In 2025, much of my work is going to focus on the Continuity & Persistence of elements of Frontier Partisan warfare in the midst of major conventional wars — la petite guerre’s niche in Big War. This is an outgrowth of The Ranger Project, which has morphed a bit as I’ve gone down the trail into the tanglewood. I’m quite excited about what that has in store, and I’ll line that out for y’all soon.
For now, though, a small tribute to California Joe.
Talkin’ about Truman Head — United States Sharpshooter of the Civil War. Not to be confused with the California Joe who was a scout for George Armstrong Custer on the Plains. That was Moses Embree Milner. Two different guys with the same nickname, neither of whom was actually a “Joe.” I know.
Anyways…
Truman Head was born in central New York State in 1809, on the old Mohawk frontier. He grew up in the woods, hunting and trapping. So the story goes, he fell in love with a young lady, but her daddy didn’t think he was fit to sit in the same room with her. Unlucky in love, Truman took to wandering and when gold was discovered in California in 1849, he crossed the plains to the mountains of California, where became a miner and a hunter — a successful one. He struck it rich.
Head remained a bachelor all his days, and when war broke out, he returned to the East to offer his services to the United States Army. He was 52 when he enlisted, but shaved a decade off to qualify. He ended up enlisting in the fledgling 1st U.S. Sharpshooters, formed by Col. Hiram Berdan. This unit of crack marksmen was organized to act as skirmishers and to put accurate fire from long range on priority targets, such as artillery gun crews.
Berdan’s Sharpshooters. Art by Don Troiani.
Head, known as “California Joe” or “Old Californy,” put a fortune of $50,000 (around $2 million in today’s dollars) in trust for the care of wounded Union soldiers and purchased himself a breechloading Sharps Rifle, with which he demonstrated considerable skill.
Craggy-featured, long-haired and bearded, he looked the part of a Mountain Man, and he quickly became a celebrity. Captain C.A. Stevens, who wrote the first history of Berdan’s Sharpshooters, described Old Californy:
There were few persons in the loyal states during the time of the Peninsula campaign, that had not heard of “California Joe, the Sharpshooter.” The press of the North gave considerable space noting feats of valor and his wonderful marksmanship. Columns of thrilling anecdotes or stories were published, in which this particular Sharpshooter was made the hero. In fact, the names of Col. Berdan and. California Joe were for a time linked almost inseparably together, and through them the Sharpshooters became more extensively known during this campaign than would probably otherwise have been the case.
Almost everything relating to the Sharpshooters in the way of extraordinary shooting, was credited to “California Joe.” From the description published of this noted person, and of his reputation as a California mountain hunter, one would have naturally supposed him to be some giant-like character, of a wild, fierce nature, with a disposition adapted to cower ordinary persons — even a rebel a mile away in a tree top or rifle pit. Such an impression must have prevailed among the average readers of the stories of his prowess. And yet our California Joe was no such manner of man. On the contrary, he was one of the mildest, I may reasonably add, gentlest of men.
It is true this person — Truman Head, of Company C, First U. S. Sharpshooters — was a great rifle shot, who carried a Sharps breech-loading rifle, that he performed arduous and important service at the front, before Yorktown and on the line of the Chickahominy, whether with his company, or upon some special service as a scout and sharpshooter sent out by Col. Berdan or some of the generals, wherein he discovered the presence of a hidden foe or a masked battery of the enemy, and silenced him. And he never failed in his mission.
That he ever “shot a man out of a tree two miles off, just at daybreak, first pop,” I can best answer by stating that, if there was ever a time when Truman Head showed a disposition to be angry, it was on reading such stuff. But “Joe,” as I must call him, was one of those splendid characters that made him a hero in spite of himself. Entirely free from brag and bluster, an unassuming man, past the middle age, short in stature, light in weight, and a true gentleman in every sense of the word, he was always a special favorite with the entire command.
Joe purchased his own Sharps rifle, and the Sharpshooters were so impressed with it that Berdan determined to arm all of his men with this excellent firearm. It took personal intervention from President Abraham Lincoln to cut through the red tape of military procurement, but Berdan got his rifles, and the Sharpshooters did excellent work with them throughout the Civil War.
Mostly, they shot over the excellent iron sights, but the Sharps could also be fitted with a telescopic sight.
Rock Island Auction Co. put up an exceptional example a few years back.
California Joe’s eyesight began to fail after the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, which he blamed on too much time behind a telescopic sight. More likely, it was simply age getting the better of him. He requested and received a discharge. He returned to California, where he worked as a customs inspector in San Francisco before dying in 1875.
Below is an excellent reenactor presentation on Berdan’s Sharpshooters:
David Wrolson says
Obviously off-topic-but you will love it if the link works and doesn’t hide behind a paywall.
It worked for me so I hope it works for everybody.
https://www.wsj.com/business/media/c-j-box-men-books-joepickett-reading-7eadbe30?st=2GTuRc&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Wall Street Journal on why young men who don’t read are reading CJ Box’s Joe Pickett books.
Short answer is that he goes on non-traditional media like fishing and hunting podcasts.
JimC says
Wasn’t that wonderful? My 25-year-old son-in-law loves those books, so it’s on the mark.
David Wrolson says
Yeah, I remembered that he liked them so I figured that would be interesting to you. A couple of years ago, I started to systematically work my through the CJ Box books as my fun reading. However, I did not get very far even though I still plan to get back to them.
However, I am working on the Jack Carr books. Just started the second book and it turns out that his best friend from his college days forward was from Rhodesia and on one of their early meetings they toast with Three Ships whiskey from South Africa. I am impressed as that is an actual South African brand that I drank a little of over there.
JimC says
Yes! Carr has real deal Rhodesia/Zimbabwe connections. Rafe and the Hastings family are consistent characters in the books. And Carr really works to get details right.
Natasha Murphy-MILNER says
My family name is Milner and evidently Joseph Milner was one of my grandparents of long ago, my family is from Oregon and California. I have heard stories about him from birth. Everything good except he was said not to be around a lot as my great grandma raised their boys alone. But that seemed to be a standard for Milner boys my dad would leave for summer for work come home in the winter same with my brother’s and uncles goldmines in alaska and logging, truck, drivers, are in military.
JimC says
Thanks for stopping by the campfire.
GAH says
Jim… I have always found the Berdan Sharpshooters an interesting subject and have read much of the literature regarding their exploits during the war… Recently, picked up a copy of “The 2nd US Sharpshooters at Gettysburg; Like a Perfect Hornet’s Nest” (Allen, 2024), which I am about to start… Fortunately, living only two hours from Gettysburg I have several times had the chance to walk the Slyder Farm, area where the 2nd helped delay Longstreet’s advance on the second day… GAH
JimC says
Only been to Gettysburg once — in 1996. A profound experience. I understand that the visitors center that was built after that is quite good. The book looks great.
GAH says
Jim… Yes the visitors center is much improved… And as you are probably aware a lot of $ has been invested to upgrade the areas around Little Round Top and Devil’s Den…
Travis Slusser says
Speaking of continuity & persistence, I just learned there’s a body-cam video out of Ukraine making the rounds on social media which captured a (literal) knife fight between the Ukrainian soldier wearing the camera and a Russian (Yakut, in fact) soldier. The Russian prevailed in the end and has been interviewed by Russian media. Such encounters have always and will always happen in war, but it’s a bit surreal that we can all be spectators of them now. Seems wrong somehow.
JimC says
Yes, that felt voyeuristic — but it was interesting. The Russian soldier evinced great respect for his foe.
Travis Slusser says
Addendum: although it does feel wrong to watch such a video, I did in fact watch it. Same with the Tongo-Tongo ambush videos from 2017. It’s hard to look away from such things, as bad a feeling as it leaves afterward.
JimC says
Same.
Quixotic Mainer says
I always thought it was interesting that the sharpshooter were armed for a time with the Colt revolving rifle. The Sharps seems much better suited to that task. Playing with my mini revolving carbine, it’s hard not to get a flinch when the weapon randomly stings your face upon firing!
For a good shot with a fine rifle, much of the Confederate right was within reach from down around the round tops and devils den.
Kobus van Coppenhagen says
Those telescopic sights might have made you a member of the ‘half moon club’ sooner rather than later, with the kind of eye relief available.
Joe says
I knew a bit about Milner and his association with Hickok, but didn’t know the story of this “California Joe”. Glad he was able to make what sounds like a substantial contribution to the Berdan Sharpshooters and was wise enough to step away and enjoy his remaining years. It’s still rather eye-opening to read how deadset General James Ripley was against ANY new firearms technology. He even pushed for smoothbores over the Model 1861 Springfield, so I can only imagine how much he tried to block official Ordnance adoption of the Sharps. But like you said, Lincoln was the exact opposite and saw the advantages right away. Berdan’s boys were a brave bunch and ahead of their time.
JimC says
They had an outsized impact on the battlefield.