BERDAN’S SHARPSHOOTERS - HARPER’S WEEKLY, AUG. 24, 1861

$30.00 SOLD

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Item Code: 633-17B

Full page spread [#540], measuring 16 x 11”, featuring a target shooting expedition in Weehauken, NJ, by Colonel Hiram Berdan designed to publicize his newly forming regiments of sharpshooters. Chipped along its right margin, the page is slightly yellowed, but otherwise sharp and entirely legible.

The left side lithograph depicts Berdan firing across a river, at a human figure labeled “Jefferson Davis.” At a distance of 200 yards the Colonel managed to put 10 of 10 shots into Davis’s face. In addition to reporting Berdan’s exhibition, the accompanying write-up explains the qualifications for two regiments of US Sharpshooters, which would be comprised of 18 companies from 8 different Union states. To qualify as a sharpshooter one had to put 10 shots within 10 inches of a bullseye at a distance of 200 yards. Clad in their distinctive green uniforms, armed with rifles with telescopic sights, Berdan’s men performed admirable service with the Army of the Potomac, picking off enemy targets at long ranges. They were especially useful during the Battle of Gettysburg at Devils Den, the Peach Orchard, and Little Round Top. Fine collectible for Sharpshooter aficionados.

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