TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Informed Amateurs Blog the American Civil War

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Origins of “Sharpshooter”

December 6th, 2013 · 9 Comments

Some time ago I did a post on the origin of the word “sharpshooter” – that it came into the English language by way of the German mercenary riflemen hired by the British crown in the late 18th Century. A couple of commenters, however, took issue with that analysis and insisted that it came from […]

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Categories: Anecdotes · Arms & Armament · Military History

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Sharpshooting in the the War of 1812

July 18th, 2011 · No Comments

Since we’ve had some comments on the War of 1812 I thought I’d take the opportunity to post an excerpt from my sharpshooter book on the US Rifle Regiment—one of the few first-class US units. Virtually the only book on this important and nearly forgotten unit is John Fredricksen’s Green Coats and Glory: The United […]

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Categories: Arms & Armament · Military History · Strategy & Tactics

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