Many Union soldiers wore uniforms modeled on those of the Algerian Zouaves in the French army.  These colorful soldiers were marked by their baggy pants, braided jackets, tasseled fezzes, and bright color schemes.  Common wisdom holds that these uniforms were quickly abandoned by the American volunteers, but they were still being issued in late 1864, when the contest had only a few months left to run.  Zouave units considered themselves a cut above the usual soldier, and delighted in their elite status.  In actual combat, however, the zouaves performed only at the average level.  The 83rd New York (14th New York State Militia, Brooklyn) might be considered an elite regiment, but few other zouave units served so well.  Until 1997 no zouaves were available for the Civil War, although during the war they comprised almost 10% of Union forces.  That changed with the issue of Italeri's Union Infantry and Zouaves set.  Only three of the figures were zouaves, but all three poses are great.  Two wear tassled fezzes, and one wears a kepi.  HaT Industries closely followed the set with their own Union Zouaves issue.
 
 

Here are all three Italeri zouaves.  The first two have been painted as the 114th Pennsylvania, a unit which served in the Army of the Potomac from the Penninsula Campaign to Appomattox Court House.  They wore red trousers with buff leggings, a blue jacket with red Algerian trim, a red fez with yellow tassels, and a sky-blue sash.  The 114th served with distinction in every battle the Army of the Potomac thought.  Under Meade they were the shock troops which briefly broke Stonewall Jackson's line at Fredricksburg.  The left figure was cast with his musket pointing into the sky; a simple hot water conversion makes the firing pose more realistic.  The middle figure is unconverted.  The figure on the right is a colorbearer for the 14th NYSM (Brooklyn).  The 14th NYSM served in the Army of the Potomac from Bull Run to Gettysburg.  They were disbanded when their three year enlistment ran out in 1864.  This figure started out as a rifleman in the traditional loading pose, but has been converted to a colorbearer.  The Italeri figures are very detailed and easy to paint.

The HaT set, not yet pictured, provides a greater variety of poses, with eight different riflemen.  Zouave officers wore the regulation uniform, although they sometimes wore a red kepi to denote their status as zouaves.  Unfortunately, the HaT figures wear only a bayonet and cap pouch: they have evidently discarded their haversacks and knapsacks, which was common, and their canteens and cartridge boxes, which was not.  This limits their usefullness.

Last updated 08 August, 2002

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