Dead Confederate "sharpshooter" at Devil's Den,
photographed by Timothy O'Sullivan on July 6, 1863.
(Library of Congress)

One of the most widely recognized and often published photographs on the subject of Gettysburg, this melancholy view of a dead Confederate youth laying behind a stone barricade at Devil's Den was taken on July 5 or 6, 1863 by photographer Alexander Gardner and two of associates. Gardner later published the photograph in his "Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War" accompanied by a lavish description of his discovery of the dead soldier who he described as a sharpshooter killed at his post. Gardner also speculated on the dead soldier's final moments in the sniper's nest, adding that he found his bleached bones still lying in the nest while on a later visit to the site. It was not until 1975 when Gettysburg: A Journey In Time by author-historian William Frassanito was published, that this apparent hoax by Gardner was uncovered. This scene was actually posed by Gardner and his associates who carried the corpse into this position and dressed up the scene with relics of war scattered about the area. A final touch was the rifle standing against the barricade, placed by Gardner who had used the weapon in previous photos. Gardner's assistants, James Gibson and his chief photographer Timothy O'Sullivan, took two photographs of the scene, the clearest of which is shown here. They then moved on to photograph other scenes in the adjacent "Slaughter Pen", leaving the body in the sharpshooter's nest.

Though this scene was contrived by Gardner and his men, it does not detract from the fact that this young soldier died on a battlefield far away from a home where his relatives and loved ones were possibly wondering at the very moment this picture was taken, whether he was alive and well or killed in battle. This soldier's identity has been lost in time, his youthful remains forever preserved in a photographer's image that has haunted historians and the curious for over a hundred and thirty five years. Yet, the use of his body as a photographer's prop should not detract from the tragedy of a life snuffed out in battle. The true facts of his death on the rocky slopes of Devil's Den are better known today, but cannot dim the feeling of loss Americans should feel when we gaze upon this scene and realize that he once had a name, a family, and a home.

Source: National Park Service; Gettysburg National Military Park

Recommended Reading: Sharpshooters of the American Civil War 1861-65. Description: When the American Civil War commenced in 1861, both Confederate and Union officials decided that specialized sharpshooter units should be formed. These highly trained marksmen served in a front-line role and, due to the technological developments of the 1850s, were equipped with weapons that could guarantee greater accuracy over increased range than traditional muskets. Continued below...

This title examines the recruitment, training, tactics and deployment of sharpshooters from both sides of the conflict. It also takes a close look at the specialized weaponry of the sharpshooter, the rifle and its accoutrements, as well as the sharpshooters' unique insignia and identification patches. It includes full color photos and action-packed battle scenes.

Ray includes, however, a detailed study of Union sharpshooter battalions and Confederate sharpshooters in the West. Remarkably, little has been published about such organizations in the past, so Fred Ray's book offers a unique study of the evolution of Civil War infantry tactics, revealing a more complex, sophisticated approach to the battlefield than is usually understood.

 

Recommended Reading: Sniper: A History of the US Marksman (General Military) (Hardcover: 304 pages) (Osprey Publishing: August 21, 2007). Description - Reviews: "Martin Pegler's Sniper is an engrossing history of U.S. military snipers spanning more than two hundreds years. This careful assessment of the rationale behind and the motivation that drives snipers dispels the idea that snipers are no more than assassins. Instead Pegler shows how snipers are all about protection, and their main job is to protect their fellow squad members." -Dan Danbom, TimeOut for Entertainment (October/November 2007). Continued below...

"... Sniper is more than a survey of modern military strategy; it covers military marksmanship history in America from Revolutionary War days to modern times, considering the first usage of marksmen and their strategic evolution. Chapters chronicle over 200 years of sniper history and developments, from training to weaponry, and make for an excellent addition to any military library." -The Bookwatch (October 2007)

 

Recommended Reading: Rebel Private: Front and Rear: Memoirs of a Confederate Soldier. Description: First published in 1907, the memoirs of a former Confederate soldier who fought at Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Second Manassas, and Chickamauga reveal the ground-level perspective of a Civil War private. Continued below…

From Publishers Weekly: William Fletcher joined the Confederate Army in 1861. He served with the Army of Northern Virginia's elite Texas Brigade until the Battle of Chickamauga. Unable to march because of wounds, he transferred to the cavalry and finished the war with the Texas Rangers, then wrote his memoirs 40 years later. Most of the original copies were destroyed in a fire. The current edition presents unvarnished images of hard marches, short rations and battles in which being wounded could prove worse than being killed. Fletcher describes the horrors of being a Civil War casualty as vividly as any firsthand account from either side. The author emerges from these pages as fighting less for a cause than for his own pride in being a good soldier. His narrative does more than many learned monographs to explain the Confederacy's long endurance against overwhelming odds.

 

Recommended Reading: Lee's Sharpshooters (Hardcover: 496 pages)