Sharpshooter: Hiram Berdan, His Famous Sharpshooters and their Sharps Rifles

by Wiley Sword

Inside you will find the story of the inventor, his men and the innovative weapon they used. 125 pp., 7x9.5

125 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

About the author

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Wiley Sword worked as a manufacturer’s representative to the automobile industry until his retirement. He was also a prolific collector of Civil War memorabilia, and wrote several works of military history.

Reviews

[William Olenick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is about the US Sharpshooter Regiment and its commander. It is setup in three parts about Berdan himself, the men of the Regiment and thier choice of arms, the Sharps rifle.
Included are several additional features, a collectors section on Sharp's rifles that may still exist, a diary from a member and a report written about one of the battles.
Good book and recommended.

[Stephen Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't expect much, it was still disappointing. It works as a quick overview of the regiments, but gives no real campaign narrative. Sword does go into reasonable detail on the acquisition of the Sharps Rifles used by the sharpshooters.