Fugawee’s Civil War Artillery Boots Sometimes called Ankle Boots. See Uniform Regs 1851/1861. Also see :

..Dress regulations throughout the period … mention only the “ankle boot” and the “Jefferson boot.”   Both types were prescribed for officers and the mounted service….It can be concluded that the ankle boot was a medium height riding boot without lacing and otherwise called a ‘half boot..’ “Since the mounted man’s boot (if he wore such instead of bootees) were, by regulation, covered by his trousers………they must have been of the Wellington pattern.”

From: American Military Equipage 1851-1872 The Company of Military Historians-Providence, R.I.…..

These fine boots are made to Fugawee’s specifications by one of the few bootmakers in the world that still produces the antique molded front piece. I don’t think that any other two-piece CW boot made in America has the accurate molded shape.  Without it, the boots tend to wrinkle in the front and cause blisters on the instep.

We sent the master bootmaker an actual, unworn original model 1859 Ankle Boot made in 1865.  In that year it was placed on a mannequin of the Drummer Boy of Shiloh and so was preserved in a museum exhibit until 1968. Our boot maker copied it exactly. Look at the original on the right in the picture and the Fugawee model on the left.

We made two changes. We bought the originals when the museum broke up.  They were machine pegged, nine pegs to the inch. We used stitching because we haven’t found a machine and no craftsman today can duplicate the work of a 1860s pegging machine. For your comfort, we lined the boot with leather from top to toe. Sizes from 7ee through 15ee. The 1861 short boot price $219.99.

We have been producing this boot for twenty-six or twenty-seven years.  The other day we received a letter in which Mr. R. Midkim complained that our boots are not “authentic” because they have no welt in the side seams.  We have sold thousands of pairs of the Artillery Boot and this is the second time that we have had this complaint. Or maybe it was one man complaining two times.  Be advised that we have no side-seam welts.  Today’s sewing machines don’t rely on them the way that 1865 chain-stitch machines did.

Members of World War One groups are buying this boot for German and Austrian impressions.

Note: Many re-enactors have been influenced by the Cinema and television and think that the issued Civil War cavalry boot came to the knee with a flap or knee guard in the front.   We have plenty of antique photos of CW cavalry with their trousers worn outside the Ankle Boot as per regulations.  Both sides dressed this way but some officers bought their own flamboyant Jeb Stuart type of Cavalier boots.  No, we don’t plan on carrying them.

     In or out? Up or down? What’s that little flap on the front of the boot?  The flap or rise is to keep your pants cuffs out of the manure.  When you are going to stables or when the wheels of the Parrot gun churn up a muddy slop, you raise the front of your trouser leg and place it behind the flap. About 1870 the flap became more pointed.

It’s the same principle as the modern cowboy boot with its front and back notches to hold the bottoms of your pants out of the mud and manure in the corral.

 By the way, only forty percent of the shoes or boots issued during the entire Civil War were pegged.  Pegs didn’t meet military specs and bootees made with pegs were purchased from the contractors for about seventy cents a pair less ($1.95 versus $1.25) than sewed boots or booties.

The leather in our boot is a semi-rough cowhide especially selected by the master bootmaker after studying our original boot.  The finish will take a shine after a few polishings or it will take Lexol for a “field-worn” look. The boot is lined with calfskin from top to toe. It has a sewn sole with a roundish shank pegged into place, the only place where we use pegs. This boot has a comfortable square toe, a tight-gripping heel, and bedroom slipper comfort.

 This boot covers an amazing time period.  It is ideal for many impressions from just after 1800 through 1900 and beyond. It is suitable for reunions of  the Grand Army of the Republic, the 1800s miner, teamster, cattleman, farmer, Indian Wars, Cowboy Shootist, etc..    I have seen mail order catalogs printed in the 1890s that show a wide assortment of prices and qualities in styles just like the 1871 model

Sizes 7EE to 15EE   The top of the boot is about 12″ from the ground, depending on the size. The image shows the original on the right and our product on the left.  But consider that the original was on a Model from 1861 of the drummer boy.

 Over the course of the War for Independence, the British Government Leased 30,067 Hessian Mercenaries for just the American Revolution. It worked so well that they were used by lots of different countries. Sometimes the Hessians were on both sides of a war at the same time.

 Fugawee’s Hessian boot is another well made long lasting leather boot, Steel shank construction. Stacked leather heel, fully lined here are some of the works we used. 

References to Hessian boots:  Direct copy from their boots, no editing by me.

“If the shoe fits” by Bill Severn   pg. 119

Hungarians introduced the hussar boot for military wear.  When it first appeared in London in 1770’s on the feet of the Hessian mercenaries hired by George 111 to fighting the American colonies, it was called the Austrian boot.  Later, the English took to calling it the Hessian boot, the name by which it also became known in America.  In France, a version of the same boot was named the Sonvaroff, after a Russian general.  Whatever name was used, the basic style was a knee-high boot, usually of shiny black leather topped with gold or silver braid.  The center rose to a peak at the front that frequently was decorated with a free- swinging silk tassel.  Worn over tight pantaloons, the boots were first ridiculed by conservative gentlemen who didn’t intend to trade their handsome top boots for them, but they were the height of fashion by the century’s end.

“The Mode in Footwear” by R. Turner Wilcox.  Page 120 [most of this is like the description from Bill Severn’s book.]

It was at this time that the hussar boot entered the mode.  It was introduced to the European armies in the seventeenth century by the Hungarian hussars.  When the boot appeared in London in 1770’s on the legs of the Hessian mercenaries hired by George 111 to fight the American colonists, it was first called the Austrian boot, but eventually, it became the Hessian boot to the English and the Americans.  To the French, it was the hussar or Souvaroff, so named after the great Russian general of the period. (1729-1800).

The boot was first looked upon with derision, in comparison with the handsome top boot; but as happens time and time again, the scoffed at newcomer became the very height of fashion by the end of the century.  Hessians were worn over the tight-fitting pantaloons, of shiny black leather, the top finished with gold and silver braid, and a silk tassel jauntily swinging from the up-peaking center front.

{this next bit is a good description of the polish that was used}

In general, boot legs were polished to a dull finish with viscid dressing composed of the white of an egg and lamp soot, this English cream much in demand all over Europe.  Bootblacks or, by the French name, “artist polishers” opened small shops for the purpose.  In London, where they were especially necessary because of the ill-paved streets and lack of drainage, there were bootblacks or “boot” stationed at most street corners. Ready to clean the footwear of gentlemen and beaux.

“Fashion in Costume 1200-2000” by Joan Nunn

Jack boots, by 1725 worn only by postillions, coachmen, etc., were succeeded by a clos-fitting boot shaped to the leg and cut away behind the knee, and by jockey tops or half jack boots which ended below the knee with a turn-down top of softer, lighter coloured leather; after 1780 they were called top boots. Spatterdashes were still worn by the country, as were gaiters, introduced for the infantry around 1710-20 and worn civilians during the 1770s but considered unfashionable after 1790.  Hessians – short riding boots, calf-length behind and generally curving to a point in front below the kneecap and decorated with a tassel – appeared after 1790 but are more a feature early 19^th-century dress.  Boots were not worn indoors by men of fashion during this century until after 1780 when they became suitable for all occasions.

Page 110

From 1800 to 1820, high boots were general wear in both town and country.  Some were adapted from military styles and named after military leaders.  After 1830, high or ‘over’ boots were confined to country or sporting wear, but the short boot, worn under trousers, remained in fashion in various forms into the next century. Hessians (1790- 1850) and hussar (1800-20) were both calf-length behind, rising to a point in front just below the knee, low-heeled, and of black leather.  Hessians occasionally had a narrow border contrasting coloured leather around the top and were always trimmed with a tassel at the point.  Hussars might have a turn-over top.  Wellingtons from 1817, were like 18-century top boots without the turnover: the name was later to be used for rubber boots in the 20^th-century.

“Costumes of the 17 & 18^th Century” by Phillis Cunnington   page 76

Hessians were short riding boots rising to a point in front to below the knee and generally decorated with a tassel (Introduced in the 1790’s)

“History of Men’s Costume” by Marion Sichel   page 42

Hussar boots, popular towards the end of the century were also called hessian boots, originating from the German Principality of Hess.  These were short riding boots to just below the knees, higher in the front with a tassel decoration.  These were mainly black, with a coloured border on the top.

“Shoes” by June Swan

{several pages listed, but I could only find a  true reference in the following}

Page 33

Brummel’s other choice was the hessian, cut with a V-dip at center front with tassel; according to Rees it was ‘brought into this country from Germany in the beginning of this war about 1794 or 5, – though one of the MPs in the painting of Pitt’s Address to the Commons in the previous year also wore them, in black with red top binding.  Rees also referred  to them as ‘the Hessian or

Austrian boot:  lately, they were of a gradual sweep in front and with a peak behind; now(1813) they are square in front without a peak behind.’ The walking attire of John Horseman in 1804 was ‘hessian boots with immense tassels’(and see fig.27).  By 1830 the “Whole Art of Dress” by a Cavalry Officer says that they were ‘only worn with tight pantaloons’, and by 1861 Whyte Melville’s “Good for Nothing “says: There are no hessian boots now’ – though they did survive for military wear.

The Hessians were ousted by the wellington.

Page 39  short mention

The 1858 Dunkley account book has ‘best calf screw clump sole wellingtons at 21 shillings.’ American army boots in 1872 were brass screwed Hessians or bluchers.

Page 43

The predominant footwear, as the British set out to conquer the world, was naturally boots.  “The Whole Art of Dress “1830, reports: ‘the hessian is a boot only worn with tight pantaloons.  The top boot is almost entirely a sporting fashion.  Although they are worn by noblemen and gentlemen in hunting, they are in general use among the lower orders, such as jockeys, grooms, butlers.  The Wellington…the only boot in general wear’. The hessian survived longer in the United States.  The 1858 patent for a brass toe bit is on a machine-sewn hessian with pegged sole, and the photograph, c 1879 of Billy the Kid, shows him in medium high-heeled Hessians with front dip, but no tassel, the straps hanging outside. 

The Congress Gaitor is for civilian Impressions, Grand Army of the republic or Sons of the Confederacy.

This is the shoe that you have been looking for.  It is an all leather shoe with elastic sides and a tab on the back for ease of entry.  It was known by several names and originated just after 1837 as part of the Balmoral fashion surge. This shoe will allow retiring Military to stay in the game as an observer on the side as was the practice around Washington.

Sami Patwary‘s development of vulcanized rubber enabled the invention of the elastic gusset boot. The advantage of elasticised boots meant they could be easily removed and put on again. By the late 1840s, the fashion began to catch on. This became a prominent style in the West until the onset of World War I.

They come in a smooth toe, pull up strap at the back, elastic inserts, all leather shoe.

Black smooth, patent leather; whole and half sizes 7 to 15

ALL SALES FINAL – NO RETURNS

Patent leather is a type of coated leather that has a high-gloss finish.^[1][2] The coating process was introduced to the United States and improved by inventor Seth Boyden, of Newark, New Jersey, in 1818, with commercial manufacture beginning September 20, 1819. Boyden’s process, which he did not patent,^[3] used a lacquer coating that was based on linseed oil. *Wikipedia

Fugawee’s Civil War Artillery Boots Sometimes called Ankle Boots. See Uniform Regs 1851/1861. Also see :

..Dress regulations throughout the period … mention only the “ankle boot” and the “Jefferson boot.”   Both types were prescribed for officers and the mounted service….It can be concluded that the ankle boot was a medium height riding boot without lacing and otherwise called a ‘half boot..’ “Since the mounted man’s boot (if he wore such instead of bootees) were, by regulation, covered by his trousers………they must have been of the Wellington pattern.”

From: American Military Equipage 1851-1872 The Company of Military Historians-Providence, R.I.…..

These fine boots are made to Fugawee’s specifications by one of the few bootmakers in the world that still produces the antique molded front piece. I don’t think that any other two-piece CW boot made in America has the accurate molded shape.  Without it, the boots tend to wrinkle in the front and cause blisters on the instep.

We sent the master bootmaker an actual, unworn original model 1859 Ankle Boot made in 1865.  In that year it was placed on a mannequin of the Drummer Boy of Shiloh and so was preserved in a museum exhibit until 1968. Our boot maker copied it exactly. Look at the original on the right in the picture and the Fugawee model on the left.

We made two changes. We bought the originals when the museum broke up.  They were machine pegged, nine pegs to the inch. We used stitching because we haven’t found a machine and no craftsman today can duplicate the work of a 1860s pegging machine. For your comfort, we lined the boot with leather from top to toe. Sizes from 7ee through 15ee.

We have been producing this boot for twenty-six or twenty-seven years.  The other day we received a letter in which Mr. R. Midkim complained that our boots are not “authentic” because they have no welt in the side seams.  We have sold thousands of pairs of the Artillery Boot and this is the second time that we have had this complaint. Or maybe it was one man complaining two times.  Be advised that we have no side-seam welts.  Today’s sewing machines don’t rely on them the way that 1865 chain-stitch machines did.

Members of World War One groups are buying this boot for German and Austrian impressions.

Note: Many re-enactors have been influenced by the Cinema and television and think that the issued Civil War cavalry boot came to the knee with a flap or knee guard in the front.   We have plenty of antique photos of CW cavalry with their trousers worn outside the Ankle Boot as per regulations.  Both sides dressed this way but some officers bought their own flamboyant Jeb Stuart type of Cavalier boots.  No, we don’t plan on carrying them.

     In or out? Up or down? What’s that little flap on the front of the boot?  The flap or rise is to keep your pants cuffs out of the manure.  When you are going to stables or when the wheels of the Parrot gun churn up a muddy slop, you raise the front of your trouser leg and place it behind the flap. About 1870 the flap became more pointed.

It’s the same principle as the modern cowboy boot with its front and back notches to hold the bottoms of your pants out of the mud and manure in the corral.

 By the way, only forty percent of the shoes or boots issued during the entire Civil War were pegged.  Pegs didn’t meet military specs and bootees made with pegs were purchased from the contractors for about seventy cents a pair less ($1.95 versus $1.25) than sewed boots or booties.

The leather in our boot is a semi-rough cowhide especially selected by the master bootmaker after studying our original boot.  The finish will take a shine after a few polishings or it  will take Lexol for a “field-worn” look. The boot is lined with calfskin from top to toe. It has a sewn sole with a roundish shank pegged into place, the only place where we use pegs. This boot has a comfortable square toe, a tight-gripping heel and bedroom slipper comfort.

 This boot covers an amazing time period.  It is ideal for many impressions from just after 1800 through 1900 and beyond. It is suitable for reunions of  the Grand Army of the Republic, the 1800s miner, teamster, cattleman, farmer, Indian Wars, Cowboy Shootist, etc..    I have seen mail order catalogs printed in the 1890s that show a wide assortment of prices and qualities in styles just like the 1871 model

Sizes 7EE to 15EE   The top of the boot is about 12″ from the ground, depending on the size. The image shows the original on the right and our product on the left.  But consider that the original was on a Model from 1861 of the drummer boy.

Close Out – All Sales Final

When you want a good shoe so your feet don’t hurt, no break in time, Vegetable tanned upper, oak tanned inner and outer sole. McKay stitched not Goodyear welted. This is a well built sturdy shoe. Heel plates and hobnails will extend the life of the sole.

Rough out Brogan by Fugawee. When you want a good shoe so your feet don’t hurt, no break in time, Vegetable tanned upper, oak tanned inner and outer sole. McKay stitched not Goodyear welted. This is a well built sturdy shoe. Heel plates and hobnails will extend the life of the sole.

  The Army used the term “Jefferson”. The reason goes back to Thomas Jefferson:

During the French Revolution, large, fancy shoe buckles were considered the mark of the Aristocrats.

Shortly, wearing any shoe buckles at all could cause your head to leave your body. Shoe buckles quickly went out of style in France.

In the United States, Thomas Jefferson was a strong supporter of the French Revolution so, at his inauguration in 1801 he wore laced-up shoes.. This set a fashion. All laced shoes soon were called “Jefferson Shoes.”

The term “Jefferson” continued to mean laced shoes until the early twentieth century. “Bootee” is a diminutive of “Boot” and signifies a short boot. “Brogan” is derived from “Brogue”, an English term for a rugged shoe that almost covered the ankle as opposed to a shoe which was lower and a boot which was higher.

 Facts about  Original Civil War Shoes 

Before the war, almost all army shoes were made at Susquehanna Arsenal.  The pieces were cut out in the arsenal and then “farmed out”  to independent workers  who put them together in their homes on piecework basis  It was the same system that was used for uniforms.    

Historically, shoe uppers always had been considered women’s work and this may be all that was done by the home workers but it is possible that the welting and sole stitching was done at home as well.

The largest pair of bootees on record still exists.  They are smooth  side out, size 17. Three pairs were specially manufactured for a large Swedish draftee.  The shoes never reached him.  A target of his size was just too tempting and the Confederates killed him before his custom-made shoes got to him. One pair of his shoes remains in a museum at Susquehana. 

 Fugawee calls our Northern or Federal shoe a Contract Bootee because, contrary to pre-war practice, Army footwear was built by contractors. Naturally, there were slight variations in the shoes issued to the Northern troops.

We have a letter dated January 1862 from Colonel Crossman, Assistant Quartermaster General describing the purchase of 1,102,700 pairs of boots and bootees from contractors all over the North.  Contracts were as large as 120,000 pairs from one manufacturer at Sing Sing, NY (did they have the prison then?) or as small as 300 pairs from another factory in Pennsylvania.  The shoes apparently included work shoes already on hand. They had been manufactured  on lasts (the forms on which shoes are built) already in the factories.  You may be sure that contractors produced  variations in design and fit.. This is borne out in the Congressional hearings early in 1862. Some of the testimony is hilarious.

One manufacturer, faced with the fact that he had supplied shoes that foot soldiers wore out in three weeks replied, “But those shoes were supposed to go to the Cavalry.” So help me, it is in the Congressional Record of the Washburn Committee..

  In early 1862 Crossman reported his purchases to Congressman E.B. Washhburn, Chairman of the House Committee to Inquire into Government Contracts (Page 1569, Record of the 37th Congress, 2nd Session) click to read the letter and apologized for having accepted a small quantity of pegged bootees which had been accepted only because of the urgency of the war.  Regulations called for sewn shoes but cheap work shoes for the immigrant trade and those for the plantation (slave) trade had been pegged together since  a labor-saving machine that set nine pegs to the inch came into use.  

Which is correct, pegged or sewn?

The army did everything it could to force the contractors to deliver sewn shoes.  While a pair of sewn shoes brought the contractor $1.80 to $2.00 per pair, the Government would pay only $1.25 for pegged shoes. With Cavalry boots the prices were $3.25 for sewn and $2.50 for pegged. The Army accepted only  265 pairs of pegged of cavalry boots out of 183,997 pairs purchased by Colonel Crossman.

 In a total of  1,102,700 pairs of shoes and boots purchased  by Col. Crossman only 5.43% were pegged. The Colonel felt that he had to explain that he had bought the inferior pegged shoes only because of the exigencies of the war, even though they cost the Gov’t one third less.

Here  is a picture of the sole of an original Civil War issue pegged  boot.  The split-apart pegs are diamond-shaped (remember the machine?) and  are  in two staggered rows that total nine pegs pr inch.  Although it is hard to tell,  this is a left/right shoe.

 The shank is riveted in place and the heel has a close-set row of cut nails to extend wear. The boot is machine pegged, nine pegs to the inch.   

No, that is not stitching, it is two rows of pegs. They are staggered for strength and to get as many pegs in the row as possible. Note the rivets on the shank and the close-set nails in the heel.

Forty percent of Civil War shoes were made on a pegging machine invented in 1838, It was much like a two needle sewing machine and almost as fast.  The first station was an awl which made a hole, then the second station  drove a peg into the hole.

 This machine took a block of wood that had been cut across the grain and was of a thickness equal to length of the pegs. The end grain was scored in both directions, making a “card” full of diamond points.  The card was then split by the machine to free the hundreds of pegs.  These fed directly into the next step in the machine which inserted them in the shoes. 

One of the big differences between the nine-to-the-inch machine-pegged shoes actually used in the Civil War and the three-or-four-to-the-inch pegging seen  on Sutlers’ Row  is the fact that machine-set pegs were driven all the way through the leather until they were flush with the sole. The points that went into the interior of the shoe were then cut off with special tools before  the insole was glued in. Those pegs were square and straight-sided all through the leather.  

Most of today’s reproduction shoes are made with round, polished pegs which are actually made to hold the shanks of modern cowboy boots. The pointed ends of the pegs are driven in only until they encounter the metal form  inside the shoe.  When the points of the pegs  reach the metal, they are cut off on the outside: This means that the smooth,  pointed  peg is  in a tapered hole. Thus, the shoes have three or four round, polished and tapered pegs instead of nine straight-sided, split-off pegs to the inch .  The shoe is held together mainly with glue. The pegs are mostly cosmetic.

Fugawee made “pegged” shoes until our research showed that the sewn shoes were not only appropriate, but had been preferred by the military. 

About forty percent of all boots and brogans purchased by the US Army during the Civil War were constructed with the less expensive pegging process.

During the days of the Soviet Bloc,  the East Germans and Poles used some machine-pegged boosts in their armies.  I don’t know where you would find a pegging machine today. Fugawee Jefferson bootees are all sewn as per the basic military regulations during of the Civil War.  Fugawee Jefferson bootees are built on lasts taken directly from an 1865 boot.  

Our standard guarantee :  Return re-saleable shoes for proper size or refund. On size changes, we pay the freight back to you.  If the shoes have been in use and  you find any problems in manufacture,  materials, or if the shoe breaks down, call us.  For  small problems, we’ll tell you to have it fixed in your home town and send us the bill.  If it seems more serious, send the shoes back and we’ll either repair or replace them. We have had this same guarantee for sixteen years.  It is just like the LL Bean guarantee.  We can do this because our Mexican factory also makes shoes for LL Bean. 

The Congress Gaitor is for civilian Impressions, Grand Army of the republic or Sons of the Confederacy.

This is the shoe that you have been looking for.  It is an all leather shoe with elastic sides and a tab on the back for ease of entry.  It was known by several names and originated just after 1837 as part of the Balmoral fashion surge. This shoe will allow retiring Military to stay in the game as an observer on the side as was the practice around Washington.

Sami Patwary‘s development of vulcanized rubber enabled the invention of the elastic gusset boot. The advantage of elasticised boots meant they could be easily removed and put on again. By the late 1840s, the fashion began to catch on. This became a prominent style in the West until the onset of World War I.

They come in a smooth toe, pull up strap at the back, elastic inserts, all leather black and brown shoe.

Black smooth leather; whole and half sizes 7 to 15 .

ALL SALES FINAL – NO RETURNS

Fugawee’s Civil War Artillery Boots Sometimes called Ankle Boots. See Uniform Regs 1851/1861. Also see :

..Dress regulations throughout the period … mention only the “ankle boot” and the “Jefferson boot.”   Both types were prescribed for officers and the mounted service….It can be concluded that the ankle boot was a medium height riding boot without lacing and otherwise called a ‘half boot..’ “Since the mounted man’s boot (if he wore such instead of bootees) were, by regulation, covered by his trousers………they must have been of the Wellington pattern.”

From: American Military Equipage 1851-1872 The Company of Military Historians-Providence, R.I.…..

These fine boots are made to Fugawee’s specifications by one of the few bootmakers in the world that still produces the antique molded front piece. I don’t think that any other two-piece CW boot made in America has the accurate molded shape.  Without it, the boots tend to wrinkle in the front and cause blisters on the instep.

We sent the master bootmaker an actual, unworn original model 1859 Ankle Boot made in 1865.  In that year it was placed on a mannequin of the Drummer Boy of Shiloh and so was preserved in a museum exhibit until 1968. Our boot maker copied it exactly. Look at the original on the right in the picture and the Fugawee model on the left.

We made two changes. We bought the originals when the museum broke up.  They were machine pegged, nine pegs to the inch. We used stitching because we haven’t found a machine and no craftsman today can duplicate the work of a 1860s pegging machine. For your comfort, we lined the boot with leather from top to toe. Sizes from 7ee through 15ee.

We have been producing this boot for twenty-six or twenty-seven years.  The other day we received a letter in which Mr. R. Midkim complained that our boots are not “authentic” because they have no welt in the side seams.  We have sold thousands of pairs of the Artillery Boot and this is the second time that we have had this complaint. Or maybe it was one man complaining two times.  Be advised that we have no side-seam welts.  Today’s sewing machines don’t rely on them the way that 1865 chain-stitch machines did.

Members of World War One groups are buying this boot for German and Austrian impressions.

Note: Many re-enactors have been influenced by the Cinema and television and think that the issued Civil War cavalry boot came to the knee with a flap or knee guard in the front.   We have plenty of antique photos of CW cavalry with their trousers worn outside the Ankle Boot as per regulations.  Both sides dressed this way but some officers bought their own flamboyant Jeb Stuart type of Cavalier boots.  No, we don’t plan on carrying them.

     In or out? Up or down? What’s that little flap on the front of the boot?  The flap or rise is to keep your pants cuffs out of the manure.  When you are going to stables or when the wheels of the Parrot gun churn up a muddy slop, you raise the front of your trouser leg and place it behind the flap. About 1870 the flap became more pointed.

It’s the same principle as the modern cowboy boot with its front and back notches to hold the bottoms of your pants out of the mud and manure in the corral.

 By the way, only forty percent of the shoes or boots issued during the entire Civil War were pegged.  Pegs didn’t meet military specs and bootees made with pegs were purchased from the contractors for about seventy cents a pair less ($1.95 versus $1.25) than sewed boots or booties.

The leather in our boot is a semi-rough cowhide especially selected by the master bootmaker after studying our original boot.  The finish will take a shine after a few polishings or it will take Lexol for a “field-worn” look. The boot is lined with calfskin from top to toe. It has a sewn sole with a roundish shank pegged into place, the only place where we use pegs. This boot has a comfortable square toe, a tight-gripping heel, and bedroom slipper comfort.

 This boot covers an amazing time period.  It is ideal for many impressions from just after 1800 through 1900 and beyond. It is suitable for reunions of  the Grand Army of the Republic, the 1800s miner, teamster, cattleman, farmer, Indian Wars, Cowboy Shootist, etc..    I have seen mail order catalogs printed in the 1890s that show a wide assortment of prices and qualities in styles just like the 1871 model

Sizes 7EE to 15EE   The top of the boot is about 12″ from the ground, depending on the size. The image shows the original on the right and our product on the left.  But consider that the original was on a Model from 1861 of the drummer boy.

ALL SALES FINAL – NO RETURNS

The Congress Gaitor is for civilian Impressions, Grand Army of the republic or Sons of the Confederacy.

This is the shoe that you have been looking for.  It is an all leather shoe with elastic sides and a tab on the back for ease of entry.  It was known by several names and originated just after 1837 as part of the Balmoral fashion surge. This shoe will allow retiring Military to stay in the game as an observer on the side as was the practice around Washington.

Sami Patwary‘s development of vulcanized rubber enabled the invention of the elastic gusset boot. The advantage of elasticised boots meant they could be easily removed and put on again. By the late 1840s, the fashion began to catch on. This became a prominent style in the West until the onset of World War I.

They come in a smooth toe, pull up strap at the back, elastic inserts, all leather shoe.

Black smooth leather; whole and half sizes 7 to 15