Originally posted by noelcmn 
Why thank you Sir, most interesting! These French- They're everywhere
. Hugenots here in SA, and Zouaves in America.
Presumably the French Soldiers were in France where they gained their renown?
Thanks WPresto, once again I benefit from your vast knowledge.
The original French Zouaves fought in North Africa, but later fought in many theaters including, I believe, the trenches during WWI. The American Zouaves were mostly not French. They were typically American mixed nationalities with possibly no one of French ancestry. The most curious feature were their original uniforms, commonly colorful, even a bit bizarre, that were gradually replaced by more ordinary and practical dress. One of the NY regiments had exceptionally high casualties. According to Wikipedia, the NYC Zouaves were particularly active in the two engagements known in the North as First and Second Bull Run. Southerners tend to have a different name for these engagements, as they have for the entire conflict ("War Between the States" rather than "Civil War").
Post #42705 by Bud
Similar Threads 
