For much of the first half of the 19th century, Chasseurs, Hussars and Zouaves received scant mention in U.S. newspapers. In fact, Zouaves were not mentioned until 1836. Everything changed with the 1853-1856 Crimean War, when all three military styles received a bump in mentions. Zouaves captured the fascination of Americans by a significant margin, driven in part by Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth’s nattily attired U.S. Zouave Cadets. The highly disciplined drill team toured the country and thrilled audiences on the eve of the Civil War. Here, we look at mentions of the three terms in newspapers catalogued between 1800 and 1875 at Newspapers.com.
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