Sharpshooters

[MikeyB]

Were there any Regular Army sharpshooter units, either pre-war or during the war? There was the 1st and 2nd United States Sharpshooters but I believe this is a misnomer as they were USV and not USA.

 

[rpkennedy]

There were not.

Ryan

 

[MikeyB]

There were not.

Ryan

Did the US army retain any type of specialized sharpshooter like unit in the post-war army? Or were Rangers and special forces and the like really a WWII innovation?

 

[rpkennedy]

Did the US army retain any type of specialized sharpshooter like unit in the post-war army? Or were Rangers and special forces and the like really a WWII innovation?

Not that I've ever seen. It looks like the more commonly known special units (Army Rangers, Marine Raiders, etc) were a phenomena of WWII.

The AEF of WWI was much more ad hoc in that it was a handful of regular divisions augmented by a bunch of National Guard units. They just didn't really have a lot of time to put together elite units.

Ryan

 

[jepridgen]

No, the Army was extremely underfunded most of the time between wars. They could barely support regular units especially after the ACW. I might be way off here, but the only organized sharpshooter units weren't permanent army (or Marine) organizations until sniper platoons or squads were developed circa Vietnam. Naturally, the elite units like Rangers and Raiders had personnel who could function in that role.

 

[Sgt. Tyree]

Regiment of Riflemen, 1808-1821. Green coat light infantry and sharpshooters. Very successful in the War of 1812.

Also, Regiment of Voltiguers and Foot Riflemen, 1847-1848. Service in the Mexican War.