Fellow Sharpshooters
In 1864 Timothy O’Sullivan traveled to Petersburg to take a series of glass plate images of Union fortifications, artillery and soldiers. One image is of a solder sitting in front of a spacious wall tent. Thanks to Brian Whites excellent eye for obscure details, after you go to the LOC link, look for the civilian coffee server at the base of the left tent flap support, half way up the pole you will find suspended a shiny, rectangular object. It is a USSS mess kit boiler.
There is nothing about the solder or the setting to indicate his regiment, so it is impossible to say he is Sharpshooter. But by this time in the War, the original issue Tiffany imported knapsacks and messkits were largely lost; either abandoned, dropped before going into combat, or worn out. Wyman White noted only a few remained in the 2nd USSS by Petersburg. One of his comrades had to shed his in the brush when pursued by closing Confederate skirmishers. Whether this same knapsack was captured by a South Carolina Sharpshooter (and residing in that state’s history museum) is unknown.
Here is the link to the Library of Congress image:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/cwpb.01305/Bill Skillman
Michigan Companies
Berdan Sharpshooters Survivors Association