The 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters were authorized by an act in April, 1862 by the Confederate Congress, and were formed in Savannah, Georgia. The 1st Battalion Sharpshooters served at Fort McAllister defending the coast of Georgia in the Battle of Fort McAllister (1863). They also saw action at the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi as well as the Battle of Chickamauga, and the Chattanooga Campaign. As Confederate forces moved south, falling back through Atlanta. The Sharpshooters fought to the end of the war, their last engagement being at the Battle of Bentonville in March, 1865.