Notes
Owner: Jacob M. West (1837-1907)
One of five items of Civil War uniforms from the Collis' Zouaves Band [114th Regiment
Pennsylvania Volunteers - Zouaves D' Afrique] comprised of residents of Germantown. All were taken prisoner the the confederacy at one point. Uniforms were worn by Jacob M. West [1837-1907]. The donor is the niece of Jacob West. (Source: Donor; accession record)
"The 114th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. They were notable for their colorful Americanized version of the Zouave uniform worn in emulation of certain French light-infantry units that became world-famous during France's colonization of North Africa, the Crimean War, and the Second War of Italian Independence fought in the years prior to the American Civil War. The regiment was the brain-child of Charles H. T. Collis, an Irish immigrant who settled in Philadelphia becoming a prominent young lawyer. Collis initially raised only a small company of men calling them the "Zouaves d'Afrique" which served while attached to other regiments. They saw action in the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, the Battle of Cedar Mountain, and the Battle of Antietam. The "Zouaves d'Afrique" were much admired for their military bearing and prowess in battle to the point that it was decided to raise a full-sized regiment which was given the numeric designation of 114th Volunteer Infantry."
(Source: Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/114th_Pennsylvania_Infantry)
