ILLINOIS ZOUAVE GREYS - LOUIS ROSETTE’S PATRIOTIC LETTER

From Louis Rosette to John G. Nicolay, April 13, 1861. Springfield Ill.

Friend Nicolay--

Reports here say the war has began. In case the President needs assistance we hope he will first call on Illinois -- for we have fought for him once & now will do it again. True muskets & ball are not torches and oil but we are ready with either. We were whipt out at the City election by traitors in our camp -- some who are applicants for federal office are not true Republicans so their votes on the 9th say -- Many of us Republicans here wish Lincoln would appoint Mrs Grimsley to the P. O. of this City. I believe there could be nothing said to it & think it would give general satisfaction. Of course he will do as he please & would not take my advise. Senator Trumbull arrived here this A.M. Things remain Status quo -- no body getting married or dying -- The Zouave Greys still flourish & are spoiling (some of them) for a fight. I think after Court I will put a shirt in my pockets & come down & see the City. What condition is John Hays black eye in? Give him my respects -- Excuse this scrawl and believe me -- your brother soldier & friend

L. Rosette.

Contributed by Neil Chippendale

PRINCE NAPOLEON AND THE NEW YORK ZOUAVES
from “Prince Napoleon in America, 1861 – Letters from his Aide-de-Camp Lt Col. Camille Ferri Pisani”

The Prince accompanied by Baron Mercier and Mr. De Montholon went to visit a camp of recruits on Staten Island, a large island at the entrance of New York bay…The first companies we approached were Zouaves, almost entirely composed of Frenchmen. They immediately recognized the Prince and gathered around us.
This patriotic eagerness and improvised ovation were touching, especially coming from persons whose sensitivity must have been dulled by their new environment. Frenchmen who come to the New World to make a fortune, and who, instead of working, put on the uniform of the Zouave and enlist for sixty francs a month in the Civil War are not, I believe, easily moved by the tender emotions of memory. We avoided asking them how and why they ended up putting on the turban on the shores of the Hudson instead of the cap on Place Maubert. A few, however, volunteered explanations. After the first effusions, and like real Parisians, they began to mock the cause they were serving. One said that his captain was a wigmaker. Another expressed the hope that Negroes would be distributed to Northern soldiers after being taken away from the South. In his eyes, the war was reduced to this question, who would have the Negroes? On the whole, they all seemed to have the same dislike, for as I listened to their remarks, I could not but be aware of the wide divergence in mores between these jesters making fun of everything and the Northerners, imperturbably serious and incapable of discovering ridicule within themselves or in others. In a word, these foreigners do not constitute a serious element of recruiting; they might be audacious partisans, but they will never be good regular army soldiers. As for the uniform of the Zouaves adopted by a few units, it will undoubtedly disappear. If in France it inspires respect by recalling some of her most glorious memories, in America it looks like a disguise for a masquerade.

Text source:
Pisani., C.F. (1960). Prince Napoleon in America, 1861: Letters from his Aide-de-Camp. The Gallery Press. London. pp. 77-79.

Picture credit:
http://www.nationalgalleries.org/

[Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (1822-91), commonly known as Prince Napoleon was Napoleon I’s nephew. He became a pretender to the throne after Napoleon III's only son died in 1879. – Ed]

The Original Zouaves—A Novel Military Entertainment.

November 21, 1861, The Charleston Mercury

The body of original French Zouaves, whose wonderful exhibitions of feats in gymnastics, the bayonet exercise and light infantry drill, have been so popular in New Orleans and other Western cities, are soon to pay a visit to Charleston. These are some of those gay and gallant Soldiers of the Crimea, who instituted a theatre on the battle field, and during many of their representations were attacked by the Russians, and who, leaving the performance unfinished—even dressed in female attire—seized their carbines, assisted to repel the assailants. Their entertainments are of a very pleasant and varied character, embracing vaudevilles, pantomime, tableaux and songs; the whole being interlarded with performances of the bayonet exercise, and with scenes illustrative of the life and manoeuvres of the Zouaves in camp. They will reach here, probably, on next Monday, and remain for one week. The following is the attractive programme of their first performance: The Travelling Soldier, a comic pantomime; Soldier and Boarder, a military episode of the Crimean War; the Marseillaise, by Zouave FREDERICK; Une Fille Terrible, a comic vaudeville; concluding with “An Ambuscade at Trackter,” an incident of the Crimea, introducing the bayonet exercise.
During their stay, of many months, in New Orleans, the Zouaves instructed, gratis, a very large proportion of the volunteer troops of that city, in the terrible system of fencing with the bayonet. They were the preceptors of WHEAT’S famous “Tiger” battalion, which, by its ferocious onslaught and rapid movements, struck terror into the enemy’s ranks, on the day of Manassas. We learn that, during their brief stay in our city, if any of our well drilled volunteer companies, who are anxious to perfect themselves in the use of the bayonet, will make the requisite arrangements, in securing a hall for the purpose, the Zouaves will cheerfully devote themselves to their instruction, without compensation. In one week, they think, platoons of picked men might become so proficient as to be able, in turn, to teach the bayonet exercise to all their comrades of the city regiments. Now, as it is understood that the bayonet is the weapon with which we expect to drive the invaders from our shores, we hope that our zealous volunteers will not fail to avail themselves of such an opportunity.

http://www.pddoc.com/cw-chronicles/?p=3938

Junaluskee Zouaves

SAVANNAH [GA] REPUBLICAN, May 20, 1861, p. 1, c. 4
A Company of Cherokee Indians Organized in N. C.—The Raleigh State Journal of Wednesday says:
Col. W. H. Thomas, Senator from Jackson, has at the service of the State one of the most remarkable bodies of men in the country. It is a company of 200 Cherokee Indians, organized for battle and styled the "Junaluskee Zouaves." It appears that Col. Thomas, who is the business agent of the Cherokees, lately called a council of the Indians and explained to them the condition of the country. The chiefs discussed the matter, and said after consultation, that although they did not understand the national difficulty, they did know North Carolina, and would stand by her. They were ready for any position in her defence. This is remarkable. Out of a nation of some 1500 they muster 200 warriors for the defence of North Carolina. The Cherokees are expert riflemen. They know nothing of military tactics, but show them their work and then they have only to be told when to cease fighting. They fight in their own way, and every man for himself. The "Zouaves" are ready at a moment's notice.

See:
http://thomaslegioncherokee.tripod.com/

1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, "Colored" US

The First South Carolina Volunteer Infantry was first organized in the Department of the South by General David Hunter at Hilton Head, South Carolina, in May of 1862.

Hunter had initiated the whole project on April 3, 1862 in a letter to the Federal Government asking for 50,000 muskets and "authority to arm such loyal men as I can find in the country" around his headquarters. In addition, Hunter requested "50,000 pairs of scarlet pantaloons," maintaining curiously "This is all the clothing I shall require for these people."

Initially the 1st was commanded by Acting Colonel Arthur M. Kinsey (Hunter's nephew, a first lieutenant). A New York Evening Post correspondent (May 24, 1862) reported that "The company officers and privates of our army and those I saw there headed by Captain Trowbridge of Company A, seemd well chosen and full of the right spirit, and very sanguine of success, both in recruiting and in making a good regiment...One officer ventured the opinion that when they got their music going, and a few of the Zouaves dressed in uniform, all will enlist who were fit to serve."

This first effort to form a black regiment met with failure, initially due to two significant causes: first, Hunter had not received authorization from the War Department in Washington allowing the formation of Black Units and, Second, the recruits were involuntarily inducted into the regiment in a manner reminiscent of their days as slaves. As a result, the Regiment was ordered disbanded.

Later, the First South Carolina was reorganized under General Rufus B. Saxon. Attempts to recruit troops from Hilton Head's African-American population were difficult at first due to memories of the failed "Hunter Experiment." These obstacles were overcome and the first company was formed under the command of Captain C.T. Trowbridge.

The first engagement of the 1st S.C. was during an expedition along the Georgia-Florida coast. General Saxton had established military objectives for the expedition, but his primary goal was to prove the fighting ability of his black troops. The expedition was under the command of Colonel Oliver T. Beard of the 48th N.Y volunteer infantry and was composed of Company A, 1st S.C. numbering 62 men under Captain Trowbridge. From November 3 to November 18, 1862, Company A raided Confederate picket posts, salt works, and saw mills all along the Georgia/Florida coasts. Large quantities of rice and lumber were captured in addition to the liberation of 155 slaves. Ninety-four of the liberated African Americans joined the 1st S.C. As for their fighting ability, Colonel Beard wrote, "The colored men fought with astonishing coolness and bravery. For alacrity in effecting landing, for determination, and for bush fighting, I found them all I could desire - more than I had hoped. They behaved bravely, gloriously, and deserve all praise."

On November 10, 1862, Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson assumed command of the 1st S.C. It was under Higginson's command that the 1st reached full strength and was drilled into fighting order. Higginson led the regiment on an expedition up the St. Mary's River along the Georgia-Florida state line. This expedition lasted from 23 January to 1 February, 1863. It was during this expedition that the 1st engaged Confederate forces near Township Landing. The 1st won the battle but suffered seven men wounded and one killed: Private Williams Parson of Company G. Higginson wrote of the engagement, " Braver men never lived. . . It was their demeanour under arms that shamed the nation into recognizing them as men. They had home, household, and freedom to fight for." Surgeon Seth Rogers reported that one man with two wounds walked more than two miles carrying two muskets from the battle scene. Another, with three wounds (one in the skull) would not tell of his wounds until ordered by his immediate officers. Rogers said of this man, "he is perfectly quiet and cool, but takes the whole affair with religious bearing of a man who realizes that freedom is sweeter than life."

One of the most significant actions the 1st participated in was the occupation of Jacksonville, Florida. In march of 1863, a squadron of five steamboats made their way up the St. Johns River with the 1st S.C. and 2nd S.C. Volunteer Infantry on board. On March 10, the forces occupied Jacksonville with no resistance. Located well within Confederate territory, holding the town would be difficult. Several assaults on the town were repulsed by the 1st and 2nd S.C. Although they had once again proved their abilities under fire, Jacksonville was abandoned by Federal forces.

On February 8, 1864, the regiment was redesignated the 33rd United States Colored Troops. Combined with two other regiments (one white and one black) the 33rd made their first assault on a fortification at Battery Gregg on James Island, in Charleston. The combined forces began their attack on July 2nd, 1864 and captured the fort that day. In December, 1864, the 33rd participated with the 55th Massachusetts at the Battle of Honey Hill, a costly defeat for federal forces.

In the final year of their service, the 1st S.C. was part of the union garrison of Savannah and Charleston. They were mustered out of service on February 9, 1866 at Fort Wagner, above the graves of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the men of the 54th Massachusetts.

http://www.awod.com/cwchas/1sc.html

Cornish, D.T. (1966). The Sable Arm. Norton and Co. New York.

For a coloured plate of the Regiment see;
http://www.blackcamisards.com/sc-usct/

UNIFORM AND ARMS OF THE ANDERSON'S ZOUAVES, N.Y.S.V.

The Anderson's Zouaves, N.Y.S.V., under the command of Colonel John Lafayette Riker, left camp Astor, Riker's Island, for Washington. The uniform of the Zouaves is dark blue loose jackets, and light blue baggy trowsers. For head covering, a part of the men have the red fez, with blue tassle, and the other dark blue caps. Their arms are the old, smooth-bore muskets, with shank bayonets, and percussion locks altered from flint locks.

New York Tribune, August 22 (1861).

Text Source: Moore, F. (1862). The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events., 2nd Volume. New York: G.P. Putnam.

(Above) Private William H. Caldwell – 62d NYSV Co. H

Picture Source:
http://andersonszouaves.tripod.com/id73.html

WHEAT'S TIGERS - August 1923 issue of "Confederate Veteran".

In the August 1923 issue of "Confederate Veteran" a veteran of Coppen's Zouaves, Mr. J.W. Minnich of Morgan City, Louisiana writes about the famous Confederate unit, Wheat's Tigers.

"Wheat's Battalion", as it was known during and after its organization, did not acquire the title of "Tigers" until after Bull Run. In that battle they were reported to have met the charge of the (Fire) Zouaves, and throwing down their muskets, with a yell they countercharged with their long knives and routed their enemies. From that time on they were called "Wheat's Tigers". But the title was derived from one company of the battalion, Captain White's company, organized in Point Coupe, La. They were mostly river men, steamboat men left without an occupation. They took upon themselves the name "White's Tigers", which was quite easy to transpose into "Wheat's Tigers", and as such they were thereafter known. They were proud of their commander, Major 'Bob' (Roberdeau) Wheat, and he was as proud of them. He always led and while leading them was fatally wounded at Cold Harbor when Jackson struck McClellan's right and crumpled it up. Wheat's last words were: "Bury me on the field, boys" and his wish was complied with.
That was the last battle in which the "Tigers" were engaged as "Wheat's Battalion". They were but a skeleton, and immediately, or very soon thereafter, consolidated with my fomer command, "Coppens' 1st Louisiana Zouaves", Lieut. Col. Gaston Coppens commanding, which was then composed of four companies, and, having been roughly handled during the battle of Seven Pines, May 31-June 1, had suffered severe losses. The two battalions consolidated served as one unit under Copens[sic] until after the battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam), where Colonel Copens[sic] was killed. From that time, or soon hereafter (the record is not clear), the Tigers and Zouaves ceased to appear as a unit. From all I have been able to learn, they were almost annihilated at Sharpsburg and were merged with Hay's regiment and brigade. Because of the circumstances mentioned, the brigade in which they were incorporated was erroneously termed "The Louisiana Tigers".



Text Source
http://andersonszouaves.tripod.com/id66.html

Picture Source
http://www.newworldcelts.org/Tigers_to_the_Rescue.jpg

YOU ZOUAVE CORPS...

You Zouave corps, O haughty France!
We looked on as a wild romance,
And many a one was heard to scoff
At Algiers and at Malakoff;
Nor did we Yankees credit quite
Their evolutions in the fight.
But now we're very sure what they
Have done can here be done to-day,
When thus before our sight deploys
The gallant corps from Illinois --
American Zouaves!

-- Anonymous poem, 1860


U.S. Zouave Cadets of Chicago, 1860.

Reference: http://www.webcom.com/kepi/craze.html

ELMER ELLSWORTH AND THE ZOUAVE CRAZE

Despite the far-flung fame of the French Zouaves, it is unlikely that the gaudy uniforms of those exotic soldiers would have found such widespread popularity in the American Civil War had it not been for Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth.

Ellsworth was born at Malta, Saratoga County, in New York, on April 11, 1837, and raised in the Hudson River town of Mechanicville. As a youth he struggled to support his impoverished family by selling newspapers and clerking at a dry-goods store, his hope of attending West Point a pipe-dream. When he was 17 years old, Ellsworth moved to Chicago. Though unsuccessful in business, he began to rise to prominence in the State Militia. In 1857 a chance encounter with Charles DeVilliers, a veteran of the French Zouaves, prompted Ellsworth to explore the intricacies of French light infantry drill, and he began considering the possibility of forming an American Zouave unit. After a brief period studying law in the Springfield office of Abraham Lincoln -- who became a lifelong friend -- Ellsworth returned to Chicago where he transformed a lackluster local militia outfit into the "United States Zouave Cadets." Ellsworth required that his hand-picked volunteers be "morally upright," abstain from alcohol and tobacco, and subjected them to a strict regimen of physical training. He outfitted his Cadets in a Zouave uniform of his own design, and drilled them in tactics he had adapted from French manuals.

Though short of stature, Ellsworth was a striking, athletic figure, who exuded authority. He was an ideal drillmaster, and by the summer of 1860 his U.S. Zouave Cadets of Chicago were being hailed as the finest militia unit in the Midwest.


Ellsworth and his Chicago Zouaves on tour.

Not content to rest on his laurels, Ellsworth issued a blanket challenge to the State Militias of a dozen states: That his Zouaves would compete against them in drill competition for the prize of a specially commissioned flag. On July 2, 1860, Ellsworth and 50 of his best men embarked on a six-week tour that took them to 20 cities, including Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The Zouaves humbled their competitors and awed thousands of spectators who came to watch their superbly choreographed exhibitions, while the handsome commander became an overnight celebrity. Newspapers described Ellsworth as "the most talked-of man in the country."

The high point of the tour came in New York City, where tens of thousands gathered to watch the Zouaves drill in City Hall Park, and local journals were effusive in their praise. The New York Times noted "Their bronzed features, sharp outlines, light, wiry forms, muscular developments and spirited, active movements, give them an appearance of dashing ferocity." The Herald hailed the Zouaves' "dashing confidence and elasticity, which we do not see in any of our own companies... Every movement of the company was so splendidly precise, that a new sensation indeed was experienced." By the time the Zouave Cadets returned to Chicago, there was no question that they had truly won the prize of best-drilled militia unit. Moreover, like a Zouave "Johnny Appleseed," Ellsworth had scattered in his wake the seeds of what became known as "The Zouave Craze."


To the right, Ellsworth drills the U.S. Zouave Cadets of Chicago, 1860

Almost overnight dozens of American Zouave companies sprang into existence, sporting a variety of garb that in most cases owed more to Ellsworth's version of the Zouave outfit than the true French uniform.

Bored with the study of law, the 24-year-old Ellsworth welcomed the coming of War, and after traveling to Washington with his friend, newly elected President Lincoln, he hastened to New York to raise an entire regiment of Zouaves for the Union. He called upon Manhattan's Volunteer Firemen, whose physical fitness and intrepid bearing seemingly qualified them as ideal volunteer soldiers, and within days the 11th New York Infantry -- "Ellsworth's Fire Zouaves" -- were mustered, hastily uniformed in a light-weight gray uniform of Ellsworth's design, issued a variety of firearms, and ready to embark for the defense of the Capital. Their parade down Broadway on April 29, 1861, was a frenzy of patriotic enthusiasm, and on their arrival in Washington the Fire Zouaves received a personal welcome from Abraham Lincoln. The President's Secretary, John Hay, described the Zouaves as "a jolly, gay set of blackguards," who "were in a pretty complete state of don't care a damn, modified by an affectionate and respectful deference to their Colonel." In fact, Colonel Ellsworth had his hands full attempting to discipline and train the rowdy, hard-drinking and boisterous firemen. Their antics and occasional depredations made them few friends in the Capital, and it was in part to redeem the reputation of his "Pet Lambs" -- as Ellsworth ironically dubbed his troublesome soldiers -- that the Colonel insisted his unit be assigned to the Federal force preparing to occupy the Virginia shore of the Potomac River. In large part due to his friendship with the President and Lincoln family, Ellsworth and his Fire Zouaves were belatedly included in the invasion plans.

On the early morning of May 24, 1861, they filed aboard steamships and crossed the Potomac to seize the town of Alexandria, Virginia. After landing at the city docks, Colonel Ellsworth led a small detail of men in search of Alexandria's telegraph office. But upon reaching the corner of King and Pitt Streets, he abuptly changed his intentions. A huge Secessionist banner was fluttering atop a 30-foot pole on the roof of the Marshall House hotel. "Boys," Ellsworth told his companions, "we must have that flag!"


"Ellsworth's Avenger," Corporal Francis Brownell, standing on the flag from the Marshall House.

Ascending to the roof, Ellsworth cut the halyards and hauled down the Stars and Bars. With Corporal Francis E. Brownell in the lead, the group of Zouaves were descending the hotel stairway when all of a sudden a burly civilian stepped from the shadows and leveled a shotgun at Colonel Ellsworth, who was preoccupied with folding the captured banner. The man was James W. Jackson -- innkeeper of the Marshall House -- who had sworn to kill any man who attempted to take his flag. Corporal Brownell attempted to knock Jackson's weapon aside, but stumbled on the steps and the shotgun roared out -- the shot tearing into Ellsworth's heart. As the Colonel sprawled down the steps, Brownell rose and fired, his bullet striking Jackson in the face. The innkeeper's second barrel went off as he toppled backward, Brownell following up his shot with a bayonet thrust into the dying Secessionist.

Elmer Ellsworth had been instantly killed, and the Union had its first Martyr of the Civil War. Devastated by the loss of his young protogé, Abraham Lincoln ordered that Ellsworth's body lie in state in the East Room of the White House. "Avenge Ellsworth!" became a Northern battle-cry, and the death of the charismatic founder of the "Zouave Craze" spurred even more volunteers to don the flashy attire Ellsworth had championed...


The death of Ellsworth, May 24, 1861

Reference: http://www.webcom.com/kepi/craze.html