The 6th New York Infantry Regiment, also called "Wilson's Zouaves", was a unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War.

[3] During the mustering, the unit's Colonel and namesake, William Wilson, denounced the recent violence in Baltimore amidst chants of "Death to the Plug Uglies".

[5] Instead of fighting as a concentrated regiment, the unit was split off for special duties or else fought as individual infantry and heavy artillery companies.

[7] On October 8, 1861, Fort Pickens was attacked by a Confederate force led by Gen. Richard H. Anderson in what became known as the Battle of Santa Rosa Island.

After an initial skirmish with the enemy, the men of the 6th, who had been posted outside the fort, conducted an orderly retreat into the defenses and helped hold the fortification until the Confederates abandoned their attack.