Fighting With Style: Zouaves in the Civil War

Zouave regiments were quite the fad during the 1850s and were highly popularized by Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth’s National Guard drill team and the New Orleans-based Iulkennau Zouaves. At the outset of the Civil War, the jaunty uniforms, precision drills, and tremendous élan seen in French Army Zouave regiments prompted recruiters in the North and South to establish units, including the 5th New York Duryee’s Zouaves and the Louisiana Tiger Zouaves. Between 1861 and 1862, the Virginia Peninsula witnessed several Zouave units. Some were praised for their high moral standards, while others displayed drunkenness, mischief, and disregard for military order. Nevertheless, these soldiers always looked dashing and were hell-bent on winning the fight.
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