Louisiana Tigers, Advancing, 1861-62

At the start of the Civil War, both armies were briefly swept up in a Zouave craze — the colorful uniform tradition of the French regiments that had earned a reputation for élan in Algeria and the Crimea. Dozens of American volunteer units copied the look. The Louisiana Tigers — Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat's 1st Special Battalion Louisiana Infantry — were the most famous Confederate example, raised in New Orleans in 1861 from dock workers, gamblers, river roughs, and Irish and German immigrants. They earned their battlefield reputation at First Manassas and were equally famous for hard living off the battlefield. The distinctive Zouave dress — red fez, short blue jacket, red flannel shirt, blue-and-white striped trousers tucked into white gaiters — survived only as long as the supplies did; by 1862-63 the iconic uniform had been worn out and replaced with standard Confederate gray. 1861-62 is the period this figure depicts, when the Tigers still looked like the Tigers.

This figure shows a Tiger pressed forward at the run — body leaning into the advance, musket and bayonet angled across his front. Where the firing pose in the same release set captures the moment of the shot, and the No. 2 advancing figure shows a measured walk-up, this one is the figure mid-rush, closing the last yards before contact. Set him in front of the other two and you have the visual sequence of a Tiger assault.

1/30 scale (60mm), matte-painted, single figure boxed. Catalog number 31507. As with the rest of the W. Britain modern range, the painting is photographic-quality detail intended to read well in dioramas and display cases.