What is a Zouave?

What did the people in the civil war wear?

In the Civil War, people not involved in the military continued wearing the same clothing they wore before the war started. The northern solders wore uniforms died blue. However, some Zouave or National Guard units dressed in red or black uniforms. The Confederate solders started off with gray uniforms. As the war went on, they had more difficulty getting replacement uniforms. When their uniforms wore out, they wore anything they could get. When their shoes wore out and they could not find replacement shoes, they wrapped their feet in rags. Toward the end, both sides wore uniforms the color of dirt.

Who was ellsworth in Civil War?

Elmer Ellsworth was the first conspicuous casualty of the Civil War. Ellsworth had moved to Springfield, Illinois in 1860 and worked with Abraham Lincoln, studying law in Lincoln's law office. Ellsworth also worked on Lincoln's presidential campaign in 1860. After Fort Sumter, when Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the Rebellion, Ellsworth returned to his native New York and raised a regiment of volunteers which became the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry, also known as the "Fire Zouaves", because its men were enlisted from the volunteer fire companies of New York City. There was no municipal fire department in New York City and the many volunteer fire companies were very important as social clubs and also as political groups, besides putting out fires. Zouaves were a type of French Colonial Light Infantry Troops, from Algeria in north Africa. Just before the war a troop of real Zouaves, from Algeria, had toured America and were a huge hit, a sensation with their precision acrobatic drill. Because of this favorable impression many of the new volunteer units raised for the Civil War wanted to be Zouaves, mostly in the north, but there were a few southern Zouave units too. Zouave units were unmistakable because of the outfits they wore - huge, baggy red pants, something like harem pants, with fancy button up boots, a tight-fitting, embroidered vest, and a red fez for a hat, which sort of looked like an upside-down flower pot. Pretty soon Zouave units figured out just how impractical these outfits were for troops trying to live in the forests and fields of North America, and started wearing the same type of uniform as everyone else. But in these early days the Zouaves were resplendent in their exotic costumes. Ellsworth became the colonel of the Fire Zouaves though he was only twenty-four years old. Ellsworth and his new regiment went to Washington, DC. One of the first offensive moves made by the Union was to send Ellsworth and his troops across the Potomac River from Washington, to Alexandria, Virginia, on May 24, 1861. This was the day after the voters of Virginia had ratified secession, and Lincoln had looked out the window of the White House and seen a large Confederate flag flying over Alexandria. Ellsworth offered to retrieve the flag for Lincoln. The flag was on top of the Marshall House Inn, a hotel in Alexandria. Ellsworth and four men entered the hotel and went to the roof and cut down the flag. On the way back down, the owner of the hotel, James W. Jackson, who had vowed to kill any man who tried to remove the flag from his hotel roof, met the party on a stair landing. Jackson killed Ellsworth with a shotgun blast to the chest. Corporal Francis Brownell then immediately killed Jackson, for which he was later awarded a Medal of Honor. Lincoln was very sad over Ellsworth's death and had his body placed in the East Room of the White House, where it lay in state. Then the body was taken to New York City and laid in state in City Hall, where thousands filed through to view the corpse of (almost) the first man to die for the Union. "Remember Ellsworth!" was a Yankee rallying cry of the early months of the war. A new regiment, the 44th New York, called themselves "Ellsworth's Avengers". A Currier & Ives engraving of Ellsworth being killed was published and sold briskly in the north. Relics of Ellsworth were precious souvenirs. Parts of the Confederate flag, Ellsworth's uniform and cap, and other items are in museum collections today. Several towns are named in his honor. Ellsworth's southern counterpart was Latane, who was among the first southerners killed and was similarly mourned as a martyr, as was the Marshall House owner, Jackson, who killed Ellsworth.

How much is a musket ball worth?

Unknown, but it depends on how old it is and where it came from. Musket balls are still being made today for black powder enthusiasts, and they make good slingshot ammo too. These would be worth no more than the current value of lead. A musket ball from an important battle, duel, or other historical event would surely have monetary value, but it would depend on how much the buyer is willing to pay, and proving it is genuine will be difficult. A musket ball is much easier to counterfeit than a coin.

What color uniforms did the north wear in civil war?

The South was grey, and the north was blue. At the beginning of the War neither side had an official uniform, with Northerners wearing elegant uniforms and the Southerners wearing there regular day to day clothes. But even after the war really started uniforms weren't always universal, Union Zouave units wore different uniforms than regular Union Units and the Southerners, relied upon what they could find for their uniforms.

Why did the Union wear Blue?

Not all of them did. In the early years, many were in blue. Gray was relatively easy color to die cloth in and didn't require imported dyes to do it. Wool usually was some shade of gray after making cloth. At the start of the war, most of the uniforms were supplied under what was called the Commutation System (April 1861 - December 1861 / January 1862). These were uniforms procured either locally or nationally, with the Confederate Government agreeing to reimburse the cost. Many uniforms were issued by State authorities, some were from units that had been militia prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Many were made by local families for their sons, brothers, and husbands. There are cases of soldiers requesting items from home, as these first issue, or procured pieces, became useless. These tended to be items of need that were not met, usually socks, underwear, etc. The first depot jackets appeared around late 1861, spring of 1862. What was called the second depot jackets appeared from spring 1862 to mid 1864, whilst the third and final depot jacket was issued from early 1864 onwards to the end of the war. Confederate soldier's uniforms would often wear out or be badly torn and they would use the uniforms of the Union soldiers often causing problems as far as "who was the enemy." Grey uniforms were quite common during the early 1800's. Many military academies wore uniforms of this color. Since there were several military schools in the South, it was quite natural that they adopted this color. When dyes became scarce, Confederate manufactures restored to using a dye made of copperas and walnut hulls, which produced the color known as "butternut", that was a light brown. For excellent photos of uniforms, see "Echoes of Glory; Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy" by TIME-LIFE publishers.

What is a Zouave?

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What did the people in the civil war wear?

Who was ellsworth in Civil War?

How much is a musket ball worth?

What color uniforms did the north wear in civil war?

Why did the Union wear Blue?

When was The Zouave created?

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What are some Civil War words that begin with the letters N-Z?

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A word that starts with the letter z and pertains to the civil war?

Civil war word that starts with a z?

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