Editing Zouave (section)

==Zouave units in American service==

===American Civil War===
====Union Zouaves====
[[Image:FrancisBrownell.jpg|thumb|left|170px|Sergt [[Francis E. Brownell]], 11th N.Y. Regt, 1861.]]
[[File:Carl Röchling - The Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862.jpg|thumb|The [[114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment|114th Pennsylvania Infantry]] during the assault on Prospect Hill at the [[Battle of Fredericksburg]], December 1862]]

Numerous zouave regiments were organized from soldiers of the United States of America who adopted the name and the North African–inspired uniforms during the [[American Civil War]].<ref>[http://www.theroot.com/views/return-segregated-history Whitewashing Civil War History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209142437/http://www.theroot.com/views/return-segregated-history |date=February 9, 2012 }}</ref> The [[Union army]] had more than 70 volunteer zouave regiments throughout the conflict, while the [[Confederate States Army|Confederates]] fielded about 25 Zouave companies.<ref name="NMAH">{{cite web|url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=95|title=U.S. Civil War Zouave Uniform Jacket|publisher=National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution|access-date=2008-06-12}}</ref>

In the United States, zouaves were brought to public attention by [[Elmer E. Ellsworth]]. Inspired by his French friend Charles De Villers, who had been a surgeon in the North African zouaves, he obtained a zouave drill manual. In 1859, Ellsworth took over a drill company and renamed them the [[United States Zouave Cadets|"Zouave Cadets"]]. The drill company toured nationally, performing the light infantry drill of the north African zouaves with many theatrical additions. "Zouave" units were then raised on both sides of the American Civil War of 1861–1865, including a regiment under Ellsworth's command, the [[11th New York Infantry|New York "Fire Zouaves"]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

A feature of some American zouave units, at least in the opening stages of the [[American Civil War]], was the light infantry tactics and drill they employed. Zouaves "utilised light infantry tactics that emphasised open-order formations, with several feet between soldiers, rather than the customary close order, with its characteristic 'touch of elbows'. They moved at double-time, rather than marching to a stately [[Military cadence|cadence]], and they lay on their backs to load their rifles rather than standing to do so. To fire, they rolled prone and sometimes rose on one knee."{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Arguably the most famous Union zouave regiments were from New York and Pennsylvania: the [[5th New York Volunteer Infantry]], known as "Duryee's Zouaves" after its first colonel, [[Abram Duryee]]; the [[114th Pennsylvania Infantry]], called "Collis's Zouaves" after their colonel, [[Charles H. T. Collis]]; and the [[11th New York Volunteer Infantry]], the "Fire Zouaves". The 11th New York was initially led by Col. [[Elmer E. Ellsworth]], until his death in 1861. The 11th New York was badly mauled during the [[First Battle of Bull Run]] in July 1861 as it acted as the rear guard for the retreating Army of the Potomac.<ref name="FightingFourteenth">{{cite book |last1 = Tevis | first1 = C. V. |first2= D. R. |last2=Marquis | title = The History of the Fighting Fourteenth: Published in Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Muster of the Regiment Into the United States Service, May 23, 1861| publisher = Brooklyn Eagle Press | location = New York | year = 1911}}</ref>{{verify source|reason=Ref previously ham-fistedly partially removed along with some of the text before it, which it presumably was meant to be supporting. Please verify it's still relevant for the remaining text|date=January 2021}} The 5th New York was considered one of the elite units of the [[Army of the Potomac]]; it was one of only two volunteer regiments serving with the regular division commanded by [[George Sykes]]. At the [[Second Battle of Bull Run]], the 5th New York, along with another Zouave regiment, the 10th New York "National Zouaves", held off the flanking attack of [[James Longstreet]]'s Corps for ten crucial minutes before it was overrun. The 5th New York thus suffered the highest percentage of casualties in the shortest amount of time of any unit in the Civil War &ndash; of 525 men, approximately 120 were killed and 330 were wounded in less than 10 minutes.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

[[File:Civil War Zouave ambulance.jpg|thumb|American Zouave ambulance crew demonstrating removal of wounded soldiers from the field, during the American Civil War.]]
In 1863 and 1864, three Union regiments (146th New York, [[140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment|140th New York]], and 155th Pennsylvania) were issued with Zouave uniforms to reward their proficiency in drill and battlefield performance.{{sfn|Smith|1996|p=30}} Difficulties in supply and replacement meant that Zouave and other exotic militia uniforms tended to be replaced by standard issue uniforms throughout the conflict. However, the tradition remained strong, and the last Union casualty of the fighting in [[Virginia]] was reported to be a Zouave of the [[155th Pennsylvania Infantry|155th Pennsylvania]], killed at [[Farmville, Virginia]], on the morning of April 9, 1865.{{sfn|Smith|1996|p=55}}

====Confederate Zouaves====
A number of Confederate Zouave units were also raised. In contrast to the many Federal units, most Confederate Zouaves were not full "regiments"; many were companies within larger units. The [[cognomen]] "Louisiana Tiger" dates from the [[Mexican–American War]]; it refers to any Louisiana state trooper (and more recently, to the state's athletic teams{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}). But none of the Mexican War Louisiana "Tigers" were Zouaves. The earliest, and most famous, Louisiana Zouave unit was White's Company B (the "Tiger Rifles") of Major [[Chatham Roberdeau Wheat]]'s 1st Special Battalion, Louisiana Volunteers, also known as "[[Louisiana Tigers]]".{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Another notable Zouave unit on the Confederate side was the "1st (Coppens') Louisiana Zouave Battalion", which was raised by [[Georges Augustus Gaston De Coppens]] in 1861. They saw action from the [[Peninsula Campaign]] to the [[Siege of Petersburg]], all the while being short of supplies. They were disbanded in 1865.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Coates|first1=Earl J.|last2=Mcafee|first2=Michael J.|last3=Troiani|first3=Don|title=Don Troiani's Civil War Zouaves, Chasseurs, Special Branches, & Officers|date=2006|publisher=Stackpole Books|location=Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania|isbn=0-8117-3320-3|page=15|edition=1st}}</ref>

The Confederate Zouave units did not last long throughout the war.  All of them had traded out their Zouave garb for standard Confederate clothing by 1862.  The last Confederate Zouave unit was Coppens' Zouave Battalion, which later became dubbed the Confederate State Zouave Battalion.<ref>Winters, p. 16</ref>

===Post-Civil War===
Zouaves gradually vanished from the U.S. military in the 1870s and 1880s, as the [[Militia (United States)|militia system]] slowly transformed into the [[United States National Guard|National Guard]]. As an example, the Wisconsin militia still included one zouave unit in 1879, but the next year, in 1880, the traditional distinctions of title and dress ceased when a standard Wisconsin Guard uniform was adopted.<ref>''Parade Ground Soldiers'', J. Phillip Langellier {{ISBN|0-87020-174-3}}</ref> After the Civil War, veteran groups sometimes dressed as zouaves during [[Guard of honour|honor guard]] ceremonies such as funeral processions, since zouave dress was considered colorful and distinctive. Modern American Civil War [[American Civil War reenactment|reenactments]] often feature zouave units.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/119536/ |title=Bringing the pages of history to life for SCV students |publisher=Signalscv.com |date=2014-05-09 |access-date=2015-08-30}}</ref>

===American zouave uniforms===
[[File:Winslow Homer - The Brierwood Pipe.jpg|thumb|''[[The Brierwood Pipe]]'', an 1864 oil painting by [[Winslow Homer]] of two 5th New York Zouaves]]
The zouave uniform was sometimes quite elaborate, to the extent of being unwieldy. Some Zouave regiments wore a [[fez (clothing)|fez]] with a colored tassel (usually yellow, blue, green, or red) and turban, a tight fitting short jacket (some without buttons), a wide {{convert|10|ft|cm|adj=mid|-long}} sash, baggy pantaloons or "chasseur" trousers, white leggings, and a short leather cuff for the calf, called [[gaiters|jambieres]]. The sash was especially difficult to put on, often requiring the help of another zouave. The zouave uniform was better suited for warm climates and rough terrain. The loose pantaloons allowed for greater freedom of movement than trousers, while the short jacket was much cooler than the long woolen blouse worn by most armies of the time.