Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier will host more than thirty costumed historians representing the men of Confederate Major General A.P. Hill’s Third Corps. The volunteers from the Princess Anne Grey’s (Lee’s Sharpshooters) will perform a variety of programs as part of Sharpshooters Weekend on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23.

The Princess Anne Grey’s will recreate elements of the extensive and rigorous four week training that infantrymen received in order to become part of a Confederate sharpshooter battalion. In ongoing programs on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and again from 1:30 p.m - 3:30 p.m. visitors can participate in hands-on demonstrations as part of “The School of the Sharpshooter.” Each activity brings the sharpshooter training to life by teaching Park visitors camouflage and concealment, marksmanship, measuring distance by sight, scouting techniques, and specialized battlefield tactics. Visitors will also be able to see and hear weapon firings, skirmish drill, and bugle calls. Sunday’s program will feature two 45-minute walking tours at 10:30 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. during which visitors will be able to see the tactics learned by sharpshooters in the 1860s in action.

The term sharpshooter can refer to a roving precision shooter, like the modern sniper, or to an elite light infantryman, specialized in scouting, picketing, and skirmishing. In early 1864, Confederate General Robert E. Lee mandated that each infantry brigade in his army field a sharpshooter battalion. These units found ready employment in battles around Richmond and Petersburg. �Our members want to provide the public with a better understanding of Civil War battlefield tactics and the role of Southern Sharpshooters,� said Mike Hendricks, President of the Princess Anne Grey�s (Lee�s Sharpshooters) and Captain of Company B, Chesapeake Volunteer Guards. �Two of the best sharpshooter battalions ever created operated on the grounds of what is today Pamplin Historical Park, so it seems fitting that we conduct this program in the same area where many of them fought.�

�Having a large number of such knowledgeable living history volunteers at the Park allows us to offer visitors a special look at a marginally explored element of combat during the Petersburg Campaign. We are very happy to be working with the Princess Anne Gray�s on this program,� said Andrew H. Talkov, Chief of Interpretation, Training and Program Development.

Programming for Sharpshooters Weekend is free with Park admission: $13.50 for adults, $12.00 for seniors 62 and over, and $7.50 for children ages 6-11.

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The Princess Anne Grey�s (Lee�s Sharpshooters) is a living history association that aims to promote a better understanding of the life and times surrounding the American Civil War. The group strives to educate the public by portraying, as accurately as possible, the living conditions, camaraderie and fighting techniques of the soldiers of the original Princess Anne Grey�s during the years 1861 to 1865, and Lee�s Sharpshooter�s during the period of April 1863 to April 1865. The Princess Anne Grey�s have participated in past Pamplin Historical Park events, including the Civil War Weekend and the 142nd Anniversary of the Breakthrough. Click here for more information about the group.

One of �Virginia�s Best Places to Visit� according to the Travel Channel, and recently designated as a National Historic Landmark, Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier is a 422-acre Civil War campus located in Dinwiddie County, Virginia offering a combination of high-tech museums and hands-on experiences. The Park has four world-class museums, four antebellum homes and costumed living history every day. The Park is also the site of the Breakthrough Battlefield of April 2, 1865 and America�s newest participatory experience, Civil War Adventure Camp. For more information, please call 804-861-2408 or visit the Pamplin Park website.