When it comes to memorabilia, monuments, legends, and the like, nothing in our American history can surpass the Civil War. And, if you're talking about the most feared unit on either side of that most unfortunate conflict, you would be referring to the fabled Berdan's Sharpshooters.

During the 15 years before the war, wealthy inventor Hiram Berdan (1823-1873) was known as the top rifle shot in the United States. In the spring of 1861, he proposed the idea of raising a contingent of the best marksmen in the Northern states. The Sharpshooters were to be utilized as snipers and skirmishers, to demoralize the Confederate troops by picking off their officers and artillerymen at long range. Some believe that this notion actually originated from Casper Trepp, a Swiss born veteran of the Crimean War, who was to serve under Berdan.

Original to him or not, Berdan was surely the biggest promoter of the plan, that was soon approved by General Winfield Scott.

In the summer of 1861, recruiting officers scoured the North in search of qualified candidates. To make the cut, a prospect had to place ten consecutive shots inside a ten-inch diameter circle, firing from a distance of 200 yards without the benefit of telescopic sights. Special benefits were offered to the potential soldiers: they would receive Sharps breech-loading target rifles, be reimbursed if they brought their own rifles, get extra pay, and avoid pulling battle-line or picket duty.

Berdan, now a colonel, believed that a uniform of green cloth would "better correspond in the leafy season with the colors of the foliage." Clad in their distinctive new uniforms, the Sharpshooters were trained intensively in the art of skirmish drill and physical conditioning. Competitive rifle shooting was staged constantly to keep the men in top form. Frequently, local dignitaries and members of the press visited their camp to witness the remarkable exhibition of sharpshooting.

Berdan's regiment distinguished itself in such battles as Yorktown, Williamsburg, Manassas, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Second Bull Run, and many others. Indeed, the lore of the Civil War is chock full of their exploits. I relate a sharpshooter vs. sharpshooter incident, as told by a Union soldier, that occurred in November, 1863, in the area of the 10th New York Cavalry.

"A Confederate Sharpshooter was picking off men and horses assigned to our Artillery. The Sharpshooter detailed to get the Confederate was a tall, stooping, ungainly looking specimen, who carried an immense rifle with a telescopic sight running the length of the barrel, over his shoulder. He shambled along under cover of the trees until he passed just beyond the skirmish line. Stationed behind a large tree, he watched intently at a tree near the bridge which crossed the little stream in our front, along which the rebel line extended. Presently he brought the immense rifle to his shoulder, the report of its discharge was blended with those of the carbines on either flank, and those watching the proceedings saw a man fall from the tree. A few moments later the rebels fell back, and as part of the regiment passed the spot in pursuit, the lifeless form of the rebel sharpshooter was seen lying as he had fallen, a victim to the mode of warfare of which he himself had chosen."

With their great success came great casualties. Of the 2570 Sharpshooters mustered into service, nearly 1300 were killed or wounded. Since they were posted far in front of the main body of Federal troops, and were the first to encounter the enemy, these losses are not exactly surprising. Without a doubt, Berdan's Sharpshooters earned the reputation of having "inflicted more casualties upon the enemy than any other unit in the Civil War."

As it turned out, getting Sharps rifles was the only one of Berdan's promises to the recruits that was kept. They did not get extra pay, were not reimbursed for using their own weapons, and were not exempt from battle-line duty.

And, it must be said, that while the promise of the Civil War itself-- Saving the Union--may have nominally been kept, division and resentment persist to this day.