ZOUAVES
Zou·ave
(zo͞o-äv′, zwäv)
n.
1. A member of a French infantry unit, originally composed of Algerian recruits, characterized by colorful uniforms and precision drilling.
2. 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.
Although influenced by the French, these were not necessarily made up of soldiers with French ethnicity. There were ten Union Zouave regiments that participated in the Battle of Gettysburg: the 10th New York Infantry Regiment, 41st New York Infantry Regiment, 44th New York Infantry Regiment, 73rd New York Infantry Regiment, 84th New York Infantry Regiment, 146th New York Infantry Regiment, 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 95th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, and the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.
Many of the regiments had discarded all or most of their colorful Zouave uniforms by the summer of 1863 for the standard Union uniform, but three regiments did appear in full Zouave or Zouave-inspired uniforms at the Battle of Gettysburg: the 84th New York Infantry Regiment (14th Brooklyn Infantry Regiment), the 146th New York Infantry Regiment, and the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, while a few others wore a “mix” (like the 95th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, which had retained only the Zouave jacket). Of course, there were no doubt exceptions to the rule in these regiments.
114TH PENNSYLVANIA ZOUAVES
(Collis's Zouaves) - 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 3rd Corps
This company included many French soldiers who had served as Zouaves in the campaigns of France and was organized in Philadelphia by Irish immigrant Colonel Charles H. T. Collis. The uniform adopted was that of the French Zouaves d'Afrique beginning with a red Moroccan style fez with a yellow-gold tassel worn crushed downward on the back of the head like a skull cap. Some men were issued fezzes that were too large so they compensated by turning up the brim giving the fez the appearance of a beanie. The collarless jacket was dark blue with sky blue cuffs and red trim. Arabesque designs on the jacket breasts were called tombeaux and gave the appearance of large false pockets trimmed in red. A sky blue sash was worn wrapped tightly around the waist with Chasseur style madder red trousers, and white leggings (gaiters).
84th New York Infantry Regiment
Brooklyn paid for and outfitted the 14th Brooklyn throughout the war, keeping them wearing their unique chasseur-style uniform for all three years of their service.
The headgear worn by the 14th Brooklyn was a navy blue and red kepi. The top of the cap was covered in dark navy blue and the lower half by a dark red with a band of blue around the bottom of the cap. Upon the front of the cap the regiment had the number '14' and above it was the company designation. On the sides of the caps were New York state buttons holding the chin strap onto the kepi.
The tunics worn by the 14th Brooklyn were a beautiful combination of red and dark blue adorned with small gold buttons running up and the center of the chest. The tunic was made with a red false vest with 14 buttons closing the vest. Over the false vest was a dark blue shell with 14 buttons on either side of the shell. Some later models of the jacket did away with the false vest and actually sewed the vest into the shell making it a complete jacket. On the jacket were chevrons on the lower arms symbolizing light infantry. Earlier recruits also were issued "Shoulder-Knots" composed of thick red fabric that were attached with thread on one end and a gold button on the other.
The trousers worn by the 14th were very similar to that of the Zouave pantaloons, the only difference being that they were not as baggy as the Zouave pantaloons. The color was a vibrant red color. At the bottom of the trousers the 14th wore gaiters or leggings with seven gold buttons on each gaiter symbolizing the number 14.
146th New York Infantry Regiment
(Garrard's Tigers) - (5TH ONEIDA) 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Corps
This regiment at first wore the regular dark blue New York state jacket, light blue trousers, and dark blue forage cap, but when the veterans from 5th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a famous Zouave unit, were transferred to the 146th New York, the regiment switched over to the colorful Zouave dress on 3 June 1863 at Falmouth, Va.
The zouave uniform consisted of large baggy trousers, blue in color, which were fastened at the knees; a fez cap, bright red in color, with red tassel; a long white turban which was wound around the hat, but worn only for dress parade; a red sash about ten feet long which was wound about the body and afforded a great comfort and warmth; and white cloth leggins (sic.) extending almost to the knees[2]
The new uniform was not actually Zouave, but rather the colorful dress of the French-Turco style.[2] Its most distinctive features were a sky blue zouave jacket with yellow trimming, a red fez with a yellow tassel, sky blue zouave pantaloons, and a red sash.
