I think the word, "sharpshooter" may have been thrown around a bit in describing some of the special Confederate battalions. Speaking of the Wilcox Brigade, in early April 1862 the brigade was in line on the Warwick River near Green's Landing, Virginia. According to Capt. John C. Featherston of the 9th Alabama: "Maj. Archibald Gracie, commander of the 11th Alabama, was put in command of a special battalion of five companies of Wilcox's Brigade, one from each regiment. Lt. Featherston. adjutant of the 9th Alabama, was ordered to report to Major Gracie with his detail of Company F, commanded by Capt. T. H. Hobbs...This battalion was posted on the Warwick River near its confluence with the James, near Balthrops. These companies were selected by chance and not because of any fitness for any special duties because they had never been tried effectively; but a finer body of soldiers were not to be found."

My ancestor, William Cowan McClellan, was one of these men from Company F. In a letter of April 13 he mentions: "We had a hard time of it sharp shooting...we had 6 minie muskets and a Sharps rifle...one of the minie muskets I manned all the time for two days..." And on April 16: "We have 4 companies here to guard this landing [Green's Landing]. Our company stands every 4th day. Sharp shooting is going on all of the time." No mention of Wentworths or special guns. In fact, William indicates that at the time half of Company F were still without guns of any kind.

Other members of the 9th also referred to this detail as "sharpshooters." I can say without doubt that William McClellan was not trained as a sharpshooter and had no special skills other than having gone hunting back in Limestone County in his youth. Company F was often detailed for picket duty and also as skirmishers. In this case, the battalion is on the extreme right of the Confederate line on the Peninsula, and is basically on picket duty. There was constant sniper firing back and forth, and both sides had men killed and wounded. The letters from soldiers in Company F gave more credence to the Union soldiers actually being sharpshooters and that they were on the mark with their shooting. I guess you were labeled a sharpshooter if you actually hit an enemy soldier.

This was early in the war and actual sharpshooter details may have been trained and deployed. If they were, they don't appear to have come from within the Wilcox Brigade. I would like to know if anyone has heard of a sharpshooter detail being assigned to the Wilcox Brigade or to Anderson's Division.

John