Fervent in the Union cause, the city of Brooklyn played a major role in supplying troops and
materiel for the
American Civil War. The best-known regiment to be sent off to war from the city was the
14th Brooklyn "Red Legged Devils". They fought from 1861 to 1864, wore red the entire war, and were the only regiment named after a city. President
Abraham Lincoln called them into service, making them part of a handful of three-year enlisted soldiers in April 1861. Unlike other regiments during the American Civil War, the 14th wore a uniform inspired by the French
Chasseurs, a light infantry used for quick assaults.