"Shock Troops" incorporates information from several other books about Sharpshooters along with some new information to give the overall story of how they were formed and used. However if you are serious about learning all you can about the sharpshooter battalions in the ANV, three of the primary references need to be read for all the jucy details. The three primary references were all written by Confederate Soldiers that had served as Sharpshooters. It has been suggested that the overall success of the ANV from 1864 to the end of the war was due in part to the fighting ability of the Sharpshooter battalions.