Berdan Sharpshooters

[augieromero]

Hello

I'm new to this board and am hoping someone might be able to help me. There is a drawing on page 23 in "Officer's and Soldiers of the American Civil War" published by Histoire and Collections, of a Berdan Sharpshooter wearing a green sack coat. I've never been able to authenticate the existance of a green sack coat issued to the Berdan Sharpshooters. I've read the standard blue sack coat or the green frocks as mentioned in other posts in this forum, but none in green. Can anyone offer their knowledge on the existance of this sack coat?

Thanks
Augie

 

[ole]

It's existence is unquestionable. How Berdan settled on that particular uniform others will no doubt advise -- but that particular unit most certainly wore green.

Sharpshooters in other units wore standard issue blues.

Welcome home, Augie!
Ole

 

[ole]

Oops! I just realized you were asking about the sack coat. Can't help.
Ole

 

[gary]

I've read plenty but never about green sack cloths. I've heard of the green coats wearing out & blue worn instead. Still, as there were plenty of green coats around (the 203rd PA were issued surplus coats from Berdan's two regiments), I never figured out why they weren't issued in lieu of the blue sack cloths. Poor quartermaster at fault? Contacting the Smithsonian may help (and I doubt if they can prove that green sack cloths ever existed).

 

[augieromero]

Hi Ole and Gary

Thanks for your input. I thought it strange to see a drawing of a green sack coat, but then stranger things have happened in times of war... I thought it plausible, but only as a experiment or in extremely limited use. From what I read about the blue frocks being initially dyed with yellow which gave them a very dark green look I thought it unlikely, for sure not likely later on when the wool was dyed prior to manufacturing and assembly of the frocks.

Thanks:beer:
Augie

 

[samgrant]

And Rubber Buttons!

Here is a link to info on Berdan:

http://www.antiqueweb.com/articles/militaria.html

and another with illustrations:

http://www.berdansharpshooters.com/art.html

one more:

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/august/berdans-sharpshooters.htm

 

[samgrant]

Wow, a 4th - closer to home!

A 4th:

http://civilwartalk.com/forums/printthread.php?t=18302

 

[ole]

Thanks for the links, samgrant!
Ole

 

[augieromero]

samgrant

Thanks for the links They were informative


Augie

 

[Cap'n Dan]

One of Berdan's Boys

My grandfather remembers one of Berdan's Boys:


"We lay on the battlefield (Antietam) until the middle of October. The rebel cavalry General Stuart raided and burnt Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and was reported coming in our direction. The 7th was called out and lined up across the pike where we had fought the 17th. We stood in line for an hour then word was sent us that Stuart had gone in another direction, for us to make ourselves comfortable for the night. We moved into a piece of woods, and on looking for a suitable place to sleep it being night I found what I took for a rotten log and spread my rubber blanket with the end lapping up on this supposed log, it answered for a pillow. The next morning after breakfast the boys were using my blanket to play cards on, a bunch of boys were watching the game. One of them put his hand back to support himself and his hand came in contact of something slippery. On inspection it turned out to be the forehead of a dead soldier. We looked and his toes were sticking out in plain sight. This was one of our division, the Berdan Sharpshooters." (2nd United States Sharpshooters, from the 1st Brigade)

Pvt. John Nelson Hubbard, Company A, 7th Indiana Infantry Regiment,
2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps, Army of the Potomac.

"Civil War, if it can be called a civil war."

Regards, Cap'n Dan
gSUVCW

 

[gary]

That's one heckuva gruesome memory Cap'n Dan. Poor memory can be a blessing.