The Deadly Work of Sharpshooters

The Deadly Work of Sharpshooters (HMAKE)

Location: Mechanicsville, VA 23111 Hanover County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 35.111', W 77° 16.727'

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Inscription

Cold Harbor Battlefield Park Walking Trail

Adding to the misery of the Union and Confederate soldiers at Cold Harbor was the fear of enemy sharpshooters. Quite often armed with special rifles these marksmen would prey on any unfortunate soldier who appeared in their sights. A Confederate officer described their tactics at Cold Harbor: "If one caught a glimpse of an enemy anywhere, he would sight carefully at that spot?if someone appeared, he had only to press his trigger."

A soldier from the 15th New Jersey Infantry was killed in this vicinity when he reported to his colonel that he had completed digging a grave for one of his comrades. "Instantly a musket ball struck him in the face and he fell dying at our feet. He was laid in the grave he had dug. We widened it for two."

While it was impossible to be certain how the pit before you was used, it is typical of the defensive positions that sharpshooter would employ in their deadly work. Others chose to climb tall trees to be able to spot enemy movements behind the main lines.
Details
HM NumberHMAKE
Tags
Placed ByHanover County Parks and Recreation, National Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 8th, 2014 at 2:34am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 298793 N 4162233
Decimal Degrees37.58518333, -77.27878333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 35.111', W 77° 16.727'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 35' 6.66" N, 77° 16' 43.62" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6440 Boatswain Ln, Mechanicsville VA 23111, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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