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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 02:41 pm |
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1st Post |
Roger
Member
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What type of buttons would have been worn on the green coat worn by 2nd US Sharpshooters c.1862? I have a feeling it could be either brass or the black rubber ones but would appreciate any thoughts on the subject.
Roger
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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 03:23 pm |
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2nd Post |
| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 03:28 pm |
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3rd Post |
Roger
Member
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Thanks TD I've been looking at the Berdan sharpshooters site alot over the last couple of days and it's been really useful. Thanks also for the other link I hadn't seen that one before.
I'd pretty much come to the conclusion either could've been worn but I wondered if anyone could provide info I might have missed.
Thanks again, your input is appreciated.
Roger
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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 03:28 pm |
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4th Post |
Johan Steele
Life NRA,SUVCW # 48,Legion 352
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TD is correct on this,I know early on everything was gutta percha buttons but have read enough to know reality vs what the QM wanted. As the war progressed the mixture intesified. I suspect though that the 62 campaign would have been mostly gutta percha, especially in the field where these boys were fighting for real.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 03:34 pm |
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5th Post |
Johan Steele
Life NRA,SUVCW # 48,Legion 352
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Now that said I recall reading an account of a rather sneaky sharpshooter (whether in Berdan's I don't know) who in an effort to find out where a Rebal sharpshooter was who had been given some irritating harassing fire rigged up a string w/ a button cut from his coat so that w/ a twitch of the string he could catch the light(can only be a brass button). The irony is they drove off the reb irritant w/ cannon, not rifle, fire! I think that speaks of the ranges involved either that or a serious case of one upmanship.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 03:35 pm |
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6th Post |
Roger
Member
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Thanks, black buttons it is then. As you've probably noticed accuracy's important to me and even if the figure sits in the cabinet with only me looking at it and I've only guessed at some detail it'll irritate me
Roger
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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 03:38 pm |
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7th Post |
Roger
Member
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You just sneaked that second post in while I as typing. They might well have been wearing blue coats with brass buttons by then.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 2nd, 2008 06:21 pm |
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8th Post |
ole
Member
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Berdan's units were early enough in the war that there may well have been a supply of brass buttons stashed in depots. Probably safer to go with gutta percha.
Running out of line-time TD. Will read those links tonight.
ole
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| Posted: Sun Feb 3rd, 2008 12:05 am |
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9th Post |
susansweet
Member
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Roger I looked at the pictures of the Berdans reeneacters I know. Their buttons are black. I had a picture I was going to post but can't seem to figure out how to do it .
It has the buttons shown quite well because of the close up of the picture I took.
Sorry I don't seem to know how to post pictures.
Susan
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Roger
Member
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Thank you Susan. Don't worry about the pictures it's fine. The buttons are painted black now.
I appreciate you taking the time to help though.
Thanks again,
Roger
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ole
Member
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Roger, I might be wrong, but Berdan's people wore a green uniform.
ole
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Roger
Member
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ole, correct but as I understand it as the green uniforms wore out they were replaced with blue with green trim and green rank badges for nco's.
I'm sure I read somewhere that by Gettysburg they were mainly uniformed in blue.
If anyone knows different or can confirm or correct my information I'd appreciate it.
Roger
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Johan Steele
Life NRA,SUVCW # 48,Legion 352
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I'm not up on Berdan's men but I know their green uniforms came and went and came again. I don't know about Gettysburg as I've heard both arguments. The best argument I've heard seems to be that if a Baerdan's man was wearing a frock it was most likely to have been green if a sack coat it was blue. But like anything in life or the CW there was no such thing as a sure thing.
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younglobo
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Very cool as always roger.
Think I would want to be wearing green to blend in with the background (in the summer months at least). Weren't these gentlemen the early snipers?
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ole
Member
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Berdan broke all the rules. There were sharpshooters before, but never regiments of them. With a distinctive uniform already.
I don't remember the exact specs, but you didn't get to be a sharpshooter in Berdan's outfit unless you could plunk one in a 12 inch square at 500 yards. (Or something like that.) Don't know about your eyes, but at 500 yards, I wouldn't be able to see the target, let alone a one-foot black square.
Favorite story. At Gettysburg when the sharpshooters were dueling, the Confederates in a stone barn could see the smoke and duck away from the window before the slug would arrive. So the Federal shooters teamed up. One would shoot at the window and the next would shoot at the same window about 3 seconds later. The Confederate would stick his head and rifle out just about in time to receive the second ball.
Second favorite story. Forgot which book but it was about Ft. Donelson. Seems like, when Grant got into his assault mode, the sharpshooters were called forward. And "they melted into the ground." Seems that shooting wasn't their only talent. They could vanish. Now that's scary!
ole
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younglobo
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ole thanks for the last great stories. Is there a book out on these fellows? Last edited on Tue Feb 5th, 2008 06:20 pm by younglobo
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ole
Member
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For shure, young lobo. But I don't have it and can only recommend that you google Berdan.
ole
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Johan Steele
Life NRA,SUVCW # 48,Legion 352
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Sword, Wiley, Sharpshooter: Hiram Berdan, his famous Sharpshooters and their Sharps Rifles, Andrew Mowbray Inc., 1988.
I'm a big Sword fan and greatly enjoyed the book; although I believe I've heard that some of the research is a bit dated. It's a good book.
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Dixie Girl
Southern Belle
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pretty cool Roger
____________________
War Means Fighting And Fighting Means Killing - N. B. Forrest
When war does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Stonewall Jackson
Sic Semper Tyrannis - John Wilkes Booth
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