Zouaves,
The name originally adopted by a body of French infantry, who took it from a tribe in
Algeria, whose fighting men have been noted throughout
northern Africa for generations.
A body of these troops were incorporated with the
French army.
After 1840 the Zouaves were all native Frenchmen.
In the
Crimean War they were the élite of the French infantry.
They retained the picturesque costume of the
African Zouaves, and their peculiar discipline.
Their dress consisted of a loose jacket and waistcoat of dark-blue cloth, red Turkish trousers, red fez with yellow tassel, green turban, sky-blue sash, yellow leather leggings, and white gaiters.
At the beginning of the
American Civil War a few volunteer regiments were uniformed as Zouaves, and were so called; but the costume, which made a conspicuous mark for bullets, was soon exchanged for the more sober blue and gray.
The first regiment of Zouaves was that of
Colonel Ellsworth— “New York fire Zouaves.”
Some were more picturesque in
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Ellsworth Zouave. |
costume, more nearly imitating the
African Zouaves, with bagging trousers and fez.
