Vermont 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.

About the presenter

Howard Coffin - A seventh-generation Vermonter, Howard Coffin is the author of four books on the Civil War with a focus on Vermont and the Champlain Corridor. See full biography.

Booking a talk

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Talks by Howard Coffin

• Vermont’s Remarkable Sharpshooters
• 1800 and Froze to Death: The Cold Year of 1816
• Vermont Women and the Civil War