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Re: Sharpshooter Battalions
In Response To: Sharpshooter Battalions ()

Tom,

Though I didn't take part in the discussion, I remember the excellent one you all had about sharpshooter battalions. I agree that it appears the primary purpose of the battalion was to excel as skirmishers. Would it be accurate to say a primary goal of a sharpshooter battalion was to serve and excel as skirmishers for the entire brigade during a potential engagement- relieving the other regiments of that responsibility? Whether or not this was the actual norm for experienced sharpshooter battalions, I'm not sure.

When you say they would also have served as "scouts", does that mean they would have performed specialized duties gathering enemy information by observation. I do know that one Confederate had apparently climbed high up into a tree at Prairie Grove, apparently trying to gather information about the Union forces. The Union artillery spotted him and apparently made a direct hit on the tree just below him causing him to fall to the ground. Now I imagine this was just some daring volunteer, and not likely a member of Chew's Battalion. But would this be an example of something that members of a sharpshooter battalion would be expected to do?

From the earlier discussion, I remember there was some serious debating about whether or not sniping was a serious component of a sharpshooter battalion. While certain examples were presented showing that sniping did occur, I agree that in most cases it probably was not very high on the priority list. If it were, I'm sure the members of the battalion would have been selected according to their superior marksmanship...not taken as entire existing companies the way Chew's Sharpshooter Battalion was. I believe Pindall's Sharpshooter Battalion was organized the same as Chew's, by entire companies that already existed.

Allan

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Chew's Sharpshooter Battalion
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