Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-04
THE HAWKINS zoUAvEs.

We notice movement in New York city TO
award to the Hawkins Zouaves special testi-
mouias OF admiration for the part they played
in the battle of Roanoke Island. Their friends
in that city undertake to represent that they
did the chief work iii storming the battery in
the swamp, and that they should he honored
as the bright, particular heroes of that affair.
We should refrain from any mention OF this
movement, or, at least, should not say a word
about it in the way of criticism, if the exirava
CANT laudations of the Zouaves by which it is
accompanied were not made offensive by
wanion injustice to the troops by whom the
storming of the battery was actually done.
Here is a specimen of the style in which the
claims OF the Hawkins Zouaves are set forth.
We take il from a communication in The New
York Times, written in reply to some animal
versions in that journal =
"One of their officers writes thus There
MY b. some,queslioa raised as To what regi-
ment carries off the laures, but the secesh off.
say if 1t had not been Tor the ninth they
could ha e held the battery all day. and be-
ieve they would. Our troops ali behaved
nObly, but standing up in front of a battery
and allowing the enemy 10 shoot you down is
all nonsense.
We have read a great number of private
letters, written by those who witnessed the
capture of that battery, and they all agree in
stating that the Zouaves did not enter the
battery until it had actually been taken by the
Massachusetts twenty first regiment and part
Of the New York ifty-frst. AS the storming
parties approached the battery the FIRE of the
rebels was chiefly directed against the Massa
chusetts twenty-frst, who suffered considera-
bly, while rushing on the works. But, without
wayering, they stormed OH into the battery,
and their flag was the first that floated over it.
There was no lighting an the battery. The
rebels fed from the bayonets of our
troops with the utmost precipitation
1t was while they were running away,
and Immediately after the works were captur-
ed, that the Zouaves came rushing ever in
front. We do not mean to say that the Zou-
aves are not brave but we do SO say that the
battery was taken without any aid from them
that could not just as well have been dispens-
ed with. The truth is, they behaved on that
occasion in such manner as 10 deserve some
criticism, not so much from lack of bravery,
We presume, as from lack of steadiness and
cool resolution. A line officer engaged in the
battle, but not in the storming, and so placed
at the time as to see all that was done by the
parties ordered to storm the works, writes in
apriyate letter as follows-
"Our men fought well and behaved like sol
diers. do not think that any particular COM
pany or regiment has more claim than another
to honor Tor the result, tor they all did their
duty with the exception of the Hawkins
Louavesr who came near preparing another
Bull Kun for US. But the Massachusetts;
twenty fifth was in their way, and prevented
IT. These Zouaves are public nuisance"
The feeling expressed in this language wal
aroused by what he saw of the unsteady
wild, and ineffective behavior of the Zouave
OH that occasion and what he says accord
with whatwe find in other private letters from
competent observers. The "Zouave" reg
ments in our army, in GOODNESS and effective
ness on the battle field, have but little resen
blance to the French Zouaves. At Bull Run
the New York Fire Zouaves broke wildly a
the first fire on them, and could not be ralIie,
again then or afterwards. Reports of The bat
tie, published in some of the New York pa
pers made it appear that they had behaved
like wonderful heroes, the storming of terrible
batteries and the humiliation oil the Black
Horse cavalry, being among the tremendous
performances credited to their valor. Blu,
these reports were all deliberate inventions
That regiment proved to be almost completed,
worthless on the battle field. We Lear report
that some portion of the behavior of the Haw
kins Zouaves at Winton, the other day, wa
not much to their credit; but the testimony o.
this point is not so abundant and unequivoca
as that which tells us how they behaved dun
ing the battle on the island. II some peopl
in New York desire to award to this regimen
honor which they tailed TO earn, they shout
do it without undertaking to depreciae whs
was done by the men who actually carried til
enemy's works.