In Casemate No. 2, Union Prisoners, Castle Pinckney

Among the Union prisoners taken at the first battle of Bull Run and transferred to Castle Pinckney, besides the Seventy-ninth New York (Scotch) Regiment, the Sixty-ninth New York (Irish) Regiment, and the Eighth Michigan Infantry, were some of the Eleventh Fire Zouaves, recruited from the New York Fire Department. These prisoners were an extremely intelligent lot of men, and adapted themselves to the situation. They willingly performed police duty. Their casemates were kept in excellent condition. They shared the same fare as their guards, and taught them the army method of softening "hard-tack" so that they could eat it with less violent exercise of their jaws and danger to their molars. The Charleston Zouave Cadets was a company of very young men, residents of Charleston, full of patriotic ardor and well disciplined. The State of South Carolina seceded from the Union at three o'clock in the afternoon of December 20, 1860, and at four o'clock the young company was on duty. Their uniform was gray with a red stripe and trimmings, red fatigue-caps, and white cross-belts. Later in the war they saw service at the front.