73rd New York Infantry Regiment | |
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Active | July to October 1861 – June 29, 1865 |
Country | United States of America |
Allegiance | Union |
Branch | Union Army |
Type | Infantry Zouaves |
Role | Infantry |
Size | 1,100 |
Nickname(s) | Second Fire Zouaves, Excelsior Zouaves, 4th Excelsior Regiment |
Engagements | American Civil War:
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Commanders | |
Colonel | William R. Brewster |
Notable commanders | Colonel |
Insignia | |
2nd Division, III Corps | |
4th Division, II Corps | |
3rd Division, II Corps |
New York U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861-1865 | ||||
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The 73rd New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of Union Army in the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in New York City in May 1861, originally under the designation the Fourth Excelsior Regiment, as a Zouave regiment, known for its unusual dress and drill style. The uniform worn by this regiment consisted of a dark blue chasseur jacket with light blue trim and light blue trefoils on each sleeve, sky blue chasseur trousers with two white stripes down each leg, brown leather gaiters, a light blue kepi with a dark blue band and dark blue piping, and a red Zouave fez with a blue tassel as a fatigue cap. Drawn from the ranks of the city's many volunteer fire companies, the unit was known alternately as the Second Fire Zouaves, after the 11th New York was known as the First Fire Zouaves, and they were also known as the Excelsior Zouaves. Some of the men wore the brass letters "E Z" on the bands of their kepis. Many artists have depicted this regiment also with red shirts with the collar sticking out over the jacket creating a "red collar."
The unit served in the Excelsior Brigade in several battles, including Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Appomattox Courthouse.
Their monument at Gettysburg shows a statue of a volunteer fireman from the New York Fire Department, which was disbanded in 1865, standing hand-in-hand with a zouave of the 73rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, wearing the uniform of their veteran's organization.
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.
Chasseur, a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry or light cavalry to denote troops trained for rapid action.
The 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. Among its early leaders were Morgan Lewis Smith and Giles Alexander Smith, both of whom later became generals.
The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment which served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was part of the famous Philadelphia Brigade.
The 62nd New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It is also known as the Anderson Zouaves.
The 4th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 4th Michigan wore a very Americanized zouave uniform. This uniform consisted of a Federal dark blue 4 button sack coat, dark blue chasseur trousers, tan gaiters, and a maroon zouave fez with a light blue tassel.
The 19th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Three companies formerly with Col. Elmer Ellsworth's Zouave Cadets wore a zouave uniform consisting of a dark blue zouave jacket with red trimmings, red pants, leather gaiters, a sky blue shirt, red sash, and a red French styled kepi with a dark blue band. The jacket cuffs were trimmed in yellow-orange and red. Brass buttons went down both fronts of the jacket. They were organized into four separate companies on May 4, 1861, in Chicago. It was consolidated and mustered into Federal service as the 19th Illinois Volunteer Infantry on June 17, 1861. It was mustered out at Chicago on July 9, 1864.
The 14th Regiment New York State Militia was a volunteer militia regiment from the City of Brooklyn, New York. It is primarily known for its service in the American Civil War from April 1861 to 6 May 1864, although it later served in the Spanish–American War and World War I.
The 5th New York Veteran Infantry Regiment was an Infantry Regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was known as "Duryée‘s Zouaves." The regiment had two uniforms during its time. The first uniform consisted of a medium blue zouave jacket with red trimming, a grey shirt, a red sash with sky blue trimming, red chasseur trousers with yellow piping, a red fez with a yellow tassel, and a white turban. The second and official uniform consisted of a dark blue zouave jacket with red trimmings in the Hawkin Zouave design, a dark blue zouave vest with red trimming, baggy red trousers, a red sash with sky blue trimming,a red fez with a yellow tassel, and a white turban.
The 11th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the early years of the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in New York City in May 1861 as a Zouave regiment, known for its unusual dress and drill style, by Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, a personal friend of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Drawn from the ranks of the city's many volunteer fire companies, the unit was known alternately as the Ellsworth Zouaves, First Fire Zouaves, First Regiment New York Zouaves, and U.S. National Guards.
The 44th New York Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War which was formed up in mid-1861, and mustered in on August 30, 1861. The regiment wore an americanized zouave uniform which consisted of a dark blue zouave jacket with red piping on the cuffs, dark blue trousers with a red stripe, a red zouave shirt, a dark blue forage cap, and a pair of leather gaiters. The jacket had buttons down the front of it which was not part of the original French zouave uniform.
The military uniforms of the Union Army in the American Civil War were widely varied and, due to limitations on supply of wool and other materials, based on availability and cost of materials. The ideal uniform was prescribed as a dark blue coat with lighter pants, with a black hat. Officer's ranks were denoted with increasing levels of golden decoration. Specific jobs, companies, and units had markedly different styles at times, often following European customs such as that of the Zouaves. Officers uniforms tended to be highly customized and would stray from Army standard. Ironically, several main pieces of gear had been created by order of the U.S. War Secretary Jefferson Davis before the war; he later became Confederate President.
Each branch of the Confederate States armed forces had its own service dress and fatigue uniforms and regulations regarding them during the American Civil War, which lasted from April 12, 1861, until May 1865.
The 11th Indiana Zouaves was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 146th New York Infantry Regiment, nicknamed Garrard's Tigers, was a Federal regiment which mustered on October 10, 1862, and mustered out on July 16, 1865. The regiment was raised and organized in Rome, New York, and was known as the 5th Oneida Regiment. Another nickname for this unit was the Halleck's Infantry, after New York-born general Henry Halleck.
The 114th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. They were notable for their colorful Americanized version of the Zouave uniform worn in emulation of certain French light-infantry units that became world-famous during France's colonization of North Africa, the Crimean War, and the Second War of Italian Independence fought in the years prior to the American Civil War.
The 41st New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the American Civil War. They were nicknamed De Kalb Regiment. The regiment was formed from German immigrants from both New York and Pennsylvania.
The 74th New York Infantry Regiment was a Union regiment recruited in 1861, during the American Civil War. The regiment was part of Sickles' Excelsior Brigade and their first commander was sailor and engineer COL Charles K. Graham.
The 37th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War.
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.
Guide to the 73rd Regiment of the New York State Volunteers Records, 1861-1868