{"product_id":"thunderbolt-to-the-rebels-the-united-states-sharpshooters-in-the-civil-war-hardcover","title":"Thunderbolt to the Rebels: The United States Sharpshooters in the Civil War - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDarin Wipperman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSharpshooters were the elite of the Union army. Clad in green uniforms and equipped with the era's latest rifles and scopes, they took up positions out in front of the infantry, where they targeted Confederate officers or skirmished with enemy soldiers. However they were used, sharpshooters formed an important presence on battlefields throughout the Civil War, and yet most accounts have tended to focus on their distinctive uniforms and cutting-edge equipment rather than on their combat performance. \u003ci\u003eThunderbolt to the Rebels\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of these Civil War deadeyes on battlefields from Antietam to Gettysburg and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the first year of the Civil War, Hiram Berdan proposed the creation of a unit of marksmen armed with Sharps rifles, and thus were born the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters. Drawn heavily from the Upper Midwest and New England, as well as Pennsylvania, the soldiers had to pass a marksmanship test to join: 10 shots in a 10-inch-diameter circle from 200 yards. They were issued green uniforms for better camouflage, which also helped Confederate riflemen target \u003ci\u003ethem\u003c\/i\u003e. The job of a sharpshooter was dangerous and demanding - much of it out in front of the army, much of it alone - but they made a difference on the battlefield.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThunderbolt to the Rebels \u003c\/i\u003euses primary sources, especially eyewitness accounts, to reveal how these elite marksmen lived, fought, and died during the Civil War.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDarin Wipperman\u003c\/b\u003e has worked as a reporter and editor for weekly newspapers in New Hampshire. He is author of \u003ci\u003eFirst for the Union: Life and Death in a Civil War Army Corps from Antietam to Gettysburg\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBurnside's Boys: The Union's Ninth Corps and the Civil War in the East\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Lancaster, New Hampshire.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.01 x 9.23 x 6.37 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 04, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42702209974335,"sku":"9780811775687","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/0dd73216ff1120206cfe5f4f929b5c3d.webp?v=1765023568","url":"https:\/\/dhl-adrianne.myshopify.com\/products\/thunderbolt-to-the-rebels-the-united-states-sharpshooters-in-the-civil-war-hardcover","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}