Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-07-11


in Washington, among the thousands OF
volunteers who had responded to Lin
coins call for $1,000 militia, was the New
York fire zouaves," or. as they were
afterward known in the records the
Eleventh New York
Its popularity arose from variety OF
causes. A majority of it's members were
formerly firemen in New York city. Their
uniform was one of the most picturesque
in all the gay medley of costumes worn
by the citizen soldiery at the beginning
of the war. It included "a gray jack
ct, red cap with a blue band and regu-
lation overcoat."
Their arms consisted of 'Sharp's
breech-loading rifles, worth s67 apiece,
and huge bowie knives, which could be
attached to the muzzles of their rifles,
to answer the purpose of bayonets. Their
knapsacks were made of rubber CLOTH
The rank and file embraced as fine a
lot of young men as could be seen under
any flag-intelligent, alert well-set-up,
trained by their former calling to rapid
and strenuous movements, and filled with
bubbling enthusiasm for war. the hor-
rors and sorrows of which had not yet
been revealed to them.
COL. ELLSWORTH POPULAR.
The personality of it's colonel, Elmer
e. Ellsworth also marked the regiment
for distinction. He was friend and
former law student of Lincolns. He had
left his budding career as lawyer in
Chicago to follow the profession of arms,
had been one of the presidents personal
party on I.ncoln's memorable journey
from his home In Springfield to Wash
ington in February, and had Joined his
regiment in New York, his native state
-he was born in Saratoga county-by
the direct permission of the president.
Colonel Ellsworth's regiment was not
the first he had drilled and uniformed
In 1860 he gratified a strong taste for
military pursuits by joining militia
company in Chicago, of which he soon
became captain. He adopted the dress,
drill and methods of the French zouaves.
as Illustrated by that arm of the service
in the Crimean war.
The company was known as the Chi
cago zouave cadets. They were sworn
to abstain from liquor, tobacco and pro-
family. H0
The company gave, on invitation, exhi-
bition drills in eastern cities, including
New York. Thus when the recruiting Of
regiment of zouaves was begun in New
York for the war, the zouave uniform
connected with his name
Lincoln took warm interest in the ca
reer of young Ellsworth, whose sincerity,
loftiness of character, purity of life and
great personal magnetism made him
pattern of a young volunteer soldier.
HOLIDAY SOLDERING.
AS vet there was a good deal of the
spirit of holiday soldering in the army
gathering at Washington. Each regi-
arI oF dic0iralfna
and the best was none too high. AS
yet there was no general consolidation
of the various regiments into brigades.
The material of the army was there.
but the army was not formed.
This gave the men in the ranks a
chance to show the individuality of
their regiments The regiment making
the best show on parade could with
Just cause throw out Its chest most
proudly.
The volunteers were quartered in va
rious parts of the city, those arriving
first having been assigned to the capitol
the pension Office, the great shed-like
structure used for the inauguration ball.
and so on. q
The first zouaves, who arrived in the
city, May 2, were quartered at the cap
itol, and being near the center Of things
in Washington, were very much in evil
dence.
While a sober, lot of youths, as a
whole their spirits sometimes rose to
| skylarking point and they INDUCED in
not few pranks, none of which, how
ever, came under a more serious head
than mischief.
These things, however, were not al
lowed to pass by the censorious, and
some dispatches sent out by correspon-
dents described the zouaves as rowdies
and disturbers of the peace. This arous-
ed the ire of the friends of the zouaves.
but the onarge being too severe, did
not lessen the popularity of the gayly
clad firemen soldiers
MANY Of the journals have been pa
rading the somewhat free and easy con-
duct of our fremen zouaves at Washing
ton" said one New York journal. 1T
could hardly be expected that men so
singularly constituted by their associa-
tions and so unrestrained by their posi-
tons should at once fall into the routine
Of discipline. Colonel Ellsworth has done
his best and had produced some order
out of chaos. A few weeks active serv-
ice will convert the New York firemen
zouaves into one Of the best disciplined