The Zouaves (French pronunciation: [zwav] ⓘ) were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army and other units modelled on it, which served between 1830 and 1962, and served in French North Africa. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army.

The United States Zouave Cadets (also known as the Chicago Zouaves and Zouave Cadets of Chicago) was a short-lived zouave unit of the Illinois militia that has been credited as the force behind the surge in popularity of zouave infantry in the United States and Confederate States in the mid-19th century.

Sep 2, 2018 · Following the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War, several units from both Union and Confederate sides adopted the name, appearance, and style of the Zouaves. The Union Army’s Zouave regiments numbered over seventy, while the Confederates had about twenty five Zouave companies throughout the conflict.

The 5th New York Infantry Regiment, also known as Duryée's Zouaves, was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. Modeled, like other Union and Confederate infantry regiments, on the French Zouaves of Crimean War fame, its tactics and uniforms were different from those of the standard infantry.

The Zouaves were introduced to the United States prior to the start of the American Civil War by Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth, a distinguished member of the local militia and law clerk who had been employed in the office of Abraham Lincoln before he became president in 1860.

Sep 3, 2016 · Known most popularly today as a high-value Scrabble word, Zouave, the fashion—in contrast to the deception of camouflage—featured conspicuous style and often bright colors designed to romanticize recruiting, exalt the common soldier, and endow military units with distinctive identities.

As tensions escalated and the nation moved toward the outbreak of the US Civil War in 1861, a law student in Chicago formed the first American company inspired by a North African light infantry known as Zouaves that had won distinction in both Algeria and Crimea.

The Zouave Archives is a project of the Palmetto Riflemen & New York Zouaves to preserve and promote the history and legacy of the Zouaves from throughout the World who served from their establishment in 1830 to the present time.

Sep 5, 2022 · During the summer of 1860, the United States Zouave Cadets toured 19 major cities and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Led by law student Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth, the small militia company left a big impression. Its 47 members, aged 18 to 21, wowed audiences with acrobatic drills and flashy attire.

Some of the most famous Civil War units, and those probably with the most distinctive uniforms, were the Zouaves (pronounced zoo-AHV). Many wore red baggy pants, white leggings, a jacket trimmed in red, and a tasseled red fez or turban.