FRANCIS CHAMPINE, ANTHONY OULD and JOSEPH POISSON53rd INFANTRYAN ILL-FATED REGIMENT - In October 1861, three men enlisted in the53rd Infantry in Plattsburgh Francis Champine, Anthony Ould and JosephPoisson. It was a Zouave regiment, formed under the exact principles ofthe French Imperial Zouaves. The principal officers all saw activeservice in the French Army. Their uniforms were much richer than thosesupplied to any regiment recruited in New York. They received pay andrations from the time of enrollment and were quartered at Camp Leslie onthe northeastern shore of Staten Island.The 53rd, officially known as \"D\'Epineuil\'s Zouaves\", after LionelJobert D'Epineuil wanted to raise a regiment of men who were born inFrance. However, only 130 Frenchmen were joined, and so othernationalities were recruited. Before they boarded the train forWashington, they were armed with the British .577 caliber Enfieldrifles. After reaching the capital, they were transported to Annapolis,MD, where they remained on duty until January 3, 1862. They were thenattached to General John Parke\'s 3rd Brigade in General Burnside\'sNorth Carolina Expeditionary Corps and participated in amphibianoperations against Hatteras Inlet and Roanoke Island in North Carolinafor the next month. During this operation, the ship carrying the 53rdwas wrecked at Roanoke Island, but a detachment managed to engage withthe rest of the force in the Battle of Roanoke Island which resulted inUnion victory. The regiment was transported to Fort Monroe; then toSuffolk, VA, then to Annapolis, MD; and finally, back to Washington, allthis occurring between February 8th and March 21, 1862, when theregiment mustered out after only 4 months and 6 days in the field. Themen who had signed up to serve for three years were transferred to the17th Infantry.None of the men who enlisted in October 1861, were transferred to the17th Infantry. Francis Champine and Joseph Poisson deserted while theywere still in camp on Staten Island and Anthony Ould decided he had seenenough action and left the military after the 53rd disbanded inWashington. While Anthony and the other men were with the 53rd, theyexperienced lax leadership, low morale, multiple desertions, poor food,a grounded vessel and fancy uniforms that quickly deteriorated, not tomention being transported to many venues as if the regiment was notwanted -- a lot to be packed into four months.
