Correct Cavalry Boots?

[14th VA Cav]

I've looked at the older posted and internet and can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I've been told my cavalry boots have the wrong heels on them. I'm wanting to get them redone but can't find anything except 'non-tampered heels'. Does anyone know at what height? Any thoughts or a differection would be great. Thanks

[Mark Choate]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Hi Jason,

For CS cavalry there will not be a single, absolute answer to your question. I would advise that you contact Robert Serio at Missouri Boot. Their web site is: http://www.missouribootandshoe.com/

Also, based on the nature of this topic, it would best be suited for the Cavalry COI forum. I am moving it at this time.

regards,
Mark

[14th VA Cav]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Thanks Mark and sorry for the wrong spot. Thanks for fixing that

[Tom Craig]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

I have to 2nd Mark's suggestion of MO Boot and Shoe. I have a pair of tall boots on order right now from them, and I have owned and abused another pair since 1995. They are excellent in terms of authenticity, quality, workmanship etc etc.

Take care,
Tom Craig
1st Maine Cavalry

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Hallo!

"I've been told my cavalry boots have the wrong heels on them. I'm wanting to get them redone but can't find anything except 'non-tampered heels'. Does anyone know at what height?"

Are you referring to the later 1870's/1880's evolution of the "cowboy boot" where the heel was tapered forward and and increased in height to 2-3 inches plus) so as to help prevent the foot from slipping through the narrower evolving stirrups of that era? As well as moving the front of the heel some
3/4's to 1 inch in front of the side seam after around 1900ish or so?

Curt

[14th VA Cav]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

That is it. The guy told me my 1880 boots won't fly back east. Was thinking of going to Gettysburg next year and am trying to get my stuff right. Wish I had found this site first. Might have saved me from fixing things

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Hallo!

Thanks, I had that suspicion.

As shared, you may want to run a heel replacement past Bob Serio.
Or, if oyu live in a place where they still have an actual more old-fashioned "shoemaker shop" you could ask about replacing the heels (but IMHO it is best to go to people who know Period footware rather than depend upon modern folk's understanding.)

And last but not least... sometimes one cannot make wrong things right short of selling them off and reinvesting the money in what is correct.

I think many/most all of us, having moved toward the H/A World, would have liked to be able to get some of the money back from our earlier choices and purchases. Or made the right choices to begin with. (Rarely works that way though)

Curt

[14th VA Cav]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Thanks for all the help

[David Jarnagin]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

The information you are looking for is found in the US regulations. In the 1861 manual #1620 on spurs states the size and length of heel.
The standard 12” boot had a short heel.

Number 1: length 3 ½ inches by 3 ¼ inches
Number 2: length 3 ¼ inches by 3 inches

My original 12” boot have a heel that matches #2. It is easier to make the heel fit the spur than the other way around. The heel does have a very slight taper.
One thing you will find is the army was a drop in the bucket US foot ware market during the Civil War. There will variations in the patterns but I doubt much on the heel.

Shoe and Boot researcher
David Jarnagin
djarnagin@bellsouth.net

[GAR]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

David, or anyone else, I often hear that only a single vamp, 2 piece boot is correct, but photos of the boots worn by JEB Stuart and George Meade show they were 3 piece, with a rear seam on the shaft. Similar to a modern English riding boot style, but with a square toe box and much higher keystones on both the front and back. How common was 3 piece boot construction in civil war private purchased boots?

The best source I have for these examples can be found in "The Civil War Catalog", edited by Antony Shaw, published by Courage Books, 2003. Photos found on pages 72, 79, 94, and 108. I have seen these published in other books I own as well.

[GAR]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Another, perhaps more familiar source is the Union "Echoes of Glory". The keystone is evident on Custer's boots (p. 99) and at least three of the boots pictured on pages 192 -193.

Would all boots with a rear seamed shaft be 3 piece, or was it possible/practical to build them with two piece "uppers"?

[David Jarnagin]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Gary,
You hit the nail on the head private purchase. I chose not to look at all the private purchase shoes and boots since that would records kept at each shoe maker. It is hard to get detailed records of the total output of a given shoe maker in one town. I chose to look at the overall production and military contracts.

The standard boot the US army wanted was 12” high and made of two pieces, okay that is to say a vamp and quarter, or toe and back may help some understand. Even these boots were a seven piece construction upper. The upper is a quarter, vamp, counter, two side stiffeners and a liner at the top of the boot front and back. I left out the pulls but it could go on and on. The counter is found in the heel portion of the boot. The side stiffeners are little known but they are there in both military and civilian patterns. These stiffeners go from the side seam forward to the ball of the foot tapering down as they go. The purpose of these is to keep the instep from falling when the foot is not in the boot.

The US (north) produced enough shoes and boots for the Union Army and still had huge number to export all over the world and this was during the CW. I do not doubt that you could get about any custom boot you wanted then if you and the coin. To be able to say one style is more likely than another that is hard to say since boots and shoes are not very clear in most photos.
I have attached a picture of an odd pair of shoes worn by the officer in the 3rd Indiana. Look at the pictures I posted on the spurs thread and the 3rd Indiana for good boot pictures.

David Jarnagin

[Doughboy]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

As Mark said there are no hard and fast rules for CS cav as there was not an issue boot.
There is a pair of private purchase boots at the Jackson HQ museum in Winchester having belonged to Bradley Johnson with a slight Cuban heel.

[GAR]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

Chistopher, it also appears to have a front keystone as opposed to a single piece vamp.

Kudos to Lone Jack, MO as they are attempting to go authentic for the 150th Battle reenactment next month. They have issued the following statement as acceptable Federal footwear in regards to boots:

• Boots, U.S. issue or civilian pattern, single piece vamp, with pegged or sewn soles. NO cowboy boots.

This is why I asked how common two piece vamps were in private purchase boots.

[Mark J.]

Re: Correct Cavalry Boots?

I agree with the previous posts that it's better to buy the right thing the first time than to continually deconstruct and reconstruct gear so that it's correct. I did that with a pair of cav boots that had a plastic heel (it was the 1980's answer to cav boots--black harness boots sans harnesses with the tops replaced): I had a shoe maker replace them with all-leather cuban heels and finished them with iron horseshoe heel plates from Burgess. It worked really well. I later upgraded to a pair of Missouri Boot and Shoe cav boots and have loved them... The rough-out one peice fronts, the shapes of the soles and the heavy duty leather make these the last cav boots I'll ever get. although I DO miss the cuban heels of my first pair... well, actually my first pair was a set of mexican made cav boots from Uniforms of Antiquity that turned blue and the soles separated after a one week campaign...ak!