Uniforms Were Civil War shoe sizes the same as modern sizes?

During the Civil War and for years afterwards shoe sizing was a problem for the U.S. Army. One can't march very far in shoes/boots that don't fit. In an effort to resolve the problem, MAJ Edward Munson, MD, was dispatched to measure the feet of the officers and soldiers in the Army. Munson published the results of his research in 1912 and developed the Munson last in standard sizes; a last being the form that shoes are manufactured around. That pretty much standardized men's shoe sizes in the United States as long as shoes were made here. The Army still uses the Munson last for its military boots and shoes.

I wore the same size Bass Weejuns for 50 years. When Bass outsourced manufacture of Weejuns overseas they didn't fit anymore. The foreign shoe companies don't use a Munson last.

Regards,
Don Dixon
 
In October of 1861, my gr-gr-uncle Thomas Jeffers, member of the Hampton Legion Cavalry, was acting as a courier for General Whiting in the Potomac region. He wrote to his father, who was in Charleston:
I have all the Clothing that will be necessary, except a pair of Stout Boots No 6 and a Uniform Frock Coat and pants of some strong material with a narrow yellow Stripe, which I would like you to send me as soon as convenient to Manassas Junction care of the Quarter Master of the Legion. Messrs C D Carr & Co have my measure. You can also obtain the size of the Boots at Steibers on Broad Street.

Thomas was of average height for the time (entered on one of his records). By the summer of 1864, north of the James, his brother Spann was pulling boots off of dead Yankees. His sister admonished him, but he paid her no mind. He needed the boots.
 
An interesting sidelight is that the army shoes provided by the French during the American Revolution were too small for American feet. Shoe size is a function of protein in a child's diet. Anyone who has visited Budapest can attest to the effect of a protein rich diet has on childhood development. The post-communist adults are head & shoulders taller than their communist era parents. The generation who grew up with the privations of post WWII fascist Spain are known as los enanos, i.e., the midgets. Shoe size is a one to one indicator of the quality of childhood diet.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top