Zouaves

[AUG]

Remember, Zouaves weren't just confined to the Eastern Theater of the war. The 8th Missouri, American Zouaves served in the Army of the Tennessee until the end of the war.

This was a good thread on the 8th Missouri Infantry: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/8th-missouri-volunteer-infantry.139100/

There was also the 165th New York "2nd Duryee Zouaves" in the Western Theater and Trans-Miss. They fought at Port Hudson and in the Red River Campaign.

Also the New Orleans Avegno Zouaves that made up a large part of the 13th Louisiana Infantry, which served in the AoT.

 

[Klaudly]

My last work: Confederate zouaves:

 

[major bill]

My last work: Confederate zouaves:
View attachment 202766

Very nice. I am not sure I have ever heard of this unit. Can you give a bit of information on the unit?

 

[Klaudly]

Few news regarding this unit. Mainly the post 1861 information are missing. These are the sure news:
A) This company was formed in Nashville by young people between 16 and 18 years under the captain L.P. Hardy.
B) A single company from Tennessee had a similar name and was called Fleet Wing Rifles referred to as company A (and then F) of the 34th infantry.
C) Another source indicates that this company was called Acklen Rifles whose captain was Captain L.T. Hardy and the men enlisted in Davidson and Nashville County.
Based on this news, I have extrapolated the history of unity.

Captain L.T. Hardy recruited a company in the spring of 1861 (in May the unit was in operation), it was formed by boys between 16 and 18 years old enrolled in Nashville and in the county of Davidson. The name chosen was Fleet Wing Zouaves, but probably with the difficulty in finding the Zuave uniforms, it changed its name to Fleet Wing Rifles. Finally, when August 5 was assigned to the 34th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, it changed its name to Acklen Rifles. The Acklen, were one of the most prestigious families in Nashville (honoring the companies with the name of the personalities of the place was a widespread practice among the volunteers). Assigned to the regiment as company A, it was later the company F. He surrendered with the rest of the regiment on April 26, 1865.
This is the probable history of the unit, but it could have happened more simply that the company was assigned to the state troops or dissolved as soon as it was established that the boys were too young and did not fall into the terms of enlistment.
If anyone has more information, they are welcome.

 

[hawknknife]

I own a Remington Mod 1841 rifle marked "D-10" issued to Company D, 10th N.Y. which were the National Zouaves. This regiment was the forward unit, 600 yards to the front of the 5th N.Y. when both were smashed by Hood's Texans at Second Bull Run. Not a good day for these two regiments.

 

[Schwallanscher]

okay, i'll bite - what's all the fuss about? they were ...

funnily dressed but otherwise ordinary infantry, bluntly speaking a draught on the quatermaster general's funds - that funny dress also was in no way related to america but africa. which makes

even more ridiculuos (especially as a toy for little would be confederates)

... okay, what's the fuss about?

 

[FedericoFCavada]

I believe that the last soldier killed at Palmito Ranch in May 1865 near Brownsville, Texas was a lad in the 34th Indiana, John J. Williams, a Zouave unit.

By that stage of the war, and that locale, I think that the uniform was strictly U.S. issue with the exception of the short jacket with the elaborate knot work on the front and the piping.

As far as the Galveston Zouaves go, my limited understanding has it that they were something of a Zouave unit in terms of uniform. Of course, there was often so much variation among Zouaves... Some like those in New York, Pennsylvania, or even Louisiana went full tilt with the baggy Berber pantaloons, French-style spats or gaiters, the sash, the short jacket and vest, the tassled chechia or fez, even a turban, etc.

Others had kepis, regular trousers, etc. There are those odd tricorn and "Edmand's hats" from Massachusetts used by one or another Ohio Zouave outfit... The 34th? Or at least a few companies.

As for why baggy MC Hammer pants, tassled caps, shaved heads, ferocious moustaches and Arabo-Berber stuff was viewed as the ultimate in baddonkeyery? Colonial fashion... The idea of light infantry, fleet of foot, swift of march, and kitted out in all kinds of exotica. I'll never understand how or why the shapeless "failed souflé" European flat-cap became first the Highlanders tam-o-shanter/Balmoral, then a knitted forage cap with a toorie on top, and then a huge shapeless thing for the Carlists in Spain (with a tassel!), and for the French Chasseurs... Only to be adopted as the standard hat of literally every army?! In the modern German army the beret is some kind of color denoting the branch of service... And then there are all the conventions of color in the U.S.? Red for paratroopers, green for special forces, black--no! wait! tan!--for rangers, black for armored--no! wait! wrong army!--black for literally all infantry, sky blue for UN deployments, purple for the IDF Givati brigade, and so on ad nauseum.

Interestingly, the service cap of the Italian/Sardinian Bersaglieri remains the tassled Zouave hat as a unit distinction bestowed on them during the Crimean War... Although the cockerel plumes persist on the other hats...and helmets...etc.

 

[Package4]

Nothing like seeing the real thing, The Horse Soldier has an identified Birney's Zouave uniform for sale:

http://www.horsesoldier.com/products/identified-items/uniforms-and-cloth/9746

He attained the rank of sergeant in October of '62 so this is an early uniform since it has his corporal stripes. There is a very good chance that this uniform saw the Peninsula, Seven Days, South Mountain, Sharpsburg and possibly Fredericksburg campaigns.