The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-06-03
OUR NEW YORK LETTER
KIND OF SHOES UNCLE SAM is FUR
NiSHING HIS SOLDIER BOYS.
Broad Toed and Solid soled, but Made OF
Calfskin and sewed - Not Mt All Like
the Army Brogans of Civil War Days
Changes In United States Uniforms

NEW 1Ohh, JUNK Z. -lt'PcNie'iI -
part of the soldiers equipment has recelv
cd more careful study in modern time
than his shoes, and this is proper enough
since his marching ability Is necessary!
largely dependent upon his being poti
seryiceably and comfortably shod.
There was never more conclusive
showing of the necessity for as nearly
perfect footwear as may possibly be Cd
tanned in the army than was afforded 10y
the recent experience OF the British In Al
RIGA, where the boots worn by large body
of troops gave out completely after being
worn only six weeks. Had IL not been
possible, almost by mere chance, TO obtain
other boots without waiting TO procure
them from the government in the usuai
way the campaign would have ended In
failure and not success OF course the
contractors who furnished the defective
| boots have come I'm for the severest censure,
| vet it is possible that certain army author
| tiles were really more TO blame than the
| contractors, the failure of the boots in this
| case being due to the fact that the soles
were fastened to the uppers with waxed
| threads and not with wire. This latter
| fastening is now fully understood to have
| been necessary, because the campaign was
conducted in rainless desert region where
| the heat and the dryness and the sand con-
! spired TO cut the threads in an incredibly
| short time.
Shoes For Uncle Sans Soldiers.
Many of my older readers will remember
the awkward, ungainly looking cheap cow
hide tongue" shoes, or brogans, that
were provided by Uncle Sam for the boys
4 q. IL hoo che loo vaH
neither serviceable nor comfortable Yet
they served very well, with some excep-
tions, if their qualities are to be Judged by
the marching done in them since many
long and hard stretches of right smart
walking were included in the operations
of the civil war But the soldiers of the
present war are not to be shod as the boys
were in the fight for the Unions preserya-
ton. They are TO be furnished with good
looking shoes as well as shoes that will
wear well. At least this is TO be inferred
from what has already been done in the
matter.
The first order for shoes given for the
new army by the government was for 100,
900 pairs Many of the national guards
men and others who had responded to the
first call had gone into camp hurriedly
and wearing whatever they happened to
have on their feet Mt the time. Naturally
many of them soon began to approach
condition of barefootedness, while many
others, whose shoes stood the strain of
drill all right, suffered a good deal from
the narrow toes and other unsuitable quail
tiles of their foOtgcar. Besides there was
woeful lack of uniformity, which detract-
ed much from the soldierly appearance of
the men, tau shoes, yellow shoes, plain
black shoes and even patent feathers all
being in evidence.
But there was of course no time TO order
the first 100, 900 shoes made They must
he had without delay, and that being so
they had to be taken from the supply of
shoes already in stock. This caused q
great hustling among shoe dealers in sew
cral cities, but particularly in New York,
since the bulk of the order was placed
here. One big dealer, who secured an or
der for 20, 600 pairs, sent a number of men
TO all the other Dealers inquiring for laced
shoes of assorted sizes, ranging from 81. 60
TO 50 in price, wholesale, made Of calfskin,
sewed, with thick soles and broad toes.
From one dealer they secured 1000 pairs,
from another $500, from another 5000
and so on. In less than day the dealer
with the government order had secured
his shoes and was shipping them TO the
various camps where they were most need
ed. The next dealer with a government
order to 60 skirmishing for shoes in the
New York market, though only a few
hours later, was not so lucky, for the first
one had reduced the supply visibly. The
third seeker for shoes had to hasten TO
IlngtOYn Rttff ,th ~, N,Ja
TO fulfill his contract.
While these dealers were filing the first
hurry orders of the government its officials
were busy making ready to receive bids
for the manufacture of shoes especially for
the army and since that time contracts for
an enormous number have been given out
at prices ranging from SLIGO 60 S2.37H a
pair. Whatever type may later be decided
upon, the first 100, 600 pairs contracted for
were plain, simple laced calfskin shoes,
wi h solid but not clumsy soles-of exactly
the type that most sensible men who walk
a good deal would be most likely to order
Uniforms.
The change from the regulation blue
flannel to brown duck for men i'm the trop-
ical climates of Cuba and the Philippines
Is the first important variation in the
United States army uniform since civil
war days, but before 1860 there were sew
eral complete changes
The continental regulars" in the Revo-
lutionary war wore blue coats and buff
breeches and waistcoats, tho coats being
cut with swallowtails. The footwear was
top boots reaching nearly to the knee
The headgear was a plume surmounted
three cornered hat. The buttons on the
coat and waistcoat were not Of distinctive
design, but were generally Of metal or
bone Many of the Revolutionary troops,
however, wore regimentals of their own,
and this was especially true of the ran
gers, or free troops" organized by the
several states. Several regiments sportcd
hunting shirts, buckskin leggings, moe.
casins and coonskin caps.
In 1900 distinctive uniform was adopt
ed by the Federal army, then divided into
infantry, dragons, flying artillery and
cavalry. All wore cloth helmets sur
mounted with horsehair plumes and
adorned with heavy brazen ornament,
above the visor. Knee brooches were dis
cardcd for plain blue trousers. The in
fantry sported swallowtail coats but all
the others wore short jackets ornamented
with three rows of small white buttons.
In 1915, at the close of the second wal