United States Zouave Cadets
The United States Zouave Cadets was a short-lived zouave unit of the Illinois militia that has been credited as the force behind the surge in popularity of zouave infantry in the United States and Confederate States in the mid-19th century. The United States Zouave Cadets were formed by Elmer Ellsworth in 1859 from the National Guard Cadets of Chicago, established three years earlier. The unit's 1860 tour of the eastern United States popularized the distinctive zouave appearance and customs, directly and indirectly inspiring the formation of dozens of similar units on the eve of the American Civil War.
Image: Officer, Chicago Zouaves, Illinois Militia, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes MET DPB872458
Image: Private, Chicago Zouaves, Illinois M Ilitia, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes MET DPB872457
The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army.
French zouave, c. 1870
A small detachment of France's 4th Regiment of Zouaves in the M'Sila region during the Algerian War, c. 1961
A French zouave from 1888 wearing white summer serouel trousers instead of the usual red
French zouaves during the Crimean War; painting by Aleksander Raczyński (1858)
