Barefoot Confederates

[Crossroads]

A thread stated yesterday, November 3rd. titled "Confederates needing shoes?" asked about the accuracy of the stement that large numbers of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia were barefoot before the battle of Gettysburg.

That was confirmed by information from primary source documents.

This made me wonder what other verifiable accounts of shoeless Comfederates exist?

If you know of any other cases, please share them.

Please only share those caes that can be verified and include the source (s) of the information.

Thanks,

Crossroads

PS The need for shoes was indeed a factor in the battle of Gettysburg, but a minor factor which has become greatly exagerrated and mythologized into Civil War "Legend."

 

[RedRover]

Here's a description of the Army of Tennessee passing through Dalton, etc. on their way to Tennessee in late 1864:

They were ragged and thinly clad, having as a general thing, only pantaloons, shirt, and hat in their inventory of clothing, the first too greasy and tattered, the last shocking affairs in multitudinous variety. As a general thing they were tolerably well shod, though in Stewart's divisions one of our officers counted over three hundred barefooted privates-Not more than one in ten had blankets, and much suffering must have ensued through the keen frosty nights now prevailing. In the line distinction as to apparel, between the officers and the men, was nearly obliterated. Regimental discipline seemed loose, and privates appeared to comment upon the commands of their immediate officers with an unction and broadness of diction which was always been native to the taste and instinct of the highly polished, intelligent, and asthetick lower orders of the South, surnamed the sunny..."

Daily Ohio Statesman, Columbus, OH, 10-27-1864.

Shoes wear out, however, and General Hood ordered certain expedients. On October 11, 1864, as the Army of Tennessee was making its way north to invade Tennessee from Georgia, General Hood ordered all shoemakers or cobblers in the ranks to report to headquarters. Many did so expecting to be detailed from the ranks for shoe-making. Instead, they were set to work making rawhide moccasins from the hides of beeves slaughtered for the army:

"They were made with the flesh sides out and the hair next to the bare feet of the soldiers who wore them. Before being put on the feet they looked like hideous pouches of some kind, but no man could have conjectured for what purpose they were made. However, there was much bragging on them the next day by those to whom they had been issued. But the next night and day following it rained, rained, rained, and alas for the moccasins and the men who wore them! Just such shapes as those moccasins assumed, and such positions as they occupied on the feet, as the men went trudging along through the mud and water, can never be told; nor can any imagination, however refined, justly depict them."

Goodloe, Albert T., Some Rebel Relics from the Seat of War

The history of the 20th Tennessee of Bate's division notes that by the Battle of Nashville in mid-December:

General Forrest reported on the condition of Olmstead's and Palmer's brigades of infantry attached to his command near Murfreesboro in mid-December:

(Official records, armies...)

 

[Package4]

A thread stated yesterday, November 3rd. titled "Confederates needing shoes?" asked about the accuracy of the stement that large numbers of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia were barefoot before the battle of Gettysburg.

That was confirmed by information from primary source documents.

This made me wonder what other verifiable accounts of shoeless Comfederates exist?

If you know of any other cases, please share them.

Please only share those caes that can be verified and include the source (s) of the information.

Thanks,

Crossroads

PS The need for shoes was indeed a factor in the battle of Gettysburg, but a minor factor which has become greatly exagerrated and mythologized into Civil War "Legend."

This is being discussed currently in regard to the Maryland Campaign of 1862.

NF - New Confederate uniform book 'Never In Rags' | Civil War Books, Stories, & Media

Some recent posts have discussed various confederate uniform styles. When they were made, within the Confederacy or imported from Great Britain, etc. I feel this is an opportune time for: Bump

civilwartalk.com

I just did some very superficial research last night and was amazed at how poorly supplied the ANV was during this campaign. I knew it was bad, but after just an hour and a half of looking through my research material, found it shocking. An actual General Order was sent out when the ANV was gathered around Leesburg, declaring that those that were improperly shod or invalided would go to Winchester, VA and not have to enter Maryland. Approximately 10,000 went to Winchester; I am in the process of trying to find the G.O., but it keeps coming up in dispatches, letters and diaries of officers complaining about the idiocy of such an order as it greatly reduced troop strength at a time it could be ill afforded.

The rationale for the order was to enter the state quickly and efficiently, while those without shoes would negate a quick strike as they would straggle. Remember, Lee's plan called for the division of his force in three to four parts and speed was paramount.

There was also the "Grand Appeal" in the Richmond Dispatch, during this period, for citizens to bring to the government, excess clothing and shoes, which they would be paid set amounts for each article. Make no mistake, this is not to be confused with the commutation system.

 

[thomas aagaard]

This made me wonder what other verifiable accounts of shoeless Comfederates exist?
indeed a factor in the battle of Gettysburg, but a minor factor which has become greatly exagerrated and mythologized into Civil War "Legend."

If you, look in the OR for the documents covering the Gettysburg campaign, you will find mention of shoeless federal soldiers before the battle and soldiers from both sides who are shoeless after the battle.
That is simply what happen when a campaign covers such long distances as the Gettysburg campaign did, and a good deal of the roads are paved instead of dirt roads. (like in Virginia)

 

[RedRover]

General Joseph E. Johnston, regarding clothing and equipment, noted that the turning point from which the Confederate Army, at least in Virginia, never recovered, was the abandonment of Manassas in March, 1862. Vast stockpiles of equipment and clothing, including the entire baggage and stores of the units, and boxes of clothing contributed by the deep south States for their troops, were burned on the evacuation...

Quoted from Jefferson Davis, Constitutionalist, vol. 8, p. 7.

Even when the CS Army issued clothing, which appears to have been more frequent after 1862, the troops would sell or trade it for food, etc. Davis was even informed that officers were drawing excess cloth from the QM Dept., at the fixed government price, and instead of having it made into clothing, sold it to tailors for a significant advance given its greater market value...

Here is an interesting correspondence referring to German import shoes among Lee's men at Gettysburg, and superior English shoes issued after the battle, etc.:

Notes of the War
The Shoeing of Lee's Army.
A correspondent of the Savannah Republican gives the following account of the feet on which Lee's Army returned from Pennsylvania.
We came out of Maryland with nearly ten thousand barefooted men, and all had suffered more or less in the wear and tear of clothing.—These wants have been pretty well supplied by the quartermasters, who have displayed, commendable zeal in the matter, and by some of the State authorities. The German shoes furnished the men just before they started to Pennsylvania were of a very inferior description. They were low quartered russets, light and thin, and the leather very poor. Such shoes would answer the purpose of a vine dresser, a gardener, or an artisan, who had but little walking to do, but are totally unfit for a soldier, whose marches are long and frequently over rough roads and through drenching rains. They last from three days to six weeks, generally not longer than a week or two, especially if the weather is wet or a river is forded; for the leather being inferior, the soles spread when they get wet, and soon become part of the uppers, as it were, from which they separate when they get dry again.
We hauled pontoon boats from Fredericksburg to the Shenandoah, and thence to the Potomac, and back again to the Shenandoah; and yet the army forded both rivers as we marched north, and a considerable portion of it did the same thin on our return. You are ready to inquire, why is this? I can only reply that it is owing the want of staff officers educated in their duties, and especially to the want of a corps of practical engineers. It remains to be added in this connection, that the English shoes issued to the men since our return to Virginia, are well made, and that the leather is excellent. The only defect in them is the narrowness of the bottom—a defect which all shoe dealers have noticed in boots and shoes of English manufacture. It is a little remarkable that our agents in Europe, instead of making their selections from the stock on hand, do not have shoes made to order—that is, a strong, substantial army shoe, suited to the general shape and size of the foot of southern men. To march well or fight well, a soldier must be well shod. Wide bottomed, roomy shoes, which can be securely tied on the feet and which fit snugly around the ankle, are the best. Such as we have, the supply has not been sufficient to meet the demand; there is still a considerable number of men who are barefooted."
[Richmond Examiner, VA, Aug. 13, 1863.]

Of interest, in disinterring the Union dead at Gettysburg, Samuel Weaver noted that among the corpses, "the shoes of the rebels were differently made from those of our soldiers…"

I have attached views of the shoes of the center johnny reb of the famous three Confederate POWs photo. They are low quartered. Could they be examples of the German-made russet shoes mentioned by the correspondent above?

Here's the shoes of the famed and unfortunate Devil's den "sharpshooter" Also low-quartered civilian types...

and from some other dead CSA soldiers there...

J. Marshall.

 

[Package4]

General Joseph E. Johnston, regarding clothing and equipment, noted that the turning point from which the Confederate Army, at least in Virginia, never recovered, was the abandonment of Manassas in March, 1862. Vast stockpiles of equipment and clothing, including the entire baggage and stores of the units, and boxes of clothing contributed by the deep south States for their troops, were burned on the evacuation...

View attachment 456799
Quoted from Jefferson Davis, Constitutionalist, vol. 8, p. 7.

Even when the CS Army issued clothing, which appears to have been more frequent after 1862, the troops would sell or trade it for food, etc. Davis was even informed that officers were drawing excess cloth from the QM Dept., at the fixed government price, and instead of having it made into clothing, sold it to tailors for a significant advance given its greater market value...

Here is an interesting correspondence referring to German import shoes among Lee's men at Gettysburg, and superior English shoes issued after the battle, etc.:

Notes of the War
The Shoeing of Lee's Army.
A correspondent of the Savannah Republican gives the following account of the feet on which Lee's Army returned from Pennsylvania.
We came out of Maryland with nearly ten thousand barefooted men, and all had suffered more or less in the wear and tear of clothing.—These wants have been pretty well supplied by the quartermasters, who have displayed, commendable zeal in the matter, and by some of the State authorities. The German shoes furnished the men just before they started to Pennsylvania were of a very inferior description. They were low quartered russets, light and thin, and the leather very poor. Such shoes would answer the purpose of a vine dresser, a gardener, or an artisan, who had but little walking to do, but are totally unfit for a soldier, whose marches are long and frequently over rough roads and through drenching rains. They last from three days to six weeks, generally not longer than a week or two, especially if the weather is wet or a river is forded; for the leather being inferior, the soles spread when they get wet, and soon become part of the uppers, as it were, from which they separate when they get dry again.
We hauled pontoon boats from Fredericksburg to the Shenandoah, and thence to the Potomac, and back again to the Shenandoah; and yet the army forded both rivers as we marched north, and a considerable portion of it did the same thin on our return. You are ready to inquire, why is this? I can only reply that it is owing the want of staff officers educated in their duties, and especially to the want of a corps of practical engineers. It remains to be added in this connection, that the English shoes issued to the men since our return to Virginia, are well made, and that the leather is excellent. The only defect in them is the narrowness of the bottom—a defect which all shoe dealers have noticed in boots and shoes of English manufacture. It is a little remarkable that our agents in Europe, instead of making their selections from the stock on hand, do not have shoes made to order—that is, a strong, substantial army shoe, suited to the general shape and size of the foot of southern men. To march well or fight well, a soldier must be well shod. Wide bottomed, roomy shoes, which can be securely tied on the feet and which fit snugly around the ankle, are the best. Such as we have, the supply has not been sufficient to meet the demand; there is still a considerable number of men who are barefooted."
[Richmond Examiner, VA, Aug. 13, 1863.]

Of interest, in disinterring the Union dead at Gettysburg, Samuel Weaver noted that among the corpses, "the shoes of the rebels were differently made from those of our soldiers…"

I have attached views of the shoes of the center johnny reb of the famous three Confederate POWs photo. They are low quartered. Could they be examples of the German-made russet shoes mentioned by the correspondent above?

View attachment 456800View attachment 456801

Here's the shoes of the famed and unfortunate Devil's den "sharpshooter" Also low-quartered civilian types...
View attachment 456802

and from some other dead CSA soldiers there...
View attachment 456803


J. Marshall.

Soldiers on both sides routinely cut their shoes down for comfort; the Jefferson bootie was very uncomfortable as issued and many times would rub the ankle raw. Unfortunately, they did not have the luxury of breaking in the shoes.

 

[Package4]

If you, look in the OR for the documents covering the Gettysburg campaign, you will find mention of shoeless federal soldiers before the battle and soldiers from both sides who are shoeless after the battle.
That is simply what happen when a campaign covers such long distances as the Gettysburg campaign did, and a good deal of the roads are paved instead of dirt roads. (like in Virginia)

From the commanding general himself, just prior to the 1862 Maryland campaign:

Lee also knew that his Army of Northern Virginia was in sad shape after months of almost continuous campaigning. He noted in his letter to the President that "the army is not properly equipped for an invasion of an enemy's territory. It lacks much of the material of war, is feeble in transportation, the animals being much reduced, and the men are poorly provided with clothes, and in thousands of instances are destitute of shoes...".
Robert E. Lee, in a letter to President Jefferson Davis, 3 September 1862

 

[Drew]

I kind of think this stuff is Urban Legend. You can't march and fight barefoot.

The dispatches were likely exaggerated as pleas for help. Appreciate @RedRover's post and the photographs.

 

[John S. Carter]

This is being discussed currently in regard to the Maryland Campaign of 1862.

NF - New Confederate uniform book 'Never In Rags' | Civil War Books, Stories, & Media

Some recent posts have discussed various confederate uniform styles. When they were made, within the Confederacy or imported from Great Britain, etc. I feel this is an opportune time for: Bump

civilwartalk.com

I just did some very superficial research last night and was amazed at how poorly supplied the ANV was during this campaign. I knew it was bad, but after just an hour and a half of looking through my research material, found it shocking. An actual General Order was sent out when the ANV was gathered around Leesburg, declaring that those that were improperly shod or invalided would go to Winchester, VA and not have to enter Maryland. Approximately 10,000 went to Winchester; I am in the process of trying to find the G.O., but it keeps coming up in dispatches, letters and diaries of officers complaining about the idiocy of such an order as it greatly reduced troop strength at a time it could be ill afforded.

The rationale for the order was to enter the state quickly and efficiently, while those without shoes would negate a quick strike as they would straggle. Remember, Lee's plan called for the division of his force in three to four parts and speed was paramount.

There was also the "Grand Appeal" in the Richmond Dispatch, during this period, for citizens to bring to the government, excess clothing and shoes, which they would be paid set amounts for each article. Make no mistake, this is not to be confused with the commutation system.

Would it be right to state that the CSA went into the war ill equipped for the war and at the last year were even less able to continue, whereas the Union army were better equipped from the beginning thought the entire war due to fact that the Union had the industrial might that the Confederacy lacked? Would it be correct that one major factor was that the Confederacy lacked a ordnance department which could not equip the army, whereas the Union not only had the industrial might but an ordnance department that was able to supply the military with required supplies for its military?