Whitworth Sharpshooters

[Bunnyman5]

Hello, I have a question about the Whitworth Rifle and it's use among Confederate soldiers. Were there any units that were completely armed with the Whitworth, and if not what was the frequency among soldiers. Thanks in advance!

 

[Barnesville Blues]

Hello, I have a question about the Whitworth Rifle and it's use among Confederate soldiers. Were there any units that were completely armed with the Whitworth, and if not what was the frequency among soldiers. Thanks in advance!

No, there were no units in the Confederate Army at least that were completely outfitted with Whitworths, the Confederacy just didn't have enough of them and they were reserved for the best marksman. Not all Sharpshooter Battalions even had Whitworths. When the Army of Tennessee was inspected during the Atlanta Campaign, the inspector noted that the 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters had "a few whitworths" while no mention is made about Whitworth's in the 4th Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters...according to an ordnance return I found, the 4th Batt'n Ga SS was armed with P53 Enfield's and Austrian Lorenz Rifles... Cleburne had some Whitworth's in his division but there was shockingly few of them.

 

[johan_steele]

Hello, I have a question about the Whitworth Rifle and it's use among Confederate soldiers. Were there any units that were completely armed with the Whitworth, and if not what was the frequency among soldiers. Thanks in advance!

It's been estimated only about 150 Whitworth Rifles even made it into the country which is quite understandable as the CS paid upward of $1000 for one; which was about enough to outfit a company with standard P53's. There just weren't that many of them.

 

[Bunnyman5]

Okay, thanks for the replies!

 

[millerpsc]

There were very few but they were amazing rifles...and beautiful rifles

 

[redbob]

I have been told that the hexagonical rounds for the Whitworth were imported from England with the rifles and the circular rounds were cast in the field from the bullet mold supplied with the rifle. Also, that the sight tubes (for rifles so equipped) were mounted on the left side of the stock and not on the top of the barrel as you would expect and that the kick of the rifle was such that you could tell a Whitworth (equipped with a sight tube) marksman by his black eye from the sight hitting his eye when he fired.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

It wasn't a "sighting tube", it was a Davis Scope with optic lens. The Whitworth rifles were sighted for both Hexagonal and Cylindrical projectiles. The rear sight ladder is marked "H" on the left side with a set of graduations for the Hexagonal bullet. The right side of the ladder is marked "C" with a different set of graduations for the Cylindrical bullet. Because the Whitworth was produced this way I would be very surprised if both types of projectiles weren't imported.
J.

 

[Booner]

you might find this book interesting. I enjoyed it.
---->
Sharpshooting in the Civil War
by Major John Plaster (Author)

 

[Bunnyman5]

you might find this book interesting. I enjoyed it.
---->
Sharpshooting in the Civil War
by Major John Plaster (Author)

Thanks! Gonna order it right now.

 

[Rio Bravo]

The C.S.A. imported 12 Whitworth Rifles in early 1863 & sent 6 to the AONV, where 2 were given to the best marksmen in each Corps. The other 6 went to the west and were used with good effect at Chickamauga. In Feb 1864 Cleburne's SS were armed with 20 of them.

 

[Bunnyman5]

Wow, very surprised how few there were since I hear them talked about so often

 

[redbob]

There were a number more than these 12, each rifle (scoped and with 1,000 rounds of ammunition) cost up to $1,000.00. There also a number of Whitworths imported that were made under license by other companies (Thomas Turner Company and Manchester Ordnance and Rifle Company among others). There were also other sharpshooter rifles manufactured both by private manufacturers and by companies such as Kerr.

 

[ResearchPress]

It wasn't a "sighting tube", it was a Davis Scope with optic lens.

May have been a slip of the keyboard, but the scarce Whitworth scoped rifles were fitted with Col. David Davidson's scope.

David

 

[Chattahooch33]

Isn't it rumored that Sedgewick was taken down with a Whitworth?

 

[Booner]

The book I posted above I believe said it was a Whitworth that was used. I'm in the process of moving and the book is packed up so I can't check.

From a letter from B.M. Powell to his wife. There were five confederates who thought they shot Sedgwick, but Powell was considered the most likely to be the one who killed the general.

"While a member of the 12th Reg., I was offered a lieutenant twice but declined the honor. At the battle of Second Manassas Col. Barnes placed me in command of the Infirmary Corps in which capacity I served until a few days before the battle of Gettysburg when I was presented with a long-range Whitworth rifle with a telescope and globe sights and with a roving commission as an independent sharpshooter and scout. This rifle killed Gen. Sedgwick at Spottsylvania Court House."

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Thank you Mr. Minshall, yes it should have been "Davidson", and I know better! The result of spending the entire day tending to an elderly relative in hospital. But, poor recall at the moment nonetheless!
J.

 

[AUG]

you might find this book interesting. I enjoyed it.
---->
Sharpshooting in the Civil War
by Major John Plaster (Author)

Also highly recommend "Shock Troops of the Confederacy" by Fred L. Ray on Confederate sharpshooter battalions in the ANV.

According to this book, its likely that the general shot by B.M. Powell was actually Brig. Gen. William H. Morris (who was wounded by a sharpshooter the same day Sedgwick was killed), since Powell said he shot an officer on horseback. Sedgwick was on foot when he was killed, while Morris was wounded while riding over to inspect his brigade.

 

[damYankee]

A Confederate Whitworth is coming up for auction soon, watch the video on the link.


https://www.forgottenweapons.com/confederate-whitworth-sniper-sub-moa-hexagonal-bullets-in-1860/

 

[ikesdad]

The Kerr was the other imported Brit sharpshooter rifle.
http://www.mlagb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/201301_KerrRifle.pdf

College Hill had one.
http://www.collegehillarsenal.com/shop/product.php?productid=1619&cat=9&page=1