During the Civil War, there was a group of men who had changed the battle field forever. These brothers in arms were Sharpshooters. Sharpshooters were skilled and trained men who made the battle field grueling for the opponent which changed the way they fought because of their weaponry, tactics, and training. At the time of the Civil War, the U.S. military didn’t have an official elite branch but Sharpshooters came very close to the version of our elite branches such as the Navy Seals and Green Berets.

The 1st and 2nd U.S. sharpshooter regiment were full of trained sharpshooting volunteers that were brought and organized together by Colonel Hiram Berdan for the Union. The sharpshooting regiment had participated in many battles such as the second Battle of Bull Run and the Siege of Yorktown. Their uniform was a frock coat with a small cap which was mostly green and had brass or gold buttons. The sharpshooting regiments acted like skirmishes, usually in front of the army and makes first contact with enemies. They also played roles such …show more content…
War Department to organize the best sharpshooters and marksmen and train them for the Union. The U.S. War Department accepted his offer and soon after Berdan started to produce an efficient plan. (Killers in Green Coats)Berdan traveled across the northern states and enlisted as many marksmen who had passed his strenuous and exacting challenge. The challenge was that they had to shoot 10 bullets at a target that was about 600 yards away within 5 inches away from the bullseye . (Home Page)Berdan’s men weren’t trained how to aim and shoot like how we teach future U.S. soldier's . Berdan’s men learned how to have advanced positioning, shoot, and aim from past experiences such like hunting. These men are the origin of snipers. Once they were enlisted into the sharpshooting regiments, they were taught how to operate as skirmishers and