Bridgewater, Vt.
Of the 91 Vermont men who formed the Second Regiment of the U.S. Sharpshooters, Company E, 12 were from Bridgewater.
“They certainly had a large number from Bridgewater,” said Civil War historian Howard Coffin. “And Vermont had by far more sharpshooters in the Union Army per capita than any other state.”
A new exhibit at the Bridgewater Historical Society honors those men and focuses on one in particular: DeAlgeroy Thompson, who enlisted on Aug. 18, 1862 and served for three years. He carried an 1859 New Model Sharps rifle that was passed down through his descendants, ultimately making its way to great-great grandson Darrell Thompson, who recently donated the rifle to the historical society.
One impressive feature of the gun is that it’s “only the second one known that can be linked to a specific sharpshooter,” Thompson said. “The other known rifle… is at a military museum at West Point.”
The rifle and its accessories is displayed in a lit-up case at the historical society, along with biographical information about DeAlgeroy Thompson. Family lore has it that he was wounded in his right thigh after a shell fragment bounced off his gun in Petersburg, Va. He spent time recovering before rejoining the Army.
“There are those who would say they’re the first elite soldiers, similar to the Green Berets,” Thompson said. Not any enlisted man could be a sharpshooter: they had to pass a test that included making “10 consecutive shots in a 10-foot target, no more than 5-feet from the center, at 200 yards from braced position, or 100 yards from an un-braced position,” according to a writeup in the Bridgewater Historical Society newsletter.
One theory as to why Vermonters did well with that challenge is “because they had to hunt all the time,” said Polly Timken, president of the historical society.
“In general, the sharpshooters were a little older than other recruits and a little better educated,” Timken said.
At least 120 men from Bridgewater served in the Civil War. Although the sharpshooters were eventually disbanded, their impact on the Civil War cannot be overstated.
“The sharpshooter played an important role, particularly at the Battle of Gettysburg,” said Coffin, who gave a talk about sharpshooters in May at the historical society. “The sharpshooters from Bridgewater were among a group of sharpshooters who delayed the Confederate attack on the second day of the battle that helped save the anchor of the Union line, which was the hill called Little Round Top, from capture. They played a major role in that.”
After the war, DeAlgeroy Thompson returned to Bridgewater where he and his wife, Sarah, had three sons who were all named after Union Army generals: Burnside, George and John C. Fremont. Born in 1826, Thompson died in 1883, which “may or may not have been related” to his war injuries, Darrell Thompson said.
Thompson, who lives in Norwich, said he donated the rifle to the historical society because he’s been impressed with the work the organization has done since forming in 2008. “I thought it was a good place for it,” he said.
Editor’s note: The Bridgewater Historical Society Museum, located at 12 N. Bridgewater Road, is open Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Memorial Day through Columbus Day, or by appointment. Admission is free.
For more information, call 802-672-1521 or visit bridgewaterhistory.org. For a recording of Coffin’s talk about the sharpshooters, visit https://Vimeo.com/220072109.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
Correction: DeAlgeroy Thompson enlisted in the Union Army on Aug. 18, 1862. An incorrect year for his enlistment was given in an earlier version of this story.
