Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-08-24
Berdan's Sharp Shooters
Shooting by Col. Berdan.

ence Of the judges in various parts OF
Michigan, the Adjutant General has
ordered them to rendezvous at Detroit.
The town of Marshall furnishes thirty.
the greatest number from any one place.
Their thirty strings average 33 inches
that Is the average distance of each
mans ten shots from the center Of the
the target, at the distance Of two hun
dred yards, was SO inches, or three
and thrce-tcnths inches q each shot.
The prescribed lin It is 50 inches to the
string.
Any person unable to make ten con-
secutlve shots within five inches of the
center of the target is rejected.
The New York Evening Post thus
describes trial at Weehawken, where
Colonel Berdan himself made some as
founding shots:
The imam target" christened Jeff:
DAVIS, was set at a distance of little
more than two hundred yards. Colo
mel Berdan inaugurated firing.
In an easy, business-like way, he
loaded his rifle, an ordinary target
piece, with telescope sight, and ap-
preached the crest"
The visitors crowded around him in
every direction, excepting, of course,
that occupied by the mlizzIe of The RI
tie. A sense Of personal danger pre-
served small opening there. The
wind blew quite heavily.
1t will be perceived that these cir,
cumstances was not particularly condu
GIVE to careful and unerring aim.
But Col. Berdan is d man Of WONDER
tul nerve The crowd did not at all
disturb him. lie proceeding hi, the
work with the utmost steadiness: Bal
anclng his rife fer Il moment he fred
at the head Of the figure. When the
smoke cleared away, the hole made
by the bullet was observable, by the
aid OF the telescope, in the check, near
The nose.
Again the Col. loaded and quickly
fired at the head Of the figure, hitting
it just over the fron,isricce OF the cap
"hlcli was painted upon it.
The third shot was fired Put his
eye out" remarked the Colouo. The
balj hal struck near enough 10 shat or
gan @ destroy It's use had It been
real one.
The fourth shot hit the l:>Ga.
>'I'li try natures rest said the Col,
oncl, and lie proceeded to knoll near
by, and throwing himself at its side,
accommodated his person to its shape,
and took aim, but the percussion cap
only exploded.
'Davis is safe this time" he remark
ed, ''we',l try him again"
Another cap was provided, and the
image struck just below the front piece
Of the cap. The aim was quite as accu-
rate as that he had previously obtain
ed.
The sixth shot hit about two inches
lower than the fifth.
The seventh hit the top of the head.
Loading again, the Col made ready
to fire. "Wherc will YOU have this
shot ," he inquired of one standing by.
E'ln the end Of the nose was the
answer.
"Betwecn the eyes," suggested an
other.
At this moment the rifle was dis
charged. "Yo on spoke too late,n quiet
ly remarked the Col, che has another
nostril"
A gcnt!enan vas called to witness
the shot. a1d lttarward our reporter
1t vas rs - Cn'. Lad said. The nose
had an addi,Iola. aperture.
"Whcre sa;.li | put the next?" the
Col. inquired Of the gentleman at whose
request he had spoiled the nose Of the
image.
"Try his right eye" was the ans
wer:
No sooner said than it was done.--
The ball entered the lower part Of the
eve. The effect. of this shot was care
fully noted by several persons through
the glass.
"Will you tell me where to hit him
again 2" once more asked the Colonel
of the man who had called the last two
shots.
That Individual declined. He was
satitied that the Colonel could hit any
thing. and it was not worth while to
fire at the image whose face was rid
died.
"We will hit him once more and
now IN the center Of the forehead,''
said the Colonel.
This shot-the tenth--was the finest
of the whole. It took effect midway
between the front piece of the cap and
the nose, and directly over that organ.
The distances were almost mathemati-
callv correct.