Fashion: Civil War Dress

During the war, both sides eventually settle on standardized uniforms for their troops. Thus for the Union:

And for the Confederates: 

However, conforming to these standards is regularly observed in the breech.

The Confederates exhibit their homespun styles, most famously on the right below with the set of three still cocky Confederates captured at Gettysburg.

Meanwhile, Union outliers abound:

Ironically both Ulysses Grant and Robert E. Lee don uniforms that violate the standards set. During battles, Grant would often appear in a Private’s blouse to lessen his profile for enemy sharpshooters. Meanwhile, Lee dresses as a Colonel throughout the war stating that he would not accept the stature of a full General until the South was victorious.

But by far the most extreme variation in dress belongs to Elmer Ellsworth who studies law under Abraham Lincoln in Springfield before the war. Ellsworth proceeds in 1859 to assemble a company called the “Zouave Cadets” that perform patriotic drill routines for paid audiences nationwide.

The actual origin of Zouave units traces to the French Army operating in Algiers around 1830. They are named after local “Zwawa” tribes and characterized by their flamboyant outfits – baggy “harem pants” trousers held up by sashes, open fronted jackets, and a red Moroccan style fez.

When the Civil War breaks out, Ellsworth’s men enlist as the 11th New York Infantry known as the “Fire Zouaves.” But before he can see action, Ellsworth is murdered by an Alexandria hotel owner after he enters and hauls down an offending Confederate flag. Francis Brownell (above) receives a Congressional Medal of Honor for killing the shooter, and a stricken Lincoln honors Ellsworth by having his coffin laid in the East Room of the White House.

Zouave units remain active in the French Army until 1962 when finally disbanded.