A distinctive form of light infantry created in 1830 by Gen Clausel, C-in-C of the French army in Algeria. The name may have originated in zouaouas, a warlike tribe from the Constantine area, or in zouaf, derived from the Arabic for to creep or crawl, a comment on their skill as skirmishers. They were recruited from European adventurers, including the Voluntaires de la Charte, a free corps raised in Paris during the revolutionary ‘June Days’ of 1830, led by French regular officers. The Zouaves played a leading role in the conquest of Algeria. They attracted high-quality officers, and were commanded for much of this period by L. C. J. de Lamoricière, who gave his name to the leather-bound drainage hole, the trou Lamoricière, in the Zoauves' baggy breeches.
During the Second Empire there were three regiments of line Zouaves and a regiment in the Imperial Guard. The latter performed one of the boldest feats of arms of the period, storming the Malakoff at Sevastopol in 1855 at the cost of 300 men. In 1870 the Zouaves formed part of I Corps, fighting at Wörth and Sedan. Nine regiments served in WW I, and during WW II Zoauves fought on several fronts. Following French withdrawal from Algeria their title was preserved, and is now vested in a regiment raised in France.
Zouave dress of short, embroidered jacket, baggy trousers and tasselled cap was copied by regiments on both sides in the American civil war. At their best the Zouaves were very good indeed, with a hard-living style all of their own. One Second Empire paragon, Zouave Lombardi, was tattooed from head to foot with military symbols, women, flowers, and snakes. ‘His bravery and devotion were equal to any test, ’ recalls a regimental account, ‘but his head was a bit burnt-out and his taste for strong drink often got him into trouble.’
— Richard Holmes
