Ms. Sally, yes, that must have been a little awkward, especially for marching. I bet if we could have been around with a wagonload of Dr. Scholl's foot powder we could have made a fortune :-)

In my great-grandfather's diary he mentions getting a pair of shoes that he described as "heel and toe leather, the balance, canvas". Somebody on the Arms & Equipment board (can't remember who) told me these were more common than what we may think. He even sent me some pics of shoes of that sort. They almost looked like they were made on the same principle as those old high top tennis shoes that were so common in the 1950's.