This is all some great information! What the General Orders does not specify, unless I missed it, is that these sharpshooter battalions, for the most part, were not organized as a separate entity insofar as musters are concerned. It seems that except for the ones that received their own unique name such as the Georgians mentioned or Austin's and ones like these, that these groups were unnamed and the men fell back into their normal roles within their regiments and that the sharpshooters were only called out when action was eminent. The provision of not lowering company strengths below prescribed levels (64 pvts) must have been largely ignored as by 1863 many regiments were not much larger than company sized anyway. Since this was not carried as an extra duty such as being teamsters, artificers, commissaries and such, there is no mention in the CMSRs of who served in these battalions, is there? I know of no mention in the ANV La Regiments CMSRs except where an officer was killed leading sharpshooters. I know there was a captain in the 5th La and Lt John S. Dea of the 8th La killed leading sharpshooters. It's a shame these men were not recognized better because their duty seems even more hazardous than on a firing line in many ways.

The AOT may have done a better job of identifying their sharpshooter battalions. I guess my original thought dealt with the ANV La brigades and they certainly did not have separate named battalions but there are too many mentions of sharpshooters to not believe they existed.

Tom you bring up an interesting point on the problem finding men with service in both units. If the original intent was that it be a loosely formed organization led by a captain and a couple of lieutenants then why did some form formal organizations with a full complement of field officers and NCOs. A few brigades formed a separate unit that evidently acted totally independent of the other regiments and yet others seem to have only done so in battle. There is no mention of NCOs in the orders and since their service was primarily as skirmishers there would be no need for NCO file closers.

I hate guessing but is it possible that the only ones allowed to form separate named entities were those that did not drive company strength below prescribed levels for the regiments within a brigade and the ones that could not meet this requirement just had the men fall back into their normal companies at all other times? Likely no known answer.

I appreciate all of the excellent responses!