Zouave was the title given to certain
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
regiments in the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
armyAn army An army An army (from Latin armata "armed (things)" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based Military of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, normally serving in French North Africa between 1831 and 1962. The name was also adopted during the 19th century by units in other armies, especially volunteer regiments raised for service in the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
. The characteristic zouave uniform included short open fronted jackets, baggy trousers and often sashes and oriental headgear.
French Zouaves
The Zouaves of the
French ArmyThe French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and its largest. As of 2008, the army employs 133,947 regular soldiers and 24 000+ civilians...
were first raised in
Algeria in 1831French rule of Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. One of France's longest-held overseas territories, Algeria became a destination for hundreds of thousands of European immigrants, known as colons and later, as pieds-noirs...
with one and later two battalions, initially recruited solely from the Zouaoua (or Zwāwa), a tribe of
BerbersBerbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are discontinuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke various Berber languages, which together form a branch of the...
finding homes in the mountains of the Jurjura range (see
KabyleKabyle refers to*the Kabyle people, an ethnic group in Algeria*the Kabyle language*the Kabyle ethnic homeland, a region called Kabylie in French*the Kabile city, an ancient Greek colony...
s). The existence of the new corps was formally recognised by a Royal decree dated 7 March 1833. In 1838 a third battalion was raised, and the regiment thus formed was commanded by Major de Lamoriciere. Shortly afterwards the formation of the
Tirailleurs algériensTirailleur literally means a sharpshooter in French from tir - shot. The term dates back to the Napoleonic period where it was used to designate light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns...
, the Turcos, as the corps for Muslim troops, changed the enlistment for the Zouave battalions, and they became a purely French body.
The Zouaves saw extensive service during the French conquest of Algeria, initially at the Mouzaia Pass action (March 1836), then at Mitidja (September 1836) and the siege of
ConstantineConstantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast....
(1837). Recruited through voluntary enlistment or transfer from other regiments of men with at least two years service, the Zouaves quickly achieved the status of an elite amongst the French Army of Africa.
The Second Empire
By 1852, the French Army included three regiments of Zouaves. Each of the three line regiments of Zouaves was allocated to a different province of Algeria, where their depots and peace-time garrisons were located. In 1854 a fourth regiment was added, the Zouaves of the Imperial Guard. The
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
was the first service which the regiments saw outside Algeria. They subsequently served in the
Franco-Austrian WarThe Second War of Italian Independence, Franco-Austrian War, Austro-Sardinian War, or Austro-Piedmontese War, was fought by Napoleon III of France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859...
of 1859, the
Mexican InterventionThe French intervention in Mexico, also known as the Maximilian Affair and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by the army of the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the British and Spanish...
(1864-66) and the
Franco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between France and Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria...
(1870). The distinctive dress and dash of the Zouaves made them well known outside France and they were frequently portrayed in the illustrated publications of the period. The 2nd Zouaves (popularly known as "the Jackals of Oran") had their eagle decorated with the
Legion d' Honneur following the
Battle of MagentaThe Battle of Magenta was fought on June 4, 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence, resulting in a French-Sardinian victory under Napoleon III against the Austrians under Marshal Ferencz Gyulai....
in 1859.
The Third Republic
After 1871 the Zouaves lost their status as an elite corps of long service volunteers and became a force mainly composed of conscripts from the French settlers in Algeria and Tunisia, undertaking their compulsory military service. Shortfalls in numbers were made up by
recruitingMilitary recruitment is the act of requesting people, usually male adults, to join a military voluntarily. Involuntary military recruitment is known as conscription. Many countries that have abolished conscription use military recruiters to persuade people to join, often at an early age. To...
and
conscriptionConscription is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by an established authority. It is most often used in the specific sense of requiring citizens to serve in the armed forces...
from the southern
régions militaires of mainland France (Métropole).
Two zouave battalions (
chefs de bataillon Simon and Mignot) served in Tonkin during the closing weeks of the
Sino-French WarThe Sino-French War was a limited conflict fought between August 1884 and April 1885 to decide whether France should replace China in control of Tonkin . As the French achieved their war aims, they are usually considered to have won the war...
(August 1884 to April 1885). One of these battalions was roughly handled on 23 March 1885 in the
Battle of Phu Lam TaoThe Battle of Phu Lam Tao was a politically-significant engagement during the Sino-French War , in which a French Zouave battalion was defeated by a mixed force of Chinese soldiers and Black Flags.- Background :...
. A third zouave battalion (
chef de bataillon Metzinger) joined the
Tonkin Expeditionary CorpsThe Tonkin Expeditionary Corps was an important French military command based in northern Vietnam from June 1883 to April 1886. The expeditionary corps fought the Tonkin campaign taking part in campaigns against the Black Flag Army and the Chinese Yunnan and Guangxi Armies during the...
shortly after the end of the war, and took part in operations against Vietnamese insurgents.
In 1899 the law of that year created for each regiment of Zouaves a 5th Battalion, "to be stationed in France" in
groupes des 5e bataillons de Zouaves. The 5th battalions of the 1st and 4th Zouaves were stationed as part of the
Gouvernement militaire de Paris. The 5th battalions of the 2nd and 3rd Zouaves were stationed in the
région militaire de Lyon. Upon mobilisation for war in France, these battalions would form the nucleus of
Régiments de Marche de Zouaves , each of 3 battalions.
The four Zouave regiments of the French Army wore their traditional colorful dress during the early months of the First World War. The development of the machine gun, rapid fire artillery and improved small arms obliged them to adopt a plain khaki uniform from 1915 on. From 1927 to 1939 the "oriental dress" of red
fezThe fez , or Tarboosh طربوش , is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone.-Origin:...
("chechia"), blue sash, braided blue jackets with waistcoats and voluminous red trousers was reintroduced as off-duty dress for re-enlisted NCOs and other long service regulars in the Zouave regiments. It was also worn by colour guards and other detachments on ceremonial occasions. White trousers of the same style had earlier been worn as an item of hot weather dress. The four regiments were distinguished by the colours (red, blue, white and yellow) of the "tombeaus" or false pockets on the front of their open fronted jackets
The Zouaves played a major role in the 1914-18 War with their numbers being expanded to nine
regiments de marche. These units retained much of their traditional panache, especially in the attack. They were however less conspicuous in World War II, seeing service mainly during the opening stages of the War (1940) and in the course of the liberation of France (1944).
Post 1945
As predominantly conscript units the Zouaves did not serve in Indochina between 1945 and 1954. They were however employed extensively during the Algerian War, before being finally disbanded in 1962 following Algerian independence. This was inevitable since their recruitment base was the European population of Algeria, which dispersed with the ending of French rule.
The traditions of the Zouave regiments are maintained at the present time by the French Army's Commando Training School, which occasionally parades colour parties and other detachments in Zouave dress. While other branches of the old Armée d'Afrique have either survived or been reestablished as representative units in recent years (notably the
Foreign LegionForeign legion or Foreign Legion is a title which has been used by a small number of units of military units composed of foreign volunteers.It usually refers to the French Foreign Legion part of the French Army established in 1831.It can also refer to:...
, Chasseurs d' Afrique, Tirailleurs and Spahis) the French Army does not appear to have any plans to recreate one of its most distinctive and best known corps.
See
Army of Africa (France)The Army of Africa was an unofficial but commonly used term for those portions of the French Army recruited from or normally stationed in French North Africa from 1830 until the end of the Algerian War in 1962.-Composition:...
http://infaf.free.fr/ZOUAVE/ind_1Zouav.htm
Papal Zouaves
The
Papal Zouaves were formed in defence of the
Papal StatesThe Papal States, State of the Church or Pontifical States were one of the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
. The Zouaves evolved out of a unit formed by Lamoricière in 1860, the Franco-Belgian Tirailleurs. On January 1, 1861 the unit was renamed the Papal Zouaves.
The
Zuavi Pontifici were mainly young men, unmarried and Roman Catholic, who volunteered to assist
Pope Pius IXPope Blessed Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest reigning Pope in Church history, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed Papal infallibility...
in his struggle against the Italian Risorgimento. They wore a similar style of uniform to that of the French Zouaves but in grey with red trim. A grey and red
kepiThe kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a visor or peak . The word came into the English language from French, in which it is written with an acute accent: képi. It can be translated as "small cap"....
was substituted for the North African
fezThe fez , or Tarboosh طربوش , is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone.-Origin:...
.
All orders were given in French and the unit was commanded by a Swiss Colonel, M. Allet.
Nonetheless, the regiment was truly international, and by May 1868 numbered 4,592 men. At that time the unit was composed of 1,910 Dutch, 1,301 French, 686 Belgians, 157 Romans and Pontifical subjects, 135 Canadians, 101 Irish, 87 Prussians, 50 English, 32 Spaniards, 22 Germans from beyond Prussia, 19 Swiss, 14 Americans, 14 Neapolitans, 12 Modenese, 12 Poles, 10 Scots, 7 Austrians, 6 Portuguese, 6 Tuscans, three Maltese, two Russians and one volunteer each from the South Sea Islands, India, "Africa", Mexico, Peru and Circassia.
A British volunteer noted that at least three "blacks" (doubtless Africans) and one person from China served in the Zouaves.
Between February 1868 and September 1870 the number of Canadian volunteers, mainly from the francophone and Catholic province of Quebec, rose to seven contingents numbering some 500 men in total - with a contingent of 114 turning back to Canada because news had reached them of the surrender of the Papal States in September 1870.
1500 Papal Zouaves assisted in the notable Papal victory at the
Battle of MentanaThe Battle of Mentana was fought on november 3, 1867 between French-Papal troops and the Italian volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who were attempting to capture Rome, then the main centre of the peninsula still outside of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.-Background:When the first Italian...
, fought on November 3, 1867 between French-Papal troops and Italian volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi.
In his report to the Pope, the commander of the Papal forces, General Kanzler, praised the elan of the Zouaves, citing a determined bayonette charge as a particular example.
The Zouaves suffered the brunt of the fighting, sustaining 81 casaulties in the battle, including 24 killed (the Papal forces suffered only 30 dead in total) and 57 wounded. The official French report of the battle prepared by the French commander, General de Failly, also cited the bravery of the Papal Zouaves.
The Zouaves are mentioned in
Victor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's poem
Mentana.
The Zouaves also played a role in the final engagements in September 1870, in which the Papal forces where outnumbered almost seven to one. The Zouaves fought off enemy lancers on the 13th , withdrew with Papal artillery under heavy fire on the 20th and made preparations for a counterattack against the Garbaldians before being told of the surrender, whereupon they destroyed their weapons.
Several Zouaves were executed or murdered by the Italian forces following the surrender, including a Belgian officer who refused to give up his sword.
After the
Capture of RomeThe Capture of Rome was the final event of the long process of Italian unification known as the Risorgimento, which finally unified the Italian peninsula under King Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy...
by
Victor EmmanuelVictor Emmanuel II was the King of Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia from 1849 to 1861. On 18 February 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy, a title he held until his death in 1878...
in 1870, the Papal Zouaves served the government of National Defence in France during the
Franco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between France and Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria...
. The former Papal Zouaves fought the Prussians and their German allies outside
OrleansOrléans is a commune in north-central France, about southwest of Paris. It is the capital of the Loiret department and of the Centre region.The commune is located on the Loire River where the river curves south towards the Massif Central....
, with 15 killed or wounded between the 11th and 12th of October 1870, and also engaged the enemy at
PatayPatay is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.Population: approx. 1,500....
. The unit was disbanded after the entrance of Prussian troops into
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
One Englishman, Joseph Powell, published his account of his service with the Papal Zouaves,
Two Years in the Pontifical Zouaves, which is now available from Google Books.
Polish Zouaves of Death
In 1863, during the
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
n and
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
uprisingThe January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
against the
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
ex-officer who had served previously in one of the French zouave regiments, :pl:François Rochebrune, organised the
Zouaves of Death. Members of this Polish unit swore "to conquer or to die" and not to surrender. They wore a black uniform with white cross and red
fezThe fez , or Tarboosh طربوش , is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone.-Origin:...
.
The Zouaves of Death first saw active service at the Battle of Miechów on February 17, 1863. Lt. Tytus O'Brien de Lacy escaped with 400 zouaves to
GaliciaGalicia is a historical region in East-Central Europe, currently divided between Poland and Ukraine, named after the Ukraіniаn city of Halych. The nucleus of historic Galicia is formed of three regions of western Ukraine: Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk.-Tribal area:The region has a turbulent...
in March 1863.
Commanding officers of the regiment were:
- Colonel François Rochebrune;
- Lieutenant Count Wojciech Komorowski;
- Lieutenant Tytus O'Brien de Lacy;
- Lieutenant Antoni Wojcicki; and
- Lieutenant Tenente Bella.
Chronology of the Zouaves of Death:
- clashed with Russian dragoon
A dragoon is a soldier who fights on foot but relocates on horseback.Dragoon may also refer to:*Dragoon AFV, an American armoured fighting vehicle*Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France during World War II...
s at the Battle of Chrobrz on March 17, 1863;
- captured six cannon
A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance.Cannon may also refer to:-Businesses:*Cannon , a manufacturer of cables, switches and connectors....
at the Battle of Grochowiska on March 18, 1863;
- following the Battle of Grochowiska 400 zouaves escaped to Galicia.
- twenty-one remaining zouaves were killed in the Battle of Igołomia on May 5, 1863.
See
January UprisingThe January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
Zouaves of the United States of America and of the Confederate States
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 WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
. The
Union armyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
had more than 70 volunteer Zouave regiments throughout the conflict, while the
ConfederatesThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865. It was established in two phases with provisional and permanent organizations, which existed concurrently....
fielded only about 25 Zouave units. Arguably the most famous Union Zouave regiments were from New York: the
5th New York Volunteer InfantryThe 5th New York Volunteer Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment that fought during the American Civil War, led by Colonel Abram Duryée. It is also known as the "Duryée's Zouaves," named after their colorful Zouave uniforms.-Formation:...
, "Duryee's Zouaves" (after its first colonel,
Abram DuryeeAbram Duryée was a Union Army general during the American Civil War, the commander of one of the most famous Zouave regiments, the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry. After the war he was New York City Police Commissioner.-Birth and early years:Duryée was born in New York City to a family of soldiers...
), and the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry, "Fire Zouaves". The 11th New York was initially led by Col.
Elmer E. EllsworthElmer Ephraim Ellsworth was a lawyer and soldier, best known as the first conspicuous casualty of the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, until his death in 1861. The regiment was badly mauled during the
First Battle of Bull RunThe First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the First Battle of Manassas , was fought July 21, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia...
in July 1861 as it acted as the rear guard for the retreating Army of the Potomac. The 5th New York was considered one of the elite units of the
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
and was only one of two volunteer regiments brigaded with the regular division commanded by
George SykesGeorge Sykes was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. At the
Second Battle of Bull RunThe Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederacy, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against...
, the 5th New York, along with another Zouave regiment, the 10th New York "National Zouaves", held off the flanking attack of
James LongstreetJames Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
'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 (of 525 men, approximately 120 were killed and 330 were wounded in less than 10 minutes).
In 1863 and 1864 three Union regiments (146th New York, 140th New York and 155th Pennsylvania) were issued with Zouave uniforms to reward their proficiency in drill and battlefield performance. 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 War was reported to be a Zouave of the 155th Pennsylvania.
There were a number of Confederate Zouave units. 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 War, and refers to any Louisiana state trooper [and more recently, to the state's athletic teams]. But none of the Mexican War Louisiana "Tigers" were Zouaves. The earliest, and most famous Louisiana Zouave unit was Captain Alexander White's Company B (the "Tiger Rifles") of Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat's First Special Battalion, Louisiana Volunteers, aka "Louisiana Tigers".
The Civil War period "Louisiana Tiger" cognomen has come to be associated with the various Louisiana units uniformed as Zouaves, e.g., Coppen's Zouaves. This had led to much confusion, e.g., "Louisiana Tigers at Gettysburg." That is, Coppen's Zouaves were at Gettysburg, but they were not then known as "Louisiana Tigers." Captain White's Company B, "Louisiana Tigers," of Major Wheats's First Special Battalion, were not at Gettysburg, having been disbanded after Wheat's death at Gaines Mill in 1862.
Post Civil War
Zouaves gradually vanished from the U.S. military in the 1870s and 1880s, as the militia system slowly transformed into the
National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States...
. As an example, the Wisconsin militia still included one Zouave unit in 1879 but the following year a standard Wisconsin Guard uniform was adopted and the traditional distinctions of title and dress ceased.
American Zouave uniforms
The Zouave uniform was sometimes quite elaborate, to the extent of being unwieldy. Some Zouave regiments wore a
fezThe fez , or Tarboosh طربوش , is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone.-Origin:...
with a colored tassel (usually yellow, blue, green, or red) and turban, a tight fitting short jacket (some without buttons), a wide ten-foot long sash, baggy pantaloons or "chasseur" trousers, white leggings, and a short leather cuff for the calf, called
jambieresGaiters are garments worn over the shoe and lower pant leg, and used primarily as personal protective equipment; similar garments used primarily for display are spats. Gaiters used in equestrian riding are known as riding-gaiters....
. 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 wool blouse worn by most armies of the time. One of the reasons for the smaller number of Zouave units in the U.S. and Europe was the expense of the specialised uniform over that of mass-produced uniforms of a single color and cut.
Spanish Zouaves
Spanish Zouaves in the
Third Carlist WarThe Third Carlist War was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is very often referred to as the Second Carlist War.During this conflict, Carlist forces managed to occupy several cities in the interior of Spain, the most important ones being La Seu d'Urgell and Estella in Navarre. Isabel II was in...
(1872–1876) was created by the pretender to the Spanish throne, Don Alfonso Carlos, who created the Carlist Zouaves as an honor guard to accompany himself and his wife Maria de las Nieves Braganza. The Carlist Zouaves received their training as formerly part of the Pontifical Zouave troops of the second battalion of the sixth company . Don Alfonso Carlos attained the rank of lieutenant as part of the Pontifical Zouave. The Carlist Zouaves demonstrated their fierceness in battle and were also used as shock troops within the army of Catalonia and the Maestrazgo. They were envied by other battalions as they were the King's honor guard. Their uniforms were inspired by the French Zouaves but also borrowed the baggy trousers, short jacket, vest and sash of the Pontifical Zouaves. The Carlist Zouaves also wore something that would differentiate them from the rest of existing Zouave companies, a beret of definite Basque influence, with its characteristic tassel.
In order to distinguish the troops from the officers, the color of the officer's jacket was a blue gray, with a darker blue for the troops. The beret the troops wore was white with a yellow tassel, and the officers wore a red beret with yellow tassel. The baggy trousers were grayish for both.
Zouave influence elsewhere
- Features of the zouave dress were widely copied by the colonial units of various European armies during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These included African regiments raised by Portugal, Britain, Spain, and Italy, as well as West Indian troops in the British service. Amongst the French North African forces the Spahi
Spahis were light cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.-Etymology:...
s (Algerian cavalry with French officers) and the Turcos (Algerian infantry) were both dressed in the same style as the Zouaves but with different colours.
- Between 1880 and 1893 the Turkish Imperial Guard included two Zouave regiments. The Abdul Hamid II Collection in the US Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. The head...
has a number of photographs of these soldiers. They wore a uniform similar to that of the French Zouaves but with green turbans and less widely cut red breeches.
- Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia still have zouave-style dress uniforms for their ceremonial guard units, and American Civil War reenactments
American Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreate the appearance of a particular battle or other event associated with the American Civil War by hobbyists known as Civil War reenactors or Civil War recreationists...
often feature zouave units.
Zouaves in popular culture
- A zouave is featured on the packet of Zig Zag cigarette papers
Zig-Zag is a brand of rolling papers that originated in France. It is marketed in the USA by National Tobacco and in Europe by Republic Technologies. The Zig-Zag brand produces primarily hand-rolled tobacco related products such as cigarette rolling papers, cigarette tubes and rolling accessories...
.
- In the Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton VI was an American comic actor and filmmaker. Best known for his silent films, his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the seventh greatest director of all...
film The PlayhouseThe Playhouse is a 1921 film written and directed by and starring Buster Keaton. The movie runs for 22 minutes, and is most famous for its opening sequence in which Keaton plays every role.- Plot :...
, a Zouave drill routine is one of the acts at the theatre. One of the gags involves Buster's boss telling him to get him some Zouaves and Buster first hands him a pack of cigarettes. See 12:23 at http://www.archive.org/details/ThePlayhouse
- In the film The 40 Year Old Virgin, the main character Andy says, while painting a toy soldier of a Zouave with the help of a magnifying glass, "And now I am going to make your silver pants blue." See the relevant article on Wikiquote.
- Used indiscriminately as an insult by Captain Haddock
Captain Archibald Haddock is a character in the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin by Belgian comics writer and artist Georges Remi better known by his pen name Hergé. He is Tintin's best friend, a seafaring captain in the Merchant Navy or Merchant Marine...
, a character in The Adventures of TintinThe Adventures of Tintin is a series of comic strips created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi . The series first appeared in French in Le Petit Vingtième, a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper on 10 January 1929...
.
- In French vernacular speech the phrase "faire le Zouave" can be translated as "to play the goat" i.e to behave wildly.
See also
- 5th New York Volunteer Infantry
The 5th New York Volunteer Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment that fought during the American Civil War, led by Colonel Abram Duryée. It is also known as the "Duryée's Zouaves," named after their colorful Zouave uniforms.-Formation:...
- 62nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The Anderson Zouaves was a New York volunteer regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.It was raised under special authority of the War Department in New York City by Col...
- 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry
The 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. Among its early leaders were Morgan Lewis Smith and Giles Alexander Smith, both of whom later became generals....
- Louisiana Tigers
The Louisiana Tigers was the common nickname for certain infantry troops from the state of Louisiana in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally applied to a specific company, the nickname expanded to a battalion, then to a brigade, and eventually to all Louisiana...
- January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
- John Surratt
John Surratt , son of Mary Surratt, was accused of plotting to kidnap U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.- Early life :...
- Conspired to kidnap Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery...
. Served briefly with the Pontifical Zouaves.
- Pont de l'Alma
Pont de l'Alma is an arch bridge in Paris, crossing the Seine. It was named to commemorate the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War, in which the Franco-British alliance achieved victory over the Russian army on September 20 1854.-History:The initial construction of the bridge took place between...
External links
- Zouave Database Online
- 114th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry - Collis' Zouaves d'Afrique
- Van Gogh portrait of a Zouave soldier
- Lithograph of a Zouave soldier by Lucien Lefevre, 1898, for Absinthe Mugnier
- Remington 1863 Zouave Rifle
- "Les Zouaves" (French)
- Photograph of Alfred Laroque, a Canadian Papal Zouave, taken at Montreal, QC in 1868 by William Notman (1826-1891), housed in the McCord Museum
The McCord Museum is a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history. The museum, whose full name is McCord Museum of Canadian History, is located at 690 Sherbrooke Street West, next to McGill University, in downtown...
in Montreal. Laroque is posed seated and wears three medals. http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/I-34892.1/
- The Papal Zouaves