"Rebel Sharpshooter." Topic

Seeing this beautiful little diorama, need to ask some questions about Sharpshooters.

From
tenthirtyseven.blogspot.com

a) Those Kind of soldiers work alone or in couples?
b) Did they usually used hunt clothes as in the diorama or some of them wear a uniform?
c) Because if it were not for the blue (?) riders on the sleeves he looks as a civilian guy hunting a deer.

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Amicalement
Armand

Well..on most southern marksmen the humerus was shorter than the radius. This one..not so much.

a. Aloneish…imagine pickets
b. Pretty typical confederate uniforms. Nothing special like Berdans. See individual units.
c. yep

This diorama is terrible. Look at the mans neck. He actually seems to be a"sharps-shooter" in that that weapon, from this angle, looks like a Sharps rifle or Confed knockoff.

His coat covering his cartridge box? I see a "linen strap"?

meh..Lost cause crap. Looks likes he's crawling through the swamps of Azeroth. Don't let this kind of junk give you an imaginary idea of the "beauty" of the ACW.

link

go look at the photos. Those don't look like Errol Flynn.

nice socks….

-R.O.

No clear indication he is anything more than the average skirmisher or a bushwhacker. Why would you think he is a sharpshooter? People throw around the name sharpshooter and sniper too much. I guess it sells artwork, though.

a) So, it is impossible to answer your question of numbers. It could be one guy, It could be a line of a hundred guys in which you only are shown 1 man.

b) Looks to be a rebel uniform to me. I noticed the hidden cartridge box, too. Very strange. How do you get to your ammo if it is under the jacket? Also, the strap on the canteen looks too thick. The shoes and socks look good. They actually look like real brogans. I like that he is dirty and the pants seem to have matted in mud. Reenactors usually have their clothes too clean.

c) Skirmish drill tells the men to make use of available cover. Of course, he really could be hunting deer. Who knows?

While I have a few criticisms, I doubt I could make a nicer display.

Where is the scope?

Agreed, it is not a very good diorama.

But to answer the question: early in the war the Confederates did not have organized sharpshooter units in the sense of what we would call snipers today (there were a few "sharpshooters" that were really light infantry). There were individuals who were assigned to that duty or small details grouped at the regimental level, such as the guy who shot Reynolds the first day at Gettysburg (there are other examples, but that my be the most famous).

By 1864 Lee created specialized units at the brigade level. They were very effective at Spotsylvania (see the killing of General Sedgwick). At Petersburg they really came into their own.

Confederate Sharpshooters generally carried either Enfield rifles or Whitworth rifles, sometimes with scopes. Whitworths were expensive and needed special ammunition so they were less often seen.

cfspress.com/sharpshooters

really? john reynolds was shot by a sharpshooter? in the last 35 years i've read just about everything i could on the battle, the first day and jj archers brigade being a particular interest to me. i've read that it MAY have been a sharpshooter. also a stray shot. perhaps friendly fire, etc. but its never been proven it was some guy in a tree.

But a sharpshooter is what the movie "Gettysburg" depicted, so it must be true!

Billy Yank

I would say that it's actually a pretty good diorama, from the artistic aspect. Especially the trees and rocks, and the general posing.

I don't see where anyone gets "Lost Cause" from it. It seems no more or less heroic than most military dioramas. I don't think I've ever seen a military diorama on here that justs shows dead bodies and guts int he ground. , maybe they should…