The Sharpshooter from Harbourville

by

Charles Francis

Harbourville, with its fine protected harbour and high bluff looking out over the
Bay of Fundy, is sometimes called Nova Scotia's undiscovered treasure. Part of the
reason for this is that Harbourville is a Mecca for camera buffs and painters
alike. Harbourville also has a deep-rooted history.

Harbourville like most other Fundy shore communities looks to the sea. In part
because of this it was first known as Givan Wharf. Harbourville saw many of its
residents sail off to make their living as fishermen or further afield as
merchants. One Harbourville man who did the later was named John Gould. Gould,
whose first occupation was farmer, became a successful merchant with business
connections in Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In this he was typical of
many Fundy shore men who wanted to build a better life for themselves and their
families. John Gould's son Daniel was less typical to say the least.

Daniel Gould was considered one of the foremost marksmen in North America during
the first decades of the twentieth century. Gould's accomplishments included
holding a number of small arms national marksmanship championship titles in the
United States. Moreover, his skills with a rifle were such that instead of being
sent to the front in World War I, he was assigned to training sharpshooters or- to
use a more common and prejudicial name- snipers.

Daniel Israel Gould was born November 21, 1875. His parents were John Rufus and
Susan (Haggerty) Gould. There is a certain degree of confusion regarding Daniel
Gould's birthplace as well as his mother's name and birthplace. Gould always gave
his birthplace as Harbourville. Local birth records give it as Garland. In
addition some local records give his mother's name as Susannah Hagerty.
Regardless, Daniel Gould considered Harbourville his home town. John Rufus Gould
was born in Garland. Susan Gould considered Black Rock her home town, even though
local records have Garland as her birthplace.

Daniel Gould spent his earliest years in Harbourville. By the time he was a
teenager the family, which included his siblings Editha and Edward, had moved to
New Hampshire. As a mark of the family's improved financial standing, Gould was
sent to a private New Hampshire boarding school, Proctor Academy. From here he
went on to Colby Academy in New London, New Hampshire. Colby was a feeder school
for prestigious Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Gould graduated from Bowdoin
in 1903. He then entered the teaching profession in Bangor, Maine.

In 1906, Gould enlisted in Company G of the Maine National Guard. Two years later
he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. A year later he was 1st Lieutenant. He would
eventually be promoted to the rank of Captain.

In 1911, Daniel Gould found himself along with the rest of Company G on the
Mexican border. This was the period in history when Pancho Villa was raiding
across the Rio Grande and staging bank holdups to finance his attempts to
overthrow the dictatorship that then held power in Mexico. Company G did patrol
duty along the Rio Grande.

It was Gould's initial success with rifles in the Maine National Guard that led to
his fascination with small arms of all varieties. It also led to his entering
marksmanship competitions and joining the Maine State Rifle Team. He would later
serve as one of the team's coaches.
In 1908, Gould entered the University of Maine Law School. As he was still
teaching to support himself, it took three years for him to earn a law degree. In
1911, Gould opened a private practice in Bangor.

The opening of Gould's law practice coincided with his national marksmanship
championships. For three years running, Gould was national rapid-fire shooting
champion at 300 yards. The years were 1911, 1912 and 1913. In 1913, he was
national small bore rifle champion.

When the United States entered World War I in April of 1917, Daniel Gould was
Company G Captain. Company G was called to active duty in July of 1917. In August
it became part of the 26th Division of the 52nd Brigade and sent to the western
front in France. Captain Gould did not go with his company though. He was
reassigned to the Quartermaster's Department and then put on special detail. The
detail was training sharpshooters.

In all wars since the gun came to be used the sniper has been looked down upon or
shunned to a certain extent. The reason for this is that snipers seldom approach
the enemy face-to-face. Instead they isolate themselves and concentrate on picking
off officers. The point being that without officers a force is directionless.
Because of the negative connotation of the word sniper these marksman are most
often designated sharpshooters.

The exact number of sharpshooters trained by Daniel Gould is not part of the
record. However, several of them received American Distinguished Service Medals.
Some also received the French Croix de Guerre. The medals speak for themselves.

A picture of Daniel Gould from 1918 shows him in his uniform. He is seated and
looking directly into the camera as if to challenge it. He is holding a dress
sword. His chest is covered with medals. It is an extraordinarily striking image.
The impression one is given is that of an exceptionally composed man, a man who
has never been rattled. His face is that of a sharpshooter.

When Daniel Gould was a student at Bowdoin College, he identified his favorite
pastimes as hunting and fishing. One can only think that these were pastimes he
first experienced as a youngster living in the shadow of North Mountain on the Bay
of Fundy. Quite possibly it was this early background that led Gould to riflery.