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CIVIL WAR ERA SOLDIER’S BROGANS – EXCELLENT PAIR –
MAKER MARKED – FROM THE ESTATE OF A NORTH CAROLINA
CONFEDERATE VETERAN: Having survived the
passage of time in excellent condition, this pair of
classic Civil War era brogans was recently purchased
from the North Carolina family estate of the descendants
of Lt. Thomas H. Riddle, 60th North Carolina
Infantry. Originally from the Hendersonville, North
Carolina area, the family estate also yielded a grouping
of forty letters written during the war by Riddle to his
family members. While that grouping was sold at auction
by Mike Kent Auctions of Monroe, Georgia, I was able to
obtain photocopies of four of these letters and one of
Riddle’s service documents. These photocopies will
accompany the brogans, including a letter written
immediately after the Battle of Vicksburg on July 29,
1863, in which he mentions the Battle of Gettysburg:
“…i have bin in sum very hard fiting the second of this
month we fought a big battle in pennsylvaina and James
Brown was wounded in the leg, R J Spelts in the hip and
H K (?) is our capt – he was wounded in the hip i am
second lieutenant of the Company and has bin in Command
of it since the fite…”
Thomas H. Riddle first enlisted on May 5, 1861 in
Henderson County, his home of record, as a Private in
Company I, 16th North Carolina Infantry. He
was discharged on January 10, 1862 “by reason of
Surgeons certificate of disability” and subsequently was
enlisted again as a Sergeant in Company C, 60th
North Carolina Infantry on July 8, 1862 in neighboring
Buncombe County. He was promoted to 1st
Sergeant on November 15, 1862 and to 2nd
Lieutenant on May 15, 1863. Riddle’s regiment was part
of the Army of Tennessee and participated in engagements
in Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Fredericksburg, Jackson,
Murfreesboro, Orange Court House, Pocahontas, Raleigh,
War Trace, Vicksburg, and finally the first battle of
Dalton, Georgia, February 22-27, 1864 where he was
mortally wounded. His commanding officer, Captain
Patton, wrote to Riddle’s father Silas on February 26th,
“It is with sincere grief that I inform you of the death
of your son, Lieutenant Thos. H. Riddle of my company.
This is indeed a most painful duty for me to perform He
was struck by a shell in an engagement which occurred on
yesterday, February 25, 1864 about 2 O'Clock PM and
received a mortal wound from which he died about five
hours afterwards. His body has been decently intered one
mile from the town of Dalton I will long miss the
gallant officer and good soldier from my command and
also the kind and cheerful companion and friend from my
mess”
Each of the shoes is legibly stamped in the center of
the sole with the maker’s name, “W&C Shoe Co.” in a
circular cartouche. The person who acquired these shoes
from the family did some research in the Hendersonville
area and learned from a local historian that the W&C
Shoe Company was in operation during the Civil War, and
in the years immediately after the war, and was located
in Asheville, North Carolina in adjoining Buncombe
County. The historian related that the shoe company was
located in the town near the Asheville Armory, a small
gun works that built a version of the Enfield rifle for
the Confederacy. While I have not been able to pin down
the specifics of the shoe company I have found that
Asheville was recognized by the Confederate
Quartermaster Department as a dependable source for
shoes and leather, having several well established shoe
companies and numerous leather tanneries. This
specialized industry was important enough to the war
effort that by 1862 the Quartermaster officials were
requesting that the Army release from service and
deliver home those skilled shoe makers who had enlisted
in the early heady days of the war, so that they could
be returned to work making shoes.
The shoes do not appear to have been worn, or if so, not
often. They are well made, showing attention to detail
and an effort to build a sturdy product expected to be
exposed to heavy use and wear, definitely not a dress or
“city” shoe. Built on straight lasts, there is not a
distinct left or right shoe; rather they are both made
without a profile of the foot, depending on the wearer
to break them in to the shape of the particular foot,
thus making issue to the soldiers far simpler. The
leather is of a good quality and has survived the aging
process in excellent condition with no crazing or
flaking and remains pliable. The black dye has faded a
bit, but given the age this isn’t unusual, and they have
never been polished nor have they received any applied
treatment through the years. The heavy soles are
stitched, and the soles and heels are both anchored with
wooden pegs. All of the stitching is solid and intact,
all of the reinforcing rivets are present, and the
lace-hole eyelets are all present, as are the pull loops
on the back of the shoes. The shoes are approximately a
size 12, measuring 13” long and rise to 8” high.
The pattern of these shoes resembles a pair pictured in
Echoes of Glory - Arms and Equipment the Confederacy
on page 174, which is identified as a pair imported from
England. It could well be that W&C manufactured these
shoes in accordance with a pattern dictated by the
Confederate Quartermaster Department copied from the
general design used by the English makers - a proven and
serviceable shoe.
While this pair of brogans was obtained from his
descendants, there is no documentation that this pair of
brogans was owned or worn by Lt. Riddle; however they
are a wonderful example of the classic footwear worn by
the Civil War soldier. As stated above, the shoes show
little evidence of having been worn – which begs the
question, why? Learning that this pair was recovered
from the same cache as the packet of letters from the
deceased officer, it occurred to me that the shoes may
have been purchased for Lt. Riddle by his family in
anticipation of his return home on leave or at the end
of the war, or with the intent of sending them to him in
the field to supplement the irregular army issue since
shoes were a product of his home community, and before
the Lieutenant had the opportunity to wear them, he was
killed in action. This certainly would explain why a
pair of serviceable shoes would survive in almost unused
condition the post war shortages experienced in the
South – they were simply regarded by the family as too
important a keepsake to have been worn by someone else.
Civil War shoe wear is scarce in any condition and this
pair with a strong connection to one of the major supply
depot areas of the Confederacy will be an important
addition to your collection. $1250
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