Zouaves of Death Zouaves of Death ( Polish : " Żuawi śmierci " ) were a Polish military unit during the January Uprising , formed in February 1863 from volunteers in Ojców , Poland , by the French officer François Rochebrune ( Polish : " Franciszek Rochebrune " ) . Rochebrune based the formation on the French light infantry regiments in the French Army , the Zouaves , in which he had served during the Crimean War . Name . The name of the unit referred to the original French formations , initially recruited from a particular tribe of the Berbers , the " Zouaoua " of North Africa , in French Algeria in the 1830s . The " of death " portion of the name referenced the oath that the members of the unit were required to swear upon being accepted , which stated that the only outcome of the military engagements that the unit was to participate in was " either victory or death " . History . The formation was known for its distinctive and elaborate uniforms , also based on that of the Algerian Zouaves , which consisted of a cotton shirt , a vest made of elk hide , a black silk robe , a collarless black silk frock coat , puffy hose , a black and white scarf , knee high leather boots , a red fez with a ram skin brim and a distinctive large embroidered white cross on the chest . The identifying standard of the unit reflected the uniform ; it was a black banner with a white cross , surrounded by red and white ( national colors of Poland ) embroidery with the motto " W imię Boże - r . 1863 " ( " In the name of God - 1863 " ) . The unit ' s baptism by fire occurred at the Battle of Miechów , where under the command of adjutant Wojciech Komorowski , they successfully charged Russian forces defending the local cemetery . However , the overall engagement was a defeat for the Poles . In the Battle of Chroberz the Zouaves covered the retreat of the main body of Polish forces under Marian Langiewicz . They also fought at the follow - up Battle of Grochowiska where they captured Russian artillery positions but suffered very high casualties . In that engagement Langiewicz lost control over the overall deployment of forces , and it was Rochebrune who assumed command and successfully managed the retreat . As a result he was promoted to the rank of General and , afterward , even nominated for the position of overall leader of the uprising . However , his candidacy was not recognized and , disillusioned with the political infighting which characterized the insurrection Rochebrune left for France . Another part of the unit , under Cpt . Stefan Malczewski , fought at the Battle of Pobiednik Mały where , significantly outnumbered , they also suffered heavy casualties , in good part because of their refusal to retreat according to their oath . The bodies of the dead Zouaves were buried in a mass grave and the Tsarist authorities decreed that the grave was to be left unmarked . However , local villagers , in defiance of the order , planted four saplings on the corners of the mass grave to commemorate them . Later on , a cement headstone was constructed and a great grandson of one of the Zouaves who died at the battle funded a memorial statue . Rochebrune returned to the fight in the final months of 1863 but at that point the insurrection had suffered severe military setbacks and Rochebrune returned to France . Subsequently Rochebrune was awarded the order of Legion of Honour for his part in the Polish uprising by the French government . He remained a strong advocate for the cause of Polish independence while in France . He took part in the Franco - Prussian war in the rank of colonel where he insisted on fighting in his Zouaves of Death uniform at the head of a unit he called " Les Gaulois " ( The Gauls ) . He was killed in November 1870 by a sniper shot near Saint - Cloud . After Rochebrune ' s departure the Zouaves of Death were led for a short time by the second in command , Tytus O ' Brien de Lacy ( nom de guerre " Grzymała " ) but for all practical purposes it ceased to exist . A portion of the troops crossed over into Austria , while twenty one of its soldiers remained in Poland and fought , alongside the Garibaldi Legion ( Italian volunteers fighting for Poland , organized by Garibaldi ' s son Menotti Garibaldi and led by Francesco Nullo ) at the Battle of Krzykawka . The Uprising was finally crushed by Russia in 1864 . Włodzimierz Wolski composed a song dedicated to Zouaves , the " March of Zuaves " ( " Marsz Żuawów " ) .