Accuracy is a relative thing

[Niner]

The local fish wrap has a feature showing what the paper had reported on the same date 150, 100, 75, and 50 years ago. A shooting contest by one of the local military-social organizations caught my eye from 1859.

They must have been shooting smooth bores. No telling the distance. One source I found says smooth bores of probably earlier vintage than what was fired in this article would have a drop of 22 inches from point of aim at 75 yards with average round ball ammo.

I include a copy of the book jacket about another such organization that shows a target. But I bet the Mobile Cadets were using rifled guns. They went on to fight in the Civil War.