 The regiment, which was repeatedly renamed, was in continual service from Nov 23, 1861 to July 7, 1865.Major John Piper, of the 1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters, was originally a member of Company "D" (WSS), but resigned in 1863 to take a position in the new Michigan sharpshooter regiment.A veteran of Company D ("The Michigan Boys"), Sergeant Lorenzo A. Barker, wrote the only history of the regiment, "With the Western Sharpshooters", published in 1905.