What was a Zouave in the Civil War?
The Zouaves (French pronunciation: [zwav]) were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa, as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. In the 1860s, new units in several other countries called themselves zouaves.
Who wore the Zouave uniform?
This jacket and fez belonged to a member of the Collis’s Zouaves, the 114th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The regiment adopted the uniform of the French Zouaves d’Afrique, and it included French soldiers who had been members of French Zouave forces.
What did Zouave do?
Zouaves were involved in all the major Civil War battles, from the First Manassas to Antietam, and Gettysburg to Appomattox. Zouaves fought in open order formations comprising looser, reactive groups, rather than the close order formations common to other regular infantry units.
Why did the Confederates choose gray?
Answer: Old hunters and Indian fighters of the pre-Civil War era wore blue or light gray so they would not stand out at a distance. This tradition was carried over into the selection of army uniform colors. Because the United States (Union) regulation color was already dark blue, the Confederates chose gray.
Who are the Zouaves in the Civil War?
A member of a group patterned after the French Zouaves, especially a member of such a unit of the Union Army in the US Civil War. [French, from Berber Zwāwa, the Kabyle tribe from which the unit’s members were originally recruited .] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
What does Zouave mean in the French army?
Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Zouave. Zouave was the title given to certain light infantry regiments in the French Army, normally serving in French North Africa between 1831 and 1962.
Where does the last name Zouave come from?
Word Origin and History for zouave. n. 1848, from French, from Arabic Zwawa, from Berber Igawawaen, name of a Kabyle tribe in Algeria, from which the French light infantry troops of that name were originally recruited in 1831.
Where was the Zouave drill company during the Civil War?
The drill company toured nationally. “Zouave” units were then raised on both sides of the American Civil War of 1861–65, including a regiment under Ellsworth’s command, the New York “Fire Zouaves”.
