Union Sharpshooter vs Confederate Sharpshooter: American Civil War 1861–65

Osprey Combat #41

by Gary Yee, Johnny Shumate (Illustrator)

During the American Civil War, the Union and the Confederacy both fielded units of sharpshooters. Sometimes equipped with firearms no better than those of their infantry brethren, they fought in a manner reminiscent of Napoleonic-era light infantry. Siege warfare placed a premium on marksmanship and the sharpshooter became indispensable as they could drive artillerymen from their guns. They could also become expert scouts and, for the Confederacy, impressive raiders – one raid netted almost 250 prisoners. Initially, Union marksmen enjoyed the upper hand, but as the Confederates began raising and training their own sharpshooters, they proved themselves as worthy opponents. In this study, Gary Yee, an expert in firearms of the period, assesses the role played by sharpshooters in three bloody clashes at the height of the American Civil War – the battle of Fredericksburg, the siege of Vicksburg, and the siege of Battery Wagner.

Genres: History

121 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2019

Reviews

[Henry Davis IV · Rating 2 out of 5]

Launched in 2013, Osprey Publishing's Combat Series provides a condensed summary of two parties in a specific conflict in order to give readers an understanding of the combatant's goals, structure, armament, and any other unique qualities. In the same way Osprey's Duel Series covers vehicles of all types (aircraft, ships, tanks, etc.), Combat gives this treatment to Soldiers / Warriors in armies or tribes from antiquity all the way to modern conflicts. In this 41st edition of the series, Gary Yee covers sharpshooters and skirmishers in the American Civil War's Union and Confederate armies.

In order to highlight the roles sharpshooters filled as well as how they operated tactically, three battle vignettes were featured - Fredericksburg (1862), Vicksburg (1863), and Battery Wagner (1863). Unfortunately, the author spent more time describing these battles than actually exploring sharpshooters' role in them which, for such a condensed narrative, is a fault that cannot be overlooked. While two of the battles make great sharpshooting case studies, the third does not. Fredericksburg is a great example of urban combat in the civil war while Battery Wagner is a good example of trench warfare although the siege of Petersburg (1864-1865) would have been much more compelling and featured more material to draw from. The siege of Vicksburg concluded with a Confederate surrender and lacked a tactical siege despite definitely being a strategic siege. In layman's terms, the Union's commander General Grant did cut off supplies and other resources from entering or leaving the city, but Union forces were only physically outside the city for a short time before Vicksburg surrendered instead of tactical sieges like Petersburg or Battery Wagner where a position is cut off and Soldiers face each other constantly for long periods of time. Thus, Vicksburg makes a pretty poor sharpshooting case study. As if this was not bad enough, this book's "analysis" section is nothing more than a succinct retelling of the various chapters and lacks anything passing for actual analysis.

Fortunately, other books in Osprey Publishing's collection accomplish what this book does not quite well. In the weapons series (of all places) the book Sharpshooting Rifles of the American Civil War book covers this ground is grand style. Before covering the technical details of sharpshooting rifles in this book, Martin Pegler provides a fantastic over-view of sharpshooting in the civil war to include an analysis of its effectiveness and its historical context. Although I have not finished reading this work yet, I can already say I highly recommend it (Weapon #56) instead of Combat #41 for anyone interested in sharpshooting aka sniping in modern parlance, target shooting, American Civil War combat, or 19th Century combat and military equipment in general. As for the Combat Series, this book has been my first foray into it so I am hesitant to condemn it for just one bad apple and I do hope future books in the series change my mind.

[Adam Gutschenritter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of the rise and learning to use of sharpshooters (skirmishers) and snipers (back line support troops). The idea that the Union moved first on this surprised me, as I had always thought that the South out of necessity and "superior" marksmanship would have moved first. Still, the innovation and perfection of the skills was impressive on both sides. I also enjoyed seeing the development and variation at Fredericksburg, Vicksburg and Ft. Sumner.