![]() ![]() “ The Corps of SharpShooters will be used not in the midst of battle, but on the outskirts, where, beyond the smoke and fury of the engagement, they will act independently, choose their objects, and make every shot tell. The earliest evidence of his efforts can be found in a New York Post article from 4 June, 1861, in which the role these sharpshooters will play in the war is a bit glorified for dramatic effect, but not terribly far from the reality that would eventually play out. ![]() With some encouragement from some of his more bourgeois associates, one of these early calls for volunteers prompted Berdan to put his skills as a marksman to use by collecting together the best marksmen from each state into a regiment of sharpshooters that would operate in the field as skirmishers. The firing on Fort Sumter in 1861 prompted the federal government to call for thousands of supplemental volunteers to bolster the lack-luster numbers that made up the standing army at the time. As with many men of the time, Berdan’s upward trajectory as an inventor was abruptly interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War. These inventions led to a multitude of lucrative contracts for Berdan and introduced him to many well-to-do circles in New York, which would later be of great use when trying to raise a regiment of sharpshooters. His prowess in these fields showed through various inventions including a threshing machine, a folding lifeboat, a machine for laying telegraph cables under water, and a machine for extracting gold from raw mined ore. While in Michigan he gained an education, which eventually led him back to New York to Hobart College where he studied mathematics and mechanical engineering. This upbringing on the farm introduced Hiram to firearms and marksmanship at a young age. Sharpshootersīerdan was born in New York on 6 September, 1824 but moved with his family to a Michigan farm at just six years of age. Rally ‘Round the Flag: The Creation of the U.S. Sharpshooters begins with the controversial man whose name most commonly identifies these famous units, Hiram Berdan. SHARPS RIFLE SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERThis particular example will be of special interest to collectors as it is mentioned specifically by serial number in Wiley Sword’s book as a special order variant and in Frank Seller’s book as in the correct serial number range to have served with Berdan’s Sharpshooters. The arms used by these legendary units of Civil War marksmen have long been desirable to collectors thanks to their use in several well-known battles, their impact on battlefield strategy, and the admirable performance of the men who carried them. With a Sharps Rifle New Model 1859 that was issued to Berdan’s Sharpshooters available September 8th in our Premiere Firearms Auction, it seems only right that we get to know the elite fighting men that carried these rifles. ![]()
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