Berdan's Sharpshooter
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1. Print out this design. (Click Here). Put a few drops of glue onto a piece of scrap cardboard and use it with a toothpick to make this model.
2. Cut out everything.
3. Make the rifle first. This way it can dry while you are making everything else. Cut it out and fold it sharply down the middle. Put a smear of glue on a toothpick and run it down the length of the rifle, twirling as you go. Fold over. Cut out notch at the grip. Glue on the rifle lock right above the trigger guard.
4. Now make the head. Fasten halves of head together with a tape loop and glue the nose, chin, hat (kepi) and hat's bill together with a bit of glue on a toothpick (or a gluestick). Don't glue the sides of the neck together. These fasten to the body.
5. Next attach the head to the body. Position the head inside the shoulders and use the neck flaps to glue or tape it to the insides of the shoulders.
6. Now roll the frock coat around and line up the belt. Bottom of frock coat should overlap. Fasten it there with a staple, tape, or glue.
7. Now set your soldier down on a flat surface and tweek the feet, sholders, and elbows out and work roundness into the arms and legs with your fingers until he looks like a man lying down. Then tape or glue the Sharps rifle in his hands. Make a final positioning of the head.
8. Go win the war for Mr. Lincoln.

Berdan's Sharpshooters were the best marksmen with the best equipment and tactics. They were armed with the 1859 .54 cal. Sharps rifle which was breechloading. This allowed them to fire from the prone position, which is more accurate and less exposed to enemy fire than standing upright, which one had to do in order to load a muzzleloading rife. Their green uniform was worn by all sniper units of the period, North or South (or Continental). They wore a heavy frock coat for crawling through wet vegetation, the fur was left on their gaotskin packs, and they even had rubber coated buttons. Because they were equiped with the Sharps rifle, they were called "Sharpshooters." This became the term used for all expert marksmen whether they were armed with a Sharps or not.

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