"Charleston Zouave Cadet?"

John Hartwell

Lt. Colonel
Forum Host
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Location
Central Massachusetts
1860charleston-zo...adets-sc-37b0ddf.jpg
This man, identified only as a "Charleston Zouave Cadet," is ready for the march -- including, apparently, plenty of snacks stuffed inside his jacket in case he gets peckish.
How many uniform jackets were made with a watch pocket?
And, what's with that belt buckle?
 
Last edited:
Goodness, Spats, too? Ahead of the fashion curve toboot? I am not making fun of this fellow- he has delightfully pulled together an outfit in which to go to war rather than donned uniform. There's a certain dignity about his mindset you just have to adore.

One of the reasons ( I said one, have seen others ) Zouve uniforms were popular early was the ease with which they could be sewn. His missed the memo.

buckle.JPG

Belt buckle, larger. Still baffled? Someone's portrait inside an Egyptian setting- perhaps him?
 
According to Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of South Carolina in the Civil War, p.13, the Charleston Zouave Cadets were a militia company recruited in the summer of 1860 from some of the most prominent families of Charleston. They later became a company in the 1st Regiment of Rifles in the 4th Brigade of South Carolina Militia. Apparently they served in Charleston throughout the first year of the war, performing garrison duty and the like, until they were eventually disbanded in early '62 with most of the men enlisting in regular Confederate service.

There's some further info on them here: http://www.valley.net/~townsend/Zouve_Cadets.html

There was a series of photographs taken by George S. Cook at Castle Pinckney in August 1861 featuring members of the Charleston Zouave Cadets guarding Union prisoners captured at First Manassas. Many of the prisoners were also Zouaves from the 11th New York "Fire Zouaves", as well as the 79th New York "Highlanders" among other regiments.
tumblr_mgiq4eyx871rd3evlo1_1280.jpg

Charleston Zouave Cadets sitting atop the casemate guarding the Federal prisoners below.

tumblr_nepgct1oek1rd3evlo1_1280.jpg


campo43.jpg


Charleston_Zouave_Cadets.jpg


35331v.jpg
 
Are you sure he's accurately identified? Their uniform seemed standard enough to where he would have really looked like an oddball dressed like that.
 
Richard Warren's plate about them. He gives a one page description of them in the article.

car 1.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: AUG
The image in the first post appears to show the Charleston's Zouave Cadets in their "polka jackets" (chasseur-cut Zouave jacket). They also had a standard jacket.
 
Richard Warren in his article Charleston's Zouave Cadets puts it this way:

"According to the printed "Constitution" of the Cadets, the original intention was that "the dress uniform shall be similar to the full dress uniform of the French Zoauves." In the event , the company adopted a simple undress uniform plus a 'zouave' uniform of chasseur style, some illustrated newspaper woodcuts, a couple of portrait photo and a splendid series of outdoor shots of the Cadets in Pinckney, taken by an enterprising local photographer, provide the basic evidence for these: modern illustrations have shown these uniforms, but some have contained error of detail, and there has been confession over the identity of the unit, which was also known as "Chinchester's Zouaves",after their Captain, and also for some reason as the "McClellan Zouaves"."

The above are some of the issues with studying Civil War ear militia uniforms. Are the above units really the same company? None of the photos taken at Pinckney seem to show the chasseur style uniform. How accurate are the colors used in the modern illustration? Also the photos form Pinckney show kepi insignia and this is not shown in all modern illustrations.
 
Here are some others who have shown the uniforms of the Charleston Zouave Cadets in books:

Frederic P. Todd (art work by George Woodbridge)
Ron Smith American Civil War Zoauves
Michael Blake American Civil War Infantry
Philip Katchner Army of Northern Virginia
Don Troiani

The above people I have at least some confidence in their accuracy. There are other color plates and black and white drawings of this unit, but I do not have much confidence in the authors or artists.
 
This man, identified only as a "Charleston Zouave Cadet," is ready for the march -- including, apparently, plenty of snacks stuffed inside his jacket in case he gets peckish.
How many uniform jackets were made with a watch pocket?
And, what's with that belt buckle?

Looks more like the typical modern day reenactor than 90 percent of Civil War era photographs...

Best,
 
Are you sure he's accurately identified? Their uniform seemed standard enough to where he would have really looked like an oddball dressed like that.
I have no idea. The photo is decribed as "A young Charleston Zouave Cadet, probably photographed in the studio of George S. Cook in late 1860 or early 1861," at http://moultrie.battlefieldsinmotion.com/glossary.html.

The forum of the Club Confédéré et Fédéral de France, has the same photo and attribution, and identifies the belt buckle as a British import type:
265lion-437a24b.jpg
 
Even the best uniform researchers can believe information written on the back of old photos. The issue is, who wrote the information? I have seen information written in faded pencil on the back of old photographs that I know is incorrect. When I see a new illustration of a Civil War an odd uniform, I try to find out if the artist is using older research to do the uniform. If Frederick P. Todd made a mistake in his classic work, then newer artist might have used Todd's bad information. Newly discovered information has proven older research wrong.
 
When I see a new illustration of a Civil War an odd uniform, I try to find out if the artist is using older research to do the uniform.

I have to admit - unless it's a subject I'm very familiar with, I generally assume that the published information is correct, especially if it looks professional and has a weighty bibliography and footnotes. But from what we've seen of Charleston Zouave examples in this thread, the guy in question is clearly an outlier. On the other hand, who knows? Perhaps there was some incontrovertible evidence that came with the photo.
 
Here's another supposed image of the Charleston Zouave Cadets (source). These men are wearing the same uniform as the guy in the OP - gaiters, jacket with watch pocket and red trim, knapsacks and blanket rolls, no cartridge box sling, and equipped with Mississippi rifles. Also the officers' uniforms appear to be the same as those seen in the Fort Pinckney photos, possibly even the very same officers.

8_jpeg.jpg


Fort Pinckney image of officers in similar looking uniforms as seen above.
Charleston_Zouave_Cadets.jpg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top