Confederate Wooden Soled Shoes

[Ross Road Mercantile]

Friends---This is a copy of a sales thread that provoked a great deal of discussion. I've attempted to edit out the sales related information, and leave the research and discussion in this thread. The sales thread is here http://www.cwreenactors.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=20884

Please do continue.........Mrs. Lawson, Moderator





Pards,

The Ross Road Mercantile is now offering a truly unique item. Confederate Late War "Trench" Shoes.

With Texas and its leather cut off from the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg in 1863, the Confederacy had to improvise for Leather. These shoes are an example of this improvisation. They are almost completely made of White Canvas, with the only leather on the toe and where the laces go. The soles are made of wood, with a hinge at the ball of the foot, just like the originals and they will last through many seasons of the toughest campaigns and are surprisingly comfortable!

Canvas wooden soled shoes can be seen referenced in the Eastern Theater and Western theater and would a perfect addition to a late war Confederate impression.



See the sales thread for ordering information http://www.cwreenactors.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=20884

[agrnbrt]

Sir, these are UNION CAMP shoes (see Echo's of Glory page 190 of the Union Book) with wooden soles. Robert Land has been making the original type (leather soles)and selling them for quite a while.
I've had mine for about 3 years now and like em.

[Ross Road Mercantile]

Sir,

The style of shoe was popular in civilian life as well, both sides utilized it, but the Confederacy utilized this style and put a wooden sole on it.

Originals have been traced to Atlanta and Petersburg

[Busterbuttonboy]

Seems like a private purchase shoe to me. Sir, can we see the documentation on their use in said places by Confederate troops? Thanks!
Drew

[westcoastcampaigner]

I may be wrong but I believe there is something similar to these at the Museum of the Confederacy. They look similar to the Union camp shoes but when you look closer with a critical eye, there are obvious differences. Robert Serio at Missouri Boot and Shoe makes something similar as well.

Josh Sawyer
Liberty Rifles

[Spinster]

Fellers,

Rocky will be back in with the trail on these shoes in a few days--he's had a computer crash that has left him scrambling to get all his background material up and running again---an especially hectic job right here at the end of the semester---and he's recently become engaged as well.

I'm glad to see this young professional historian and teacher venturing into the marketplace of historical reproductions.

Wooden soled civilian shoes were not uncommon in the Deep South, with strong roots reaching back into the 18th century settlers of the Gulf Coast, and their 'sabots'. The styling of the uppers changed over time, and they also changed from the 'straight last' shoes of the 18th century to the rights and lefts of the 19th century.

When I'm not wearing my own wooden soled shoes, I find them to be a valuable living history prop, a fine thing to show the school children.

[brown30741]

And the Atlanta History Center has both a pair of wooden soled CS shoes and a pair of unused soles sent home by an Iowa cavlary man.

[hanktrent]

Googled wooden sole confederate shoe and got the following thread:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...le-canvas-shoe

The images from 2004 no longer show, but it sounds like something similar. One might be able to track them down through Paul Calloway, though someone else in the thread says there is, or was, a similar pair in the Daughters of the Confederacy Museum in Charleston.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[jademonkey]

Hey, sounds interesting - here's another thread from the AC http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...-Shoes&p=80495
According to the thread a pair of wooden-soled shoes are located in the Wilson Creek museum as well. Apparently, there was also an articale in North South Trader. I've seen the unfinished ones at the Atlanta History Center/Troiani Book photo, but i'd be interested to see pics of the finished originals.

[akcampaigner]

They appear to be similar to these Confederate shoes housed in the MOC.