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Sharpshooter unit that were formed during the war where mainly used as skirmishes where at times there target rifle (if used) were more of a hindrance. There is an account of some Berdans men that eliminated a section of Artillery. The Berdan's did have large target rifles with scope on them for just this purpose but because of there weight were kept in the wagons and rarely used. I have read accounts of sharpshooters intentionally shooting at individuals during battles and relative quite times. Both side never had anything close to snipers of today but they did do some of the same jobs. The 'sharpshooter' concept of the time was an individual who was merely more accurate overall than the average soldier The modern concept of the 'sniper' as we know it today did not figure into the tactical suite of the CW period, i.e- the long range elimanation of high value targets. Semper In Excretum-Sed sole profundum variat "and what is war but a dark and desperate game where lives and limbs and hearts and souls of men are staked for knaves"- Sgt. The 1st USSS was mostly used during the war as a line unit or as a regimental strength skirmish line for the larger tactical units. Berdan's concept was that by concentrating a number of these more accurate shooters together you would have a more effective standard combat unit and thus be able to operate in a looser formation. In one notable journal example, the writer-a company grade officer-commented that when they had their first target practice they had been in service for over eight months and several engagements. In many accounts I've read it's not unusual for volunteer units to get their first live fire with their weapons in a combat setting. In general, target practice was mostly unknown in the army of the period. The 'sharpshooter' concept of the time was an individual who was merely more accurate overall than the average soldier.
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They used a standard Sharps Infantry rifle with open sights. The Berdan's did not have scopes on their rifles. Magnification on rifle scopes of the period was in the 3-4 X scale.
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