Zouave uniform worn by David P. Davis of the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry

The uniform of the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry, known as Duryee's Zouaves, was based on the elite Zouave battalion of the French Army. The French Zouaves had modeled their uniform and training after the native dress and fearless tactics of the Algerians, their former opponents in the colonial war of the 1830s. Their name derived from a tribe of Algerians known as the Zouaoua, whose members formed the original battalions. The dashing New York Zouaves wore a distinctive jacket, vest, sash, baggy trousers, and fez.