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Taylor himself a national Zouave was stationed at Fort Monroe between June 1861 and May 1862. The Zouave flamboyant uniforms in the manner of North African desert fighters were considered the bravest and toughest Civil War soldier. James Taylor, made his admirable sketch showing a trio of Zouaves taking a respite at Fortress Monroe, Virginia. Taylor went on to cover Gen, Philip Sheridan’s campaign at the end of the war. James Taylor was born in Cincinnati and graduated from the University of Norte Dame at the age of 16. At 18 he painted a panorama of the revolutionary war. He enlisted in the 10th New York infantry ( National Zouaves,) in 1861. While a soldier he send his drawings to Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper and was hired as a “special artist” when he left the army in 1863. For the remainder of war he traveled with the Union Army in Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Leslie’s Illustrated published 61 of his wartime drawings. After the war Taylor traveled West with the Indian peace Commission. He also produced numerous drawings of the aftermath of ther Great Fire of Chicago in 1871. He died in New York City. ( source: the becker collection: Drawings of the American Civil War Era. Peter Hastings Falk,ed., who was who in American Art).