148 The American Civil WarLew Wallace, famous after the Civil War as the
author of Ben Hur, commented about the Zouave
uniforms of the 11th Indiana Regiment, which bore his
name as the 'Wallace Zouaves': 'There was nothing of the
flashy Algerian colors in the uniform of the Eleventh
Indiana; no red fez. no red breeches, no red or yellow
sash with tassels big as early cabbages. Our outfit was of
the tamest grey twilled goods, not unlike home made
jeans - a visor cap, French in pattern, its top of red cloth
not larger than the palm of one's hand; a blue flannel
shirt with open neck, a jacket Greekish in form, edged
with narrow binding, the red scarcely noticeable;
breeches baggy but not petticoated; button gaiters
connecting below the knees with the breeches, and
strapped over the shoes,' (Painting by Don Troiani,
http://www.historicalartprints.com))
with white band and orange tinsel, a short
blue jacket with gold trimming, loose red
trousers and yellow buckskin leggings. The
11th Indiana Zouaves, known as the 'Wallace
Zouaves' in honor of their commander, Lew
Wallace, wore a midwestern variation of the
uniform. Still, whatever their specific unit
identities, Northerners became known as
'Billy Yanks,' and Southerners became known
as 'Johnny Rebs.'
In the tradition of their democratic
heritage, soldiers were allowed to elect many
of their officers, while some were appointed
by politicians. Of course, this presented
problems as friends or enemies-turned-
soldiers could find taking orders from these
persons awkward. The core of military life,
however, was discipline and uniformity, both
of which caused problems for the typical
soldier. Disrespect for authority was the first
and most common offense committed by
men of blue and gray. Although both
governments attempted to nationalize their
armies, Northerners proved more amenable
to adherence to regulations and nationalism
than did Southerners.
Varied uniforms and equipment became a
problem, and soon the governments
enforced a standardized code in both.
Because gray had been the popular color of
militia and cadet uniforms in the prewar
years, both sides initially marched off in
variations of the same color. The Union
would eventually adopt blue as the official
uniform color, as that had been the color of
uniforms in the professional army.
Confederates would eventually adopt gray as
their national color.
Because most soldiers marched through
landscapes that were vastly different from
their local communities, soldiers were
initially awed by the grandeur of their
surroundings. Camps were where soldiers
spent the bulk of their time, and they
became both homes and training grounds,
filled with excitement at some times and
endless monotony at others. The discipline
of drill and training could prove the
difference between life and death in combat,
so soldiers spent hours each day drilling and