Bryan and Danny

I know that in each of your cases my explaination was "preaching to the Choir". But, I was I also try to keep in mind that not all are as well versed in such things as we are.

Then again statements like "Clearly, however, the sniper role was an adjunct to their primary mission" makes me giggle a little bit.

Maybe I am spliting hairs here. And I am not making fun of anyone. As you said clear precision targeting of high value targets of oppertunity such as exposed officers and artillery crew was a part of their job. But we are being very loose with the definitions and differences between a "Marksman" and a "Sniper". Most people use these terms interchangeably. But in Military terms, both then and now, they are not interchangeable.

Having been trained as a police marksman, what some would call a sniper, I am wondering at what point does a "Marksman" change to being a "Sniper"?

Is it when the target is beyond the ranges of the normal marksman's ability?

Or the purpose for which the marksman is employeed? I.E. the intentional targeting of a specific objective like a General Officer.

Or maybe it is when the equipment used to acccomplish the Mission might determines whether a marksman is a sniper, such as a rifle equiped with a telescopic sight?

My answer as to the difference between a Sniper and a Marksman is three things, the mission, the equipment, and the tactics.

I don't believe that the Marksmans of these Sharpshooters battalion while good shots and trained to be even better, were actual snipers for a couple of reasons. First of all they weren't intended to be deployed as snipers. Yes, when the oppertunity presented itself they made a good show of hit the targets they were shooting at, but they were Skirmishers first and foremost.

Their weapons were pretty much standard issue.

Snipers even during the WBTS usually worked in small groups and used stealth to get into position using buildings and trees to gain advantage in height. Something a skirmisher would not do. A skirmisher would hide behind a tree as cover, but he wouldn't climb it. A skirmishers first duty was to maintain a screening force for the main body of his Brigade. And he usually didn't stay in one position that long.

I guess it is like this. In todays Marine Corp, every Marine is trained as a rifle man. Clearly not every Marine's job entails his using a rifle, But, of those that do, some of those Marines are quite excellent marksman. And they can hit their target at great ranges.

But the Marine Corp still have selected Snipers with specialized equipment as the Confederate Army did at least under Longstreet and Cleburnes command. Those Snipers, as in the Marine Corp today, were not part of the Sharpshooter battalions as a rule.

And, yes I do agree with you that such units as the 2nd Arkansas Battalion and the Palmetto SC Sharpshooter, both of whose exploits during the Battle of Seven Pines/Fair Oaks were beyond all expectations. And yes again the 2nd Arkansas Battalion and 22nd Virginia battalion at Mechanicsville/Beaver Dam Creek, were the forefathers for these new tactics.