Vermont Humanities

Vermont’s Remarkable Sharpshooters

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Speakers Bureau

Image of sharpshooters taking aimVermont sent far more sharpshooters to the Union armies than any other state, on a per capita basis. By the hundreds, Vermont marksmen passed the rigorous marksmanship test to join one of three Vermont companies. And sharpshooters from this state played a little-known but major role at Gettysburg, the great Union victory that changed the Civil War’s course.

Historian Howard Coffin will discuss his recent research into this little -recognized group and consider the reasons why Vermont may have been so well-represented in this elite group of marksmen.

Additional Costs

$100 plus mileage

Available in correctional facilities.

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PLEASE NOTE: HOWARD COFFIN’S TALKS HAVE BEEN FULLY BOOKED FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2022 AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO BE SCHEDULED UNTIL 2023.

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About the Presenter

Talks by Howard Coffin

Image of Vermont field in winter

1800 and Froze to Death: The Cold Year of 1816

1816 has long been known as the year without summer. This talk includes scores of anecdotes about the dark year of failed crops, scarce food, and religious revival.

Image of woman

Vermont Women and the Civil War

With nearly 35,000 of Vermont’s able-bodied men at war, the monumental task of keeping more than 30,000 farms in operation became very much a female enterprise during the Civil War.

Image of sharpshooters taking aim

Vermont’s Remarkable Sharpshooters

Historian Howard Coffin will discuss his recent research into this little-recognized group and consider the reasons why Vermont may have been so well-represented in this elite group of marksmen.

Vermont Humanities*** January 8, 2018