"Zouaves at Bull Run" Topic

I'm going to be putting on a show game of Henry Hose Hill from the Regimental fire and fury Scenario book. I want to depict the various Zouave units engaged on each side. The 11th, 14th, 69th New York and the Louisiana Tigers are easy to find as both Don Troiani and Philip Haythornthwaite show pictures of them.
Can anyone give me any details of
1st Minnesota – Co E Stanley Zouave's
154th Tennessee – Co D (called E is state service) Harris Zouave Cadets (Memphis Zouaves)
I'll probably put in the odd company of Union troops in grey and rebels in blue but I'd like my Zouave's companies to be right.

Well, from this site you can find a number of images of various zouave units. Keep in mind that not every unit with a "zouave" moniker actually wore some sort of zouave clothing. many were in name only in order to induce men to enlist. The 1st MN, Co. "E" is actually the St. Anthony Zouaves.

link

Yes St Anthony Zouaves. My mistake. This site gives little uniform information and none for the ones Im after. It also dosn't show pictures anymore, even with the way back machine.
I know many didnt wear the zouave uniform and some just had maybe a red stripe down the pants or round the hat.Without any definate Information I could easily end up guessing totally wrong

Same concern with the 69th NY, only Company K (Meagher's) were Zouaves. They wore a shell jacket with red tape, blue kersey trousers and a green sash. The rest of the regiment would be in pretty much standard federal uniforms though the enlisted men took off their jackets and fought in their shirtsleeves (they were issued red shirts).

What unit was the 154 Tennessee with?

The 154th TN Militia are also called the 1st TN Volunteers.

Thanks for the clarification.

BN

Are you referring to First or Second Manassas? If you are referring to the Second, then the 5th New York V.I. "Duryée's Zouaves" were present and were almost decimated by Hood's Texas Brigade (et. al.)

Oh, and the 14th Brooklyn (84th N.Y.V.I.) was present at both First and Second Manassas, although they are chasseurs, not zouaves, per se.

I'm referring to first Manassas. The action centeres around Henry House Hill. It's early enough for there to be plenty of uniform variety. Some zouaves who are little differant from normal units and non Zouaves with flashy uniforms.

Don't use the Troiani print as a sample of my Tigers uniform, as it is historically incorrect. There is an old posting of mine describing how to paint a Tiger figure in detail. I can't find it, but I'm sure someone can. TIG

Be careful of reading into the title of a company that it was attired as Zouaves simply because it bears that name. For example, the 1st Minnesota had no zouave attired troops at 1st Bull Run. Althought the regiment wore a colroful uniform, it was not zouave in any manner of the word.

Be careful of reading into the title of a company that it was attired as Zouaves simply because it bears that name. For example, the 1st Minnesota had no zouave attired troops at 1st Bull Run. Althought the regiment wore a colroful uniform, it was not zouave in any manner of the word.

Initially the basic uniform of the 1st MN had red shirts and black trousers. Officers wore the normal blue frock coat.

link

Showing the first Minnesota in red shirts and black trousers is just the type of thing I'm after although that might have been just one company as the following description I found shows.

No uniforms had been provided, but the State
soon furnished each private and non-commissioned
officer with a shirt, a black felt hat, a pair of black
pants, and a pair of socks. Other articles of clothing
were supplied from time to time, either by the men
or their friends. The shirts were woolen, but of
various colors, red predominating. Generally the
shirts were of the kind then affected by steamboat
men and men of the frontiers, and some of them were
very fancifully ornamented with crescents, stars, tre-
foils, etc. Company K had gray suits presented by
the citizens of Winona. The State gave every man
a blanket and supplied the bunks in the barracks
with plenty of good clean straw. Cooking utensils

This is a description at the time of mustering so company K may well have still been in gray and company E may well have still had some type of zouave uniform.

I have found the reference to the Louisiana Zouave that TIG posted so here it is in case anyone else is after the same information.

Troiani had some mistakes. There was a trefoil on the front of the jacket. Pants were bed ticking, not blue and white stripes. The rifle was a Mississippi, brown barrel with brass bands. The fez has a navy blue tassel, and the jacket was navy blue also. The Mississippi was not set up for a socket bayonet(spike type), it had a lug for a sword bayonet. Brown to tan boots not black. Troiani does great work, it's just not always historically accurate.

Which ever argument you take for them wearing brown at some point. Bull Run is too early for the uniforms to have worn out so it would definitely be blue.

I found this picture and although the artists brother was a 154th Tennessee Zouave I'm not sure If this Is supposed to be a representation of one of them.

civilwarshades.org/missing

I take it that the Zouaves in Wheat's special battalion were one of five companies and the other companies would have worn grey uniforms. The Zouaves are often depicted wearing straw hats with slogans on them. Would the other companies have worn straw hats instead or was it just down to who fancied wearing them? My other thought is that maybe these were worn pre uniform issue.

Some of the Tigers wore straw hats as a preference, and it would be okay to mix the fez and straw hats within Wheats boys. The other companies wore standard grey issue.