such a dandy

When EE took his U. S. Zouave Cadets on their 1860 Summer ROCK STAR Tour of the Northeast, he designed several uniforms for them. They needed a dress uniform, a uniform in which to perform, and an "undress" uniform, for informal sightseeing at the locations where they were performing. Just how he got the money donated is beyond me! He must have been a charmer of serious ability, and there is a lot of historical evidence which leads me to think that perhaps this was true. He was always elegantly dressed, and he made sure his Zouaves were as well.

The night before he died, he was getting dressed (about 2:00 AM), and suddenly he told his aide-de-camp that no--he was going to change. After all, this was going to be his first real military foray--the occupation of Alexandria, across the Potomac from Washington, D.C. and he wanted to look his best. He turned around, opened his trunk, and pulled out a brand new, fresh-from-the-tailor Union officer's uniform. He smilingly told his aide that if he was going to die, it might as well be in his best uniform. Less than eight hours later he was dead.