Mr. Mike; At the very outset of the Revolution the Continental Congress (even before appointing Washington) called for 6 companies of expert riflemen in PA, 2 in MD, and 2 in VA. It soon became apparent that many more units could be organized from the frontiersmen who werer quick to volunteer. The hunters and men from the almost entirely urban country side were strong, of great endurance, and as accurate as one could be with the rifled musket; those attributes having resulted from lifetimes of hunting and roaming the forests through all of their lives. Such men were quite usually armed with rifled muskets, thanks to the German gunsmiths who arrived during the years 1710-1770. Their rifles were the pride of their owners and such were MUCH more accurate than the smooth-bores that were common in the British army. My own ancestor joined the First PA Sharpshooters as soon as it was organized. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 10:54 AM Subject: Sharpshooters question My ggg grandfather, John N. Huffman, served in Company F, 30th Battalion VA Sharpshooters, the first of my ancestors to be documented in this type of outfit. Because of this, I have a couple questions. Did a Battalion of Sharpshooters always accompany the same corresponding Infantry regiment into battle? Did the soldier initially enlist in an infantry unit, only to be transferred to a Sharpshooters unit when his marksmanship became evident? Please forgive my ignorance, as well as the bombardment of questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Mike Peters [log in to unmask] To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html