Zouaves were French army units who were used in North Africa, then the Crimea, and Mexico, before the US Civil War.
They started as mostly Berbers from Algeria, hence the odd clothing, and built a reputation as elite badass fighters.
In the US, starting with the revolution the standing army was very small, with the government gathering and training
troops as needed. That was reasonably quick as most every man could shoot and ride a horse.
Cannons could be taught quickly to small groups, but most fighting was done by men with rifles.
The favorite way in the North, and South, was to accept locally organized groups(2nd amendment militias) into the army.
Somebody would post handbills and newspaper articles about forming a group, then when locals joined they’d peer pressure
their buddies into joining, telling them the alternative would be going off with a bunch of strangers who might be Irish,
Jews, or some other group. This was a strong incentive because people from different ethnic/religious backgrounds,
even in the cities, didn’t mingle and peacefully coexist like today.
Another trick was forming a Zouave looking group with similar uniforms, as the dime novels and newspapers had spread the
exploits of these badass fighters. The first battalion formed in Chicago and traveled around showing off their close order drilling.
Then numerous cities followed suit, but NY’s Hawkin’s Zouaves was the first to actually join the army.
It didn’t hurt that the ladies swooned at the sight of these gaily dressed soldiers.
I think I'd rather wear camo.
