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Uniform coat and hat of Berdan’s sharpshooter
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This uniform and hat belonged to a soldier of the
1st Regiment of U.S. Sharpshooters, better known
as Berdan’s Sharpshooters. Mustered in 1861, this
unit was commanded by Colonel Hiram Berdan, the
top marksmen in the United States for fifteen years
before the Civil War. The unit was composed of the
best marksmen in each state of the North. Each sharpshooter
received a Sharps rifle and wore a uniform, regulation
cut but of a forest green, which was chosen as camouflage
to make the lone soldier less conspicuous. |
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Division of the History of Technology, Armed Forces
History
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Institution
Behring Center
Transfer from the U.S. War Department
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