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Hiram Berdan

 
Hiram Berdan

 
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Hiram Berdan
 
 
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Hiram Berdan (September 6, 1824 – March 31, 1893) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 engineer and military officer, world renowned marksman
Marksman

A marksman is a person that is skilled in precision shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at small long-range targets at a considerable distance away from the target....
, and guiding force behind the famed United States Sharpshooters during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. He was the inventor of the Berdan rifle
Berdan rifle

The Berdan rifle is a Russian rifle created by famous United States firearms expert and inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. Standard issue in the Russian army from 1869-1891, the Berdan was replaced by the Mosin-Nagant rifle....
, the Berdan centerfire primer
Internal ballistics

Internal ballistics, a subfield of ballistics, is the study of a projectile's behavior from the time its propellant's igniter is initiated until it exits the gun barrel....
 and numerous other weapons and accessories.

an was born in Phelps, a small town in Ontario County, New York
Ontario County, New York

Ontario County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The county seat is the city of Canandaigua , New York. "Ontario" is a corruption of the Iroquois word meaning "beautiful water." The population of Ontario County in the United States Census 2000 was 100,224, up from 95,101 at the United States Census, 1990....
. A mechanical engineer in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, he had been the top rifle
Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls....
 shot in the country for fifteen years prior to the Civil War.






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Hiram Berdan (September 6, 1824 – March 31, 1893) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 engineer and military officer, world renowned marksman
Marksman

A marksman is a person that is skilled in precision shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at small long-range targets at a considerable distance away from the target....
, and guiding force behind the famed United States Sharpshooters during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. He was the inventor of the Berdan rifle
Berdan rifle

The Berdan rifle is a Russian rifle created by famous United States firearms expert and inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. Standard issue in the Russian army from 1869-1891, the Berdan was replaced by the Mosin-Nagant rifle....
, the Berdan centerfire primer
Internal ballistics

Internal ballistics, a subfield of ballistics, is the study of a projectile's behavior from the time its propellant's igniter is initiated until it exits the gun barrel....
 and numerous other weapons and accessories.

Early life

Berdan was born in Phelps, a small town in Ontario County, New York
Ontario County, New York

Ontario County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The county seat is the city of Canandaigua , New York. "Ontario" is a corruption of the Iroquois word meaning "beautiful water." The population of Ontario County in the United States Census 2000 was 100,224, up from 95,101 at the United States Census, 1990....
. A mechanical engineer in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, he had been the top rifle
Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls....
 shot in the country for fifteen years prior to the Civil War. He invented a repeating rifle
Repeating rifle

A repeating rifle is a single barreled rifle containing multiple rounds of ammunition. These rounds are loaded from a magazine by means of a manual or automatic mechanism, and the action that reloads the rifle also typically recocks the firing action....
 and a patented musket ball before the war. He had also developed the first commercial gold amalgamation machine to separate gold from ore. His inventions had brought him wealth and international fame.

Civil War

In the summer and fall of 1861, he was involved in the recruiting of eighteen companies, from eight states, which were formed into two sharpshooter regiments with the backing of General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott

Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful List of United States Presidential candidates of the Whig Party in 1852. Known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" and the "Grand Old Man of the Army", he served on active duty as a general longer than any other man in American history and many historians rate him the ablest America...
 and President
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery....
. Berdan was named as Colonel
Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, Colonel is a senior field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and just below the rank of Brigadier General ....
 of the resultant 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters on November 30, 1861. His men, who had to pass rigorous marksmanship tests, were dressed in distinctive green uniforms and equipped with the most advanced long-range rifles equipped with telescopic sight
Telescopic sight

A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a device used to give additional accuracy using a point of aim for firearms, airguns and crossbows....
s. Even when assigned to a brigade, the regiments were usually detached for special assignments on the field of battle. They were frequently used for skirmish duty. Berdan fought at the Seven Days Battles
Seven Days Battles

The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War....
 and Second Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederate States of America, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War....
. In September 1862, his sharpshooters were at the Battle of Shepherdstown
Battle of Shepherdstown

The Battle of Shepherdstown, also known as the Battle of Boteler's Ford, took place from September 19–20, 1862, in Jefferson County, West Virginia , as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War....
. Berdan commanded the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 3rd Corps
III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*Army of Virginia:...
, Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
 in February and March 1863, then he commanded the 3rd Brigade at the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
.

Gettysburg

At the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
, his two regiments of sharpshooters played an important role in delaying Confederate attacks on Devil's Den
Devil's Den

Devil's Den is the nickname for a terrain feature south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that was the site of fierce fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War....
 and the Peach Orchard
Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day

During the Second Day of the Battle of Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee attempted to capitalize on his first day's success....
. In a sharp encounter in Pitzer's Woods on Seminary Ridge
Seminary Ridge

Seminary Ridge is a geographic feature immediately to the west of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Its name derives from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg on its crest....
, the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters stalled the advancing Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
 brigade of Cadmus Wilcox. Berdan assumed command of J. H. Hobart Ward
J. H. Hobart Ward

John Henry Hobart Ward , most commonly referred to as J.H. Hobart Ward, was a career United States Army soldier who fought in the Mexican?American War and served in the New York state militia....
's brigade when the latter became acting division commander - David B. Birney
David B. Birney

David Bell Birney was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union army General officer in the American Civil War....
 having become acting corps commander following the wounding of Daniel Sickles
Daniel Sickles

Daniel Edgar Sickles was a colorful and controversial American politician, Union Army General officer in the American Civil War, and diplomat....
, and led the division throughout the rest of the campaign, as well as during the subsequent Bristoe
Bristoe Campaign

The Bristoe Campaign was a series of battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Major General#United States George G....
 and Mine Run Campaigns.

Post-War career

Berdan resigned his commission January 2, 1864, and returned to his career as an engineer and inventor. In 1865, he was awarded the brevets
Brevet (military)

In the U.K. and U.S. military, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher Military rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank....
 of brigadier
Brigadier General

Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field....
 and major general
Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a 2 star rank general officer rank, with the U.S....
 for Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
 and Gettysburg, at each of which he led a brigade.

He was considered by many to be a crack marksman and innovator, but unfit for field command. Berdan subsequently invented numerous engines of war, including a twin-screw submarine
Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability....
 gunboat, a torpedo boat
Torpedo boat

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast navy ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Torpedo#Self-propelled torpedoeses....
 for evading torpedo nets, a long-distance rangefinder
Rangefinder

A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon....
 and a distance fuse for shrapnel
Shrapnel

Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards, relying almost entirely on the shell's velocity for their lethality....
.

Death

Berdan died unexpectedly in 1893 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia is a United States National Cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, The Robert E....
. Recently there was a film created by Silver Domino Productions based on Berdan and his men.

See also