Whats' the difference between........

[put413]

Whats the difference between Zoaves and Regulars?
From their picture, the Zoaves look like they were Gypsies...

And what was the difference (in the civil war) between
Heavy Infantry and Line Infantry?

Frank P

[arsan]

All you need to know about zouaves ( and much more )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zouave

In game terms, the difference is their uniforms are cooler.
About different kinds of infantry (in the real civil war) i think it was mostly just a question of names. Heavy, line, light used the same equipments and fought the same way on the ACW.
The differentiation comes form past eras (napoleonic, and before,) where light infantry were specialy trained to deploy and fight as skirmishers and chosen between the smaller an nimblest men on the regiment and heavy (granadiers) were elite companies formed by veterans and/or big guys (6 feet tall and up).

Cheers

[Jabberwock]

Heavy infantry in the civil war was just line infantry that Grant created from heavy artillery garrison regiments in 1864. The name came from their former jobs, also from the fact that they had full strength regiments in 1864, when most regiments were half that size.

Zouaves were semi-elite volunteer units with, as Arsan says, cooler uniforms. They generally used a different drill manual from other troops, and some units received extra bayonet training. The uniforms tended to make them easy targets, so most zouave regiments switched to standard field uniforms fairly early (at least getting rid of the funny hats and sashes).

[Banks6060]

Yeah I think some of the regimental commanders were just trying to copy off of the French with the rediculous Zouave uniforms?? Like Jabber said, only thing those bright uni's were good for was for givin' the enemy somethin' easy to shoot at.

[soundoff]

The uniforms tended to make them easy targets, so most zouave regiments switched to standard field uniforms fairly early (at least getting rid of the funny hats and sashes).

I thought it was more to do with the cost of outfitting them in such regalia...cheaper to clothe them in mass produced uniforms....rather than being easy targets. I stand to be corrected though.

Regards

[Jabberwock]

Probably a combination of both factors. Several northern outfits retained the short jackets and pantaloons for field dress, but converted to standardized color schemes. I believe all the southern Zouaves converted entirely to standard issue uniforms, or as close to standard issue as they could get. Several northern units used kepis with havelocks after they got rid of the turbans and fezzes. The kepi/havelock combination was also issued to some sailors.

[Banks6060]

This brings up an interesting question about Confederate dress during the time period. I always wonder what prompted such a lack of uniformity in the Confederate army's field dress as opposed to their Union counterparts?

I would think matching uniforms would be relatively easy to equip for any sizeable nation at that time....wool was in fairly large supply. Was it the infusion of several volunteer regiments that created such a mish mash of uniform colors and styles in the Confederate Armies??

I've not read much about this.

[soloswolf]

I recently finished a book called These Honored Dead by Thomas A. Desjardin, which focuses on debunking many myths about the battle of Gettysburg.

There is a (seemingly) well documented dissenting entry about the state of the Confederate soldier. This states: "the common Confederate soldier was well dressed in the Southern military uniforms, well-shod and well accoutered with the requisite equipment throughout the war. He was not the ragged, barefoot, poorly equipped individual in nondescript mix-and -match clothing so many have come to see him as."

There are others that lend themselves to this point, but for brevity's sake, I will keep the quotes at bay.

I too have read many pages about the desperate situation with regard to equipment, etc. I am sure there is some truth to both sides of the story.

[Heldenkaiser]

This brings up an interesting question about Confederate dress during the time period. I always wonder what prompted such a lack of uniformity in the Confederate army's field dress as opposed to their Union counterparts?

Priorities, I guess. If a country as under-industrialized as the Confederacy fights a major war, feeding and arming its soldiers is more important than clothing them properly. And the feeding and arming them already wasn't all that easy.

[Sgt_of_the_24th_MI]

Yeah I think some of the regimental commanders were just trying to copy off of the French with the rediculous Zouave uniforms?? Like Jabber said, only thing those bright uni's were good for was for givin' the enemy somethin' easy to shoot at.

It is important to note that the uniforms of BOTH sides were based on a French pattern. If you add starch to a forage cap you end up with a French shako. Lack of stiffening was much cheaper to produce. Zouave uniforms were modeled after the French North African (Algerian) uniforms.

[Comtedemeighan]

I read somewhere that the Confederacy made really crappy boots made with green or uncured leather that would disintigrate pretty quickly

[soloswolf]

This was a problem in virtually every war of the 19th century and prior. Lack of foresight on many logistical matters left many men in pretty bad shape.

It was of particular concern with cartridge boxes during the revolutionary war.

[Doomwalker]

I would think matching uniforms would be relatively easy to equip for any sizeable nation at that time....wool was in fairly large supply. Was it the infusion of several volunteer regiments that created such a mish mash of uniform colors and styles in the Confederate Armies??

I recently read in a book about Uniforms and Equipage from 1851-1870, that the Confederacy lacked the wool necessary for large amounts of uniforms. It states that both wool and cotton was used for their uniforms, with some being combinations of both. It goes on to say that they even used some civilian clothes. Basically the Confederates had to use whatever they could get their hands on.