The Berdan Sharpshooter

A brief history of the Berdan Sharpshooter. 

The Berdan Sharpshooter was formed by Hiram Berdan in July 1861. Eventually two regiments, the 1st regiment United States sharpshooter commanded by Colonel Hiram Berdan and the 2nd regiment USSS commanded by colonel Henry A. Post, were formed. The 1st consisted of ten companies and the 2nd eight. Due to supply problem, they were initially supplied with Colt 5 shot revolving rifle but the 1st and 2nd eventually received their promised breech-loading Sharps rifle in May and June 1862 respectively.

To be able to enlist in these regiments, the volunteer must be able to put ten bullets in succession within five inches from the center at a distance of 600 feet from a rest or 300 off hand. They were dressed in dark green coat and cap with a black plume, light blue trousers (which was later exchanged for green trousers) and leather leggings. 

Their first action was a two companies (C and E of 1st regiment) skirmish at Lewinville, Virginia on the 27 of Sep 1861. By the end of the war, they were involved in a total of 65 actions and battles, distinguishing themselves at South Mountain, Chancellorsville and Gettyburg. They were used for skirmishes, picket duty and sniping. 

The 1st was mustered out of service at the beginning of Aug 1864. Those whose enlistment had not expired were transferred to the 2nd at the beginning of 1865. Finally the 2nd was mustered out in Feb 1865. This time, those whose enlistment had not expired, were transferred to regiments of the respective states.
 
As with all my sculpting, it started from a simple wire armature. All the joints were prominently marked and eventually bended with a pair of pliers to the desired pose.

The wire armature was fleshed out with resin putty except for the joints. This is to allow for some minor adjustments that may be necessary to ensure proper alignment at a later stage.
 
A toe was sculpted sticking out of the right shoes to subtlety show the rigour of being in the infantry. It was sculpted in stages as shown. 
 
The head was given to me by a friend. I decided to remodel it such that it is taking aim with the Sharps rifle. In so doing, putty was added to the left side of the face. The left eye was sculpted shut while the left side of the lips were lifted to give the necessary effect. When fully hardened, the top of the head was saw off and a forage cap sculpted in place. 
 
An SBS sculpting of the Sharps rifle has been included in this site. Please refer to the hyperlink. Both the hands was sculpted onto the rifle in stages.

 
Test fittings were frequently done and adjustment made to the arms to ensure that the pose is correct. The rifle was elevated to indicate that he was aiming at a distant target. The figure was sawn into half to facilitate easy assembling and painting subsequently. An asymmetrical key was sculpted to orientate the upper half of the figure.

 
The pants were sculpted by applying putty directly to the legs instead of wrapping a thin sheet of rolled putty around them. It is more realistic as it does not appear to be too thick or padded. The folds and creases were sculpted using toothpick and blade. Once cured, the latter half of the frock was added.
 
With the arms in place, the sleeves were sculpted in a similar fashion to that of the pants. 
 
The bayonet was made from a piece of toothpick, shaped into a triangular cross section. A step by step sculpting of the cartridge box is included in this site. Finally with the accoutrements in place, the Berdan Sharpshooter is completed. 

Hope you have enjoyed this article.