These elite troops were well equipped and trained, and placed at the front of any column to first engage the enemy. The sharpshooters used by both sides in the Civil War were less used as snipers, and more as skirmishers and scouts. The term appears even earlier, around 1781, in Continental Europe, translated from the German Scharfschütze.ĭuring the American Civil War, sharpshooters saw limited action, as tacticians sought to avoid the heavy casualties inflicted through normal tactics, which involved close ranks of men at close ranges. In the Edinburgh Advertiser, 23 June 1801, can be found the following quote in a piece about the North British Militia "This Regiment has several Field Pieces, and two companies of Sharp Shooters, which are very necessary in the modern Stile of War". Another term, "sharp shooter" was in use in British newspapers as early as 1801. These Riflemen were the elite of the British Army, and served at the forefront of any engagement, most often in skirmish formation, scouting out and delaying the enemy. Through the combination of a leather wad and tight grooves on the inside of the barrel ( rifling), this weapon was far more accurate, though slower to load. While most troops at that time used inaccurate smoothbore muskets, the British " Green Jackets" (named for their distinctive green uniforms) used the famous Baker rifle.
This was around the 10th century, although records of some 9th century English Kings show the listings of groups of marksmen specifically chosen for their militaries.Īnother use of units of marksmen was during the Napoleonic Wars in the British Army. In the Middle Ages, in the first use of the term 'marksman' was given to the royal archers, or bowmen, of a palace guard, which was an elite group of troops chosen to guard a royal palace.
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