Brogans! The Civil War Shoe and Gettysburg Monuments
Brogans: The brogan shoe is believed to have originated in Scotland and Ireland in the 16th century and comes from the Old Irish word “bróc” which means shoe. A brogan is an ankle-length, lace-up shoe/boot hybrid; it is too tall to be a shoe and too short to be considered a boot.
The brogan shoe was the most common type of shoe worn by soldiers of the American Civil War. The standard model of brogan used was the Model1851 Jefferson (named after Thomas Jefferson). They were a square toed model with four eyelets and leather laces. These shoes were made from rough out leather that was blackened and finished.
There are many accounts during the Gettysburg Campaign of men in the ranks needing shoes. General Oliver O. Howard would write General George G. Meade “My men are suffering for the want of shoes.” Howard would inform General Rufus Ingalls “One half of the effective strength of the corps cannot march for want of shoes and stockings.” Shoes were important to a Civil War soldier. Without them an army would grind to a halt.
The brogan shoe was the most common type of shoe worn by soldiers of the American Civil War. The standard model of brogan used was the Model1851 Jefferson (named after Thomas Jefferson). They were a square toed model with four eyelets and leather laces. These shoes were made from rough out leather that was blackened and finished.
There are many accounts during the Gettysburg Campaign of men in the ranks needing shoes. General Oliver O. Howard would write General George G. Meade “My men are suffering for the want of shoes.” Howard would inform General Rufus Ingalls “One half of the effective strength of the corps cannot march for want of shoes and stockings.” Shoes were important to a Civil War soldier. Without them an army would grind to a halt.
Shoes came from many sources. The Quartermaster would issue most shoes, men would purchase shoes from local merchants or a grislier supply, from the dead. One need only review the photo of Timothy O’Sullivan taken just days after the battle of Gettysburg. Bodies of dead soldiers on the battlefield laying where they fell, shoeless.
Mississippi State Memorial. Dedicated 1973, sculptor Donald De Lue. Donald De Lue would develop his own synthesis as depicted on his three battlefield memorials. De Lue would admit 'Although my work is traditional, it is a tradition of my own.' This style is depicted with the brogans on the bronze figures of the Mississippi State Memorial. |
116th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument. Dedicated 1888 sculptor J. Henderson Kelley Kelley's representation of a brogan is very good considering it was carved from granite. It always amazes me how a sculptor can see the subject in a block of granite. Michelangelo would quote: Every block of stone has a statue inside it and is the task of the sculptor to discover it. |