Confederate Jean wool Brogans?

[tnyankee]

Hello again to everyone!
After being out of touch for a while, I am trying to keep up with the progression of things. In my recent travels over the past year in the Marine Corps. I got to see the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond... finally! Well, as I was looking through the items upstares in Jeff Davis' personal family affects there happens to be a pair of Confederate Brogans that are made out of jean wool, have wooden soles, and a 2 button closure strap. I think they were also lined inside with canvas. My question is was this something that was actually used? Perhaps a last resort that just never came into effect? I do not remember what exactly the story was behind them if any...but was very curious to know! Thanks for any info! It's great to be back!

Tony DiMaiolo
Top Rail Mess
LCpl USMC

[Cracker Line]

Re: Confederate Jean wool Brogans?

Tony,

I can not give you any info on that actualy pair of shoes. However, I can tell you that ersatz footwear was very common. Here is a link to a post I made awhile back on homemade and wooden soled/fabric shoes.

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?p=19967#post19967

Those are all civilian accounts. However, the use of wooden soled canvas shoes seems highly probable for the military.

Also, if I remember correctly in Don Troiani's book he has a pair of wooden soled jeancloth upper shoes that supposedly were from the depot in Atlanta. I'm not positive on this one as I don't have the book, but I think I saw those in there.

And, finally, there are a pair of homemade canvas and wood shoes in the UDC museum in Charleston.

Cheers,
Adam

P.S. When I can get the pictures taken, I have a pair of wooden soled canvas shoes my pard Ethan made for me that are awesome. Just takes getting used to them.

[Yellowhammer]

Re: Confederate Jean wool Brogans?

Adam,

I'd be careful of terms like "very common" when dealing with items such this. The usage of wooden-soled and other ersatz items certainly happened but I'm not comfortable with the term "very common" in this case.

Regarding the shoes in the Troiani book, they are unassembled.

In his book "Huntsville to Appomattox", Robert T. Coles details a young replacement's experience with a pair of CS issued wooden-soled shoes. Going into battle in 1864, the young man was unable to climb the far bank of a stream crossing due to his inadequate footware and repeatedly fell into the water. Apparently the "old veterans" made great sport of this until the young man broke down and cried from frustration. According to Coles, he was killed in action after acquiting himself well in combat and all the old soldiers felt bad for making fun of the young soldier who's only shortcoming was his shoes.

[Cracker Line]

Re: Confederate Jean wool Brogans?

Mr. Stillwagon,

You are correct. I should not have said they were "very common." Usually I don't make broad statements like that so I don't know why I did this time. Please accept my apologies on this. I should have said they SEEM like they were common, but that's for others to debate about.

That's an awesome story about the young replacement. I can totally understand his trouble getting up the bank wearing those shoes. My friend, who just gave me his wooden soled canvas shoes, had an incident similar to that at an event a few years back. He had just made the shoes and was wearing them for the first (and only) time. Well, the trail from the camp to the water source went up a short, steep hill that was nothing but pure mud and tree roots. The only way he made it up that hill was by grabbing the trees and pulling himself up. Needless to say he was muddy by the end of the weekend. It was also fun watching him slide down hill on the shoes. Well now he's passed them on to me, and I'm waiting for my turn at "mud skating."

Cheers,
Adam

[Yellowhammer]

Re: Confederate Jean wool Brogans?

Adam,

To this discussion I would add that I think both the incident R.T. Coles described and your friend's experience are both excellent examples of why such footware would have been replaced as soon as possible.

[Cracker Line]

Re: Confederate Jean wool Brogans?

Mr. Stillwagon,

I totally agree, which is why I posted the story of my friend.

Cheers,
Adam