be able to place ten shots in a circle of in diameter from away. They were able to choose a rifle and position of their preference for the test. A man eligible to be a Sharpshooter had to possess a keen eye, steady hands and a great deal of training and skill with a rifle. In addition to that, for a man to be a Sharpshooter, it took cool nerves in order to be able to estimate carefully their target, determine the high trajectory needed and to take in consideration the effect that any current wind may have. The first regiment of volunteers began service in late November 1861. During their service they fought in every Eastern battle up until autumn of 1864. During their tour, the Sharpshooters were noted for efficient service in the battles of Yorktown, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Spotsylvania and Petersburg. During battle, the mission of the Sharpshooter was to kill enemy targets and people of importance (i.e. officers and ncos) from a far distance. The first United States Sharpshooter regiment consisted of the following commanding officers (listed by company): *Company A- Captain Casper Trepp, New York *Company B- Captain Stephen Martin, New York *Company C- Captain Benjamin Duesler, Michigan *Company D- Captain George S. Tuckerman, New York *Company E- Captain Amos B. Jones, New Hampshire *Company F- Captain Edmund Weston, Vermont *Company G-Captain Edward Drew, Wisconsin *Company H- Captain George G. Hastings, New York *Company I- Captain A. M. Willet, Michigan *Company K- Captain S. J. Mather, Michigan During the Civil War, regiments were usually composed of companies all from the same state. On the other hand, due to the strict qualifications and special skills in order to become a member of the Sharpshooters, each regiment was assembled of companies from various different Union states. Below is a list of each company in the first regiment, their origin and date of establishment. *A, D & C-New York City, NY-September 1861 *B-Albany, NY-September 1861 *C-Michigan-August 21, 1861 *E-New Hampshire-September 9, 1861 *F-Vermont-September 13, 1861 *G-Wisconsin-September 1861 *I-Michigan-March 4, 1861 *K-Michigan-March 30, 1862 ==Founder== Hiram C. Berdan was the founder of the Sharpshooters. Berdan was born in the town of Phelps, New York, on September 6, 1824. Not only was Berdan a military officer in the Civil War and creator of the Sharpshooters regiment, he was also an American mechanical engineer and creative inventor. Some of Berdan's inventions included the Berdan rifle (a repeating rifle) and the Berdan center fire primer, a range finder torpedo boat for evading torpedo nets during and after the Civil War. Berdan also developed the first commercial gold amalgamation machine to separate gold from ore. Berdan was also known for being an amateur champion marksman in the United States. Berdan's interest in rifles and shooting led him to the idea of creating a regiment full of men who all had notable shooting skills: the Sharpshooters. On November 30, 1861, Berdan was named colonel of both the first and second Sharpshooter regiments. After serving for a couple of years, Berdan resigned his position as colonel on November 30, 1864, in order to return to his life as a mechanical engineer and inventor. Berdan died on March 31, 1893, and was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「1st United States Sharpshooters」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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