This particular P60 Enfield belonged to Berry Benson, a sharpshooter with McGowan's South Carolina brigade. The short guns were given them, as they were lighter and handier." Both kinds had a long range and were very effective. "Every short Enfield which came into possession of any of our men was taken away and given to these men," said a Georgian in Gordon's brigade, "but there were not enough, and some of them had the common long Enfield. ![]() The two-band Enfield quickly became the top choice for Confederate sharpshooters. The Pattern 56 and 58 rifles had a light three-groove barrel, while the Pattern 60 Army rifle and the Pattern 58 Navy rifle both featured a heavier five-groove barrel with progressive depth rifling and a faster 1:48 twist, giving them superior accuracy. All had 33-inch barrels and an overall length of 48½ inches and were often called "two-band" Enfields after the number of bands securing the barrel. ( courtesy West Point Museum)Įnfield also produced several shorter versions of its P53 rifle-musket. The long rifle was thought necessary so that the muzzles of the second rank of soldiers would project beyond the faces of the men in front, and so that the weapon would be sufficiently long for a bayonet fight. The term “rifle-musket” meant that the rifle was the same length as the musket it replaced. Including the 17-inch blade on its triangular socket bayonet, the Enfield rifle-musket measured just over six feet long. With practice a good marksman could hit a man-sized target at about half that distance. For distances beyond that an adjustable flip-up blade sight was graduated (depending on the model and date of manufacture) from 900 to 1250 yards. The Enfield’s adjustable ladder rear sight had steps for 100 (the default or “battle sight” range), 200, 300, and 400 yards. Sixty-eight grains of black powder pushed a 530-grain Prichett ball (or a Burton-Minié ball) along at about 850-900 feet per second. Three metal bands held the P53s three-groove, 39-inch barrel (which sported a 1:78 twist) to the stock, and as such the weapon was often referred to as the “three-band” model. ![]() 577 caliber rifle was as close to a standard infantry weapon as the Confederacy ever got and was also used in large numbers by the Union. This nine and a half pound, single shot, muzzle loading. In this study, Gary Yee, an expert in firearms of the period, assesses the role played by sharpshooters in three bloody clashes at the height of the American Civil War - the battle of Fredericksburg, the siege of Vicksburg, and the siege of Battery Wagner.Confederate ordnance chief Josiah Gorgas called the Enfield, or British Pattern 53 Long Rifle-Musket, named for the year of its adoption, “the finest arm in the world.” Sturdy, reliable, and extremely accurate even at extended ranges, it consistently outshot everything but the Whitworth and quickly became a favorite on both sides. Initially, Union marksmen enjoyed the upper hand, but as the Confederates began raising and training their own sharpshooters, they proved themselves as worthy opponents. They could also become expert scouts and, for the Confederacy, impressive raiders - one raid netted almost 250 prisoners. Siege warfare placed a premium on marksmanship and the sharpshooter became indispensable as they could drive artillerymen from their guns. Sometimes equipped with firearms no better than those of their infantry brethren, they fought in a manner reminiscent of Napoleonic-era light infantry. Union Sharpshooter vs Confederate Sharpshooter American Civil War 1861–65ĭuring the American Civil War, the Union and the Confederacy both fielded units of sharpshooters.
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