United States Regiments & Batteries > U. S. Sharpshooters and Veteran Infantry > 2nd United States Sharpshooters
The 2nd United States Sharpshooter Regiment was one of two United States Sharpshooter regiments recruited by Hiram Berdan, known as the top marksman in the country. The Eight companies of the 2nd Regiment were recruited from seven different states under the authority of the War Department.
The lost 8 officers and 117 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 2 officers and 123 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War.
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1861
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| October 4 | Company B organized in Lansing, Michigan under the command of Captain Andrew B. Stuart. Company C in Pennsylvania |
| October 5 | Company A organized in Minnesota |
| November 2 | Company D organized in Maine |
| November 9 | Company E was organized in Vermont under the command of Captain Homer R. Stoughton. |
| November 28 | Company F organized in New Hampshire |
| December 10 | Company G organized in New Hampshire |
| December 31 | Company H organized in Vermont under the command of Captain Gilbert Hart. |
| October-December | Companies moved to Washington, D.C. and duty in the defenses of that city |
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1862
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| January 1 | Lieutenant Colonel Henry Post was promoted to colonel. |
| March | Attached to Augur’s Brigade, King’s 1st Division, McDowell’s 1st Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| April 5-6 | Moved to Bristoe Station, Va. and attached to 1st Brigade, King’s Division, Dept. of the Rappahannock |
| April 15-19 | To Falmouth, Va. |
| May 25-29 | McDowell’s advance on Richmond |
| June 1-21 | Operations against Jackson. Attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Virginia. The regiment’s Colt repeating fifles were replaced with Sharps breechloaders. Eighteen men of Company E were injured in a railroad accident. |
| July-August | Duty at Falmouth |
| July 19 | Blackburn’s Ford |
| July 24-26 | Reconnaissance to Orange Court House |
| August 16-September 2 |
Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia |
| August 21-23 | Fords of the Rappahannock |
| August 26 | Sulphur Springs |
| August 29 |
Battle of GrovetonOne man was killed from Company E. |
| August 30 |
Second Battle of Bull Run |
| September 1 |
Battle of Chantilly |
| September 6-22 |
Maryland CampaignAttached to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| September 14 |
Battle of South MountainCaptured to guns and a number of prisoners. |
| September 16-17 |
Battle of AntietamColonel Henry Post was wounded. From the brigade marker on the Antietam battlefield:Phelps’ Brigade formed line at 5:30 A. M. on September 17, and moved in support of Gibbon’s Brigade. When Gibbon deployed, 135 yards north of this in the Cornfield and on the plateau west of the Hagerstown Pike, Phelps’ Brigade (425 officers and men) halted 25 paces in his rear, in the Cornfield. After Gibbon advanced and became heavily engaged on both sides of the Pike, Phelps moved to the support of his left and fought on this ground. The subsequent movements of this Brigade conformed to those of Gibbon. After heavy loss it retired to the fields north of D. R. Miller’s and thence beyond the Poffenberger Lane. Captain Homer R. Stoughton of Comapny E was promoted to Major. Second Lieutenant Francis Sweetser was promoted to Captain of Company E, which lost 1 man killed and ten wounded and had only four men other than the Captain.. |
| September-October | Camp near Sharpsburg |
| October 29-November 17 | Movement to Falmouth, Va. Thirty recruits joined Company E. Captain Gilbert Hart of Company H was discharged. |
| November 16 | Colonel Post resigned. Colonel Hiram Berdan was assigned to command the regiment. |
| December 1 | Second Lieutenant Albert Buxton was promoted to Captain of Company H. |
| December 12-15 |
Battle of Fredericksburg |
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1863
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| January 20-24 |
“Mud March” |
| February-April | At Falmouth |
| March | Attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| April 27-May 6 |
Chancellorsville CampaignColonel Hiram Berdan commanded the brigade while Major Homer R. Stoughton commanded the regiment. |
| May 1-5 |
Battle of ChancellorsvilleThe regiment helped capture 480 men of the 23rd Georgia Infantry Regiment. General Sickles dismounted and shook the hand of each man. |
| June 11-July 24 |
Gettysburg Campaign |
| June | Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. 3rd Corps |
| July 1-3 |
Battle of GettysburgCaptain Albert Buxton of Company H was wounded. |
| July 5-24 | Pursuit of Lee |
| July 23 |
Action at Wapping Heights, Va. |
| September | Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 3rd Corps |
| September 14 | Captain Francis A. Sweetser of Company E was cashiered and discharged. First Lieutenant Seymour F. Norton was promoted to Captain. |
| October 9-22 |
Bristoe Campaign |
| October 14 |
Auburn and Bristoe |
| November 7-8 | Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
| November 7 |
Kelly’s Ford |
| November 8 |
Brandy Station |
| November 26-December 2 |
Mine Run Campaign |
| November 27 |
Payne’s Farm |
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1864
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| February 6-7 |
Demonstration on the Rapidan |
| March | Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Corps |
| May 4-June 15 |
Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River |
| May 5-7 |
Battle of the WildernessCompany H lost 8 men killed, 16 wounded and 2 missing. Captain Albert Buxton of Company H was killed. He was replaced by Captain William Newell. |
| May 8-21 |
Laurel Hill |
| May 8-12 |
Spotsylvania Court House |
| May 10 |
Po River |
| May 12 |
Assault on the Salient, “Bloody Angle”Captain Seymour F. Norton of Company E was wounded. |
| May 19 |
Harris Farm, Fredericksburg Road |
| May 23-26 |
North Anna River |
| May 26-28 | On line of the Pamunkey |
| May 28-31 |
Totopotomoy |
| June 1-12 |
Cold Harbor |
| June 16-19 |
Grant’s First Assault on Petersburg |
| June 16 – February 20 |
Siege of Petersburg |
| June 22-23 |
Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon RailroadCaptain William Newell of Company H was wounded and Colonel Stoughton was captured. |
| July 27-29 | Demonstration north of the James River |
| July 28-29 | Deep Bottom |
| August 13-20 | Demonstration north of the James |
| August 14-18 |
Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom |
| September 29-October 2 |
Poplar Springs Church, Peeble’s Farm |
| September 29-October 2 |
Poplar Springs Church, Peeble’s Farm |
| December 6 | Sergeant Walter H. Smith was promoted to Captain of Company H. |
| December 7-12 |
Expedition to Weldon RailroadTore up 135 miles of rail line. |
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1865
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| January | Veterans’ Furloughs. |
| February 5-7 |
Dabney’s Mills, Hatcher’s Run |
| February 20 | The 2nd United States Sharpshooters was discontinued and its companies were assigned to volunteer regiments:
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