MASTERS OF THE LONG SHOT: Birge’s Western Sharpshooters
- Owen Doak
- Jul 6
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 7
TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses military history, focusing on rifles and shooting. If this isn't your interest, feel free to stop reading. If you're interested, note that I'm not a military historian. Writing about the military training and the battles for my great great grandfather's Civil War story raised many questions: What was it really like to be a Civil War soldier? What training did they receive? What weapons were used? What orders were given in battle? (I learned no one in the Civil War said “Fire at Will!”Good thing too, as that would have been hard on poor Will!)
I had to learn military terminology, including the differences between brigade, division, corps, and army, as well as terms like skirmishing, battery, demonstration, and "invest the fort" (surround). With research and advice from my West Point graduate brother, I gained a lot of knowledge. However, any errors are mine, as much of his advice was given over loud music at a wedding reception. I hope my beta readers and editors will catch any mistakes before publication.
The Western Sharpshooters were envisioned by a Doctor John W. Birge, an optometrist and adventurer from St. Louis, as an elite unit of sharpshooters from the "western" states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, similar to Berdan’s Sharpshooters in the East. Birge proposed this idea to General John C. Fremont, who approved the formation of the regiment. Initially, Birge and Fremont planned for the sharpshooters to wear a distinctive buckskin uniform like western explorers, but General Henry Halleck, Fremont's successor in 1861, vetoed this. However, the Western Sharpshooters wore a unique grey felt slouch hat with three black squirrel tails until the end of 1863. As a boy, I remember commenting on the portrait of John W.N. Doak in my father’s den. “Why did he wear such a weird hat? Why didn’t he wear a regular Civil War soldier hat?” Now I know. His "weird hat" was a mark of distinction, and he wore it proudly.
The Western Sharpshooters primarily used Dimick Rifles, crafted by Henry Dimick and Company in St. Louis. These long, heavy rifles were accurate up to 500 yards, with skilled sharpshooters reaching 800 yards. Their motto, “Fifty caliber death at a thousand yards,” reflected their precision. They used Minie ball bullets, named after its French inventor. The bullets we're also rifled and we're aerodynamic with a pointed tip. Some rifles had telescopic sights, though this was not standard, and few soldiers had them.
The rifles used during the Civil War were a significant improvement over the pre-Civil War smoothbore muskets, which were only accurate up to 50 yards. By mid-war, rifles had become standard, giving defenders a significant advantage. The old Napoleonic tactics of massed attacks were ineffective against defenders armed with rifles, which could decimate attackers from over a hundred yards away. Despite this, generals continued to order frontal attacks, resulting in extremely high casualties. The combination of outdated tactics and advanced rifles made Civil War battles more deadly than any previous war.
What follows is an 1861 advertisement for the Western Sharpshooters I discovered in the 66th Illinois file at the Corinth Interpretive Center in Corinth, Mississippi. A great find. John W.N. Doak likely saw this ad in the Paris Beacon News:
SHARP SHOOTERS!
A REGIMENT OF SHARP SHOOTERS IS BEING ORGANIZED. It is expected that this will be the crack Regiment of the West. This Regiment is to act upon its own responsibility, and each man for himself with his rifle as his companion. Let the SHARP SHOOTERS come on.
Birge’s Western Sharp Shooters: THOSE WHO ARE ACCUSTOMED TO THE USE of a rifle, a fine chance is now open. A squad of ten men or more in any of the Western States will be transported to St. Louis. The Regiment will be furnished with the LONG RANGE AMERICAN RIFLE and a Navy Revolver. Backwoodsmen and Hunters desired. A prize of a fine rifle will be given to the best shot in each company, and a Silver Medal to the second best.
Edgar County contributed an astonishing 78 young men to the new regiment, enough to form their very own company--Company E. John W.N. Doak and his friends were likely very excited about joining the elite unit, especially since they were familiar with shooting from hunting squirrels, rabbits, and quail in eastern Illinois. To qualify for the regiment, soldiers had to hit a ten-inch target from 250 yards with 3 out of 5 shots. In addition, one shot had to hit or graze the bullseye. Those who failed were sent home.
Union soldiers in most other infantry regiments spent little time on marksmanship to conserve ammunition, generally pointing rather than aiming their rifles. However, the Western Sharpshooters, naturally, focused heavily on improving their marksmanship.
At Benton Barracks in St. Louis, the Western Sharpshooters also trained to excel at skirmishing, which involved advancing in front of the army to initiate battle or force the enemy retreat. Soldiers lined up five paces apart in two staggered lines. As the first line fired, the second line advanced and fired while the first reloaded, often taking cover behind trees, fallen timber, or boulders.
Following "Birge’s Western Sharpshooters" through the Civil War can be challenging due to two name changes: they became the 14th Missouri in April 1862 and were renamed the 66th Illinois by November 1862. Illinois Governor Yates convinced Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to approve a name change as most members were from Illinois, and the regiment officially became an Illinois regiment.
How did the Western Sharpshooters perform in battle? At Fort Donelson from February 13th to 15th, 1862 Birge’s Western Sharpshooters performed brilliantly. They silenced the Confederate batteries on the Union left, enabling a successful assault on February 15th. Led by General C. F. Smith and the 2nd Iowa Infantry, this assault forced the rebels to retreat closer to the fort, leading to its surrender the next day. The 2nd Iowa suffered heavy casualties, but The New York Times highlighted "Birge’s Western Sharpshooters" in their Fort Donelson report:
Among the rest who disposed themselves along these ridges were Birge’s celebrated regiment of riflemen, and from that time forward, a secession head above the parapet was sure to go down with a hole bored through it about the size of one that might be made with a three-quarter auger. This regiment did most effectual service, each member with a gray felt cap whose top is rigged 'fore-and-aft' with squirrel tails dyed black. Their weapon is a heavy rifle with an effective range of about 1,000 yards. Lying flat behind a stump, one would watch with finger on trigger for rebel game with all the excitement of a hunter waylaying deer at a 'salt-lick.' Woe to the rebel caput that was lifted ever so quickly above the parapet for a glance at Yankee operations, fifty eyes instantly sighted it, and fifty fingers drew trigger on it, and thereafter it was seen no more. Writhing over on his back, the sharpshooter would reload and then twist back, in all the operation, not exposing so much as the tip of his elbow to the enemy.
After Fort Donelson the Western Sharpshooters enjoyed an excellent reputation in Grant's Army of the Tennessee. At Shiloh, the Western Sharpshooters excelled as skirmishers on April 7th. However, on the first day of battle on April 6th they regiment was in dire peril when attacked by the Texas Rangers. Positioned on the extreme right flank of Grant's last line of defense alongside the 81st Ohio, Company C, lacking bayonets and struggling with reloading, was nearly overrun. Private Arminius Bill of Company C provides a detailed account in his diary:
The Texas cavalry under Col. John A. Wharton received a deadly fire, and many a saddle was emptied. But we cannot get our rifles loaded in a hurry. It takes time to pour out our powder and get it in the rifle, then to get a bullet and get it started into the muzzle of the rifle, and then to drive the ball home with our wooden ramrods requires care, lest we get the ramrod stuck in the gun. All this requires time and deliberation. But with a regiment of cavalry firing at you, with empty rifles around you and no bayonets, there is not a feeling of deliberation in the average man’s breast. We were not armed, not equipped, to withstand cavalry charges, and to stay there was to invite capture.
Company C retreated to reload, but reinforcements from the 81st Ohio filled the gap in the Union lines. The right flank wavered but held. The Texas Rangers retreated. At Shiloh, Grant’s last line of defense held on the afternoon and evening of April 6th.
The Western Sharpshooters were highly sought after for provost duty, serving as military police. Known for their sharpshooting skills, they were also often tasked with securing generals' headquarters. In the summer of 1862, they camped near Grant’s headquarters in Corinth, Mississippi, providing security and likely seeing Grant frequently.
In late 1863, Colonel Patrick E. Burke of the Western Sharpshooters/66th Illinois announced that the soldiers of the regiment could purchase the 16-shot Henry repeating rifle, with the government supplying ammunition. Over half of the Sharpshooters acquired this rifle, which could fire sixteen times before reloading. This proved especially advantageous in the July 22, 1864, hot and bloody Battle of Atlanta, where the Sharpshooters' were part of a 4,000-man brigade that successfully repelled 9,000 rebel attackers. Arminius Bill's diary notes: “We have 480 of the Henry 16 shooters in our regiment and now these guns do bloody work. The gun barrels get so hot that men wrap handkerchiefs around to protect their hands . . . the rebels press on, yelling all the while.”
(See the second video below for more information on the Henry Rifle)
Since this is a military post, I've included Julia's hand-drawn map of the Western Sharpshooters/66th Illinois battles. I scanned it into an AI tool, and Julia labeled it. She did great! John W.N. Doak visited 90% of these locations between 1861 and 1864.
Ordinary farm boys became lethal killers with the Henry Rifle, the assault weapon of the 1860s. The Civil War, marked by advancing technology and the grit and duty of ordinary soldiers, resulted in unprecedented carnage, making it truly the first modern war.
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