These were definetly the most Colorful uniforms in the re-enactment of the first Battle of Bull Run that we attended this weekend.
The Zouave uniform of the American Civil War actually had its origins in North Africa in the 1830s. Men from the Zouaoua tribe of Algeria were organized into the French army in 1831 (France had colonized parts of North Africa). They wore this distinctive uniform, and as their fame as fighters grew, more and more French soldiers joined their ranks. By the time of the Crimean War in 1854, the Zouave units were composed entirely of Europeans. Their exploits in that war added to their reputation gained in North Africa. When newspapers from around the world, including the American Harper's Weekly, ran stories and illustrations, their fame spread. In the mid-19th century, it was France that set the tone for military fashion and tactics.
In the pre-Civil War United States, men raised militia and drilling or marching companies. Some of these adopted the uniform and name of the famous French fighters. One of the first were the Zouave Cadets, raised in 1859 by Elmer E. Ellsworth of Chicago, a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln.
He took the unit on a tour of eastern U.S. cities, putting on displays of military exercises and drill. Their intricate and complex marching, flashy uniforms, and the publicity they received, generated even more interest in the Zouaves.
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