APRIL 2006

The Beau Ideal of a Soldier
By  David R. Griffiths
( RHZouave)

Zouaves; the dictionary defines them as light infantry troops famous for their drill and characteristic gaudy uniform of bright color, baggy trousers, gaiters, short open jacket, turban and fez. There were many units both North and South that wore the Zouave uniform during the war. The term Zouave is derived from the North African tribe called the Zouaoua. This was a fiercely independent tribe that lived in the area of what is today Morocco and Algeria. In the 1830s many of the Zouaoua entered into the French Colonial Army and began an illustrious 10 year career fighting Frances battles in Africa. In the 1840s the ranks of Zouave regiments became increasingly filled by native Frenchmen. These soldiers continued to wear the gaudy uniforms of the North Africans. In the 1850s, they became the troops favored by Louis Napoleon, then Emperor of France. One such division of Zouaves became his Imperial guard.

The United States became aware of the Zouave during the Crimean War of 1854-55. America had sent observers to watch the war. The Zouave as a soldier made quite an impression on a young Captain George B. McClellan. He described the French Zouave as “the beau ideal of a soldier”. Indeed the Zouave proved himself time and again at the battles of Alba, Balaclava, and Sebastopol. Many times, during these battles, the tide was turned by a bayonet charge or hand to hand combat. At Sebastopol, the Zouaves lost around 500 men in a bayonet charge. McClellan was impressed with the Zouave and planned to include them in the American Army.

Despite McClellan bringing the Zouave to the United States, they might not have lasted long if it had not been for a gentleman by the name of Elmer Ellsworth. Ellsworth was a New Yorker born to a poor family north of Albany along the Hudson River. He had visions of attending the military academy at West Point one day. When he reached his 17th birthday he relocated to Chicago, Illinois. Although he was turned down at West Point, he still aspired to a military career. In 1857, he met Charles DeVilliers, a veteran of the French Army, and a Zouave. During conversations with DeVilliers, Ellsworth became interested in the French light infantry drill and forming his own Zouave militia. After briefly studying law in the offices of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, he moved back to Chicago and transformed a local militia into the United States Zouave Cadets of Chicago.

The United States Zouave Cadets of Chicago were all hand picked by Ellsworth. Each member had to have a high moral standing. Each volunteer had to abstain from tobacco and alcohol, and had to be ready to do a strict regiment of physical training. Each member was placed in a uniform of Ellsworth’s design and drilled in tactics taken from French drill manuals. By the summer of 1860, The United States Zouave Cadets of Chicago were considered one of the best drilled militias in the mid west. Ellsworth then wanted to prove that he had the best drilled militia groups and issued a challenge to any other militia group in the United States. They took their show on the road. They competed in some of the largest cities in America at that time, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, and Pittsburg. They Zouave Cadets never lost a competition. The high point of the competitions came in New York City. Thousands of New Yorkers turned out to see their native son and his troops drill in City Hall Park. The local newspapers reported high praise for the performance. After, Ellsworth and his cadets left a big city, many of the losing militia units turned into Zouave units and a scattering of Zouave units popped up almost overnight.

Upon returning to Chicago, the 24 year old Ellsworth, became bored studying law. He like everyone else could see war clouds on the horizon. He moved to Washington D.C. with his friend President-elect Lincoln. He was given permission to raise an entire regiment of Zouaves. He traveled back to New York City and recruited men who were mainly volunteer firemen. He chose firemen, because they were physically fit, and thought they would make good volunteer soldiers. They were mustered in as Ellsworth’s Fire Zouaves or the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry.

Ellsworth and his Zouaves arrived in Washington in early May of 1861. He like other units who had arrived in the city, were itching to get their chance to move south into Virginia. On May 24, 1861, the 11th New York boarded ships to cross the Potomac River. They seized the town of Alexandria. When Ellsworth departed off the boats his first assignment was to find the telegraph office. Upon reaching the corner of Pitt and King Street he changed his mind about the telegraph office. He saw a large Confederate flag flying on a 30 foot flag pole above the Marshall House hotel. He also knew that it could be seen from the White House and that he did not want his friend the President to have to look at the treasonous rag. Ellsworth turned to the men that accompanied him and stated that they needed to take that flag. Ellsworth and his men rushed into the Marshall House and climbed the stairs onto the roof. Col. Ellsworth cut down the flag with his sword and descended the stairs led by Corporal Francis Brownell. As they reached the bottom of the stairs the innkeeper, James Jackson stepped out of the shadows and leveled his shot gun at the soldiers coming down the stairs. Corporal Brownell attempted to knock the shotgun out of Jackson’s hands, but stumbled as the shotgun went off hitting Ellsworth in the upper left section of his uniform. Brownell rose and fired his musket, shooting Jackson in the face. Jackson fired his second barrel on the shotgun, as he fell back. Brownell then bayoneted Jackson killing him. Col. Ellsworth had been killed instantly, and the North had its first Martyr of the war. Ellsworth was brought back to Washington and President Lincoln ordered that Col. Ellsworth lie in state in the White House. “Avenge Ellsworth” became the cry out of the north. His death spurred even more units to don the Zouave uniform and fight on the battlefields of the Civil War. Many of the Zouave units were formed in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania because the Chicago Zouave Cadets had toured through those states. Other states such as Indiana, Ohio and Missouri also formed Zouave regiments. The Zouave units were not just a presence in the north. States such as Louisiana and South Carolina formed their own Zouave units. Most of these came from Louisiana, due to the strong French influence around New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Southern Zouave units faded as the war went on not because of the loss of men in those units, but because the uniforms were not as well made as northern uniforms, and they tended to disintegrate quicker, causing them to be replaced by what could be found. Zouaves fought from first Manassas to Appomattox. With the end of the war, the Zouave pretty much passed into American History. Buffalo Bill brought the Zouave back for a short time as an act in his Wild West Show. As for the French Zouave he passed into history during World War One. Those fancy uniforms made pretty good targets for the Germans. Today in France, the government has revived the Zouave, as a ceremonial unit to stand guard during ceremonies of state. Civil War reenactment units such as the 5th New York, Duryee Zouaves continue to honor the memory of those brave men who fought and died so that the United States could be made whole again.

General Warren

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