Footwear
The Serjeants of the Rifle Corps are to wear Half Boots and the Rank and file, Buglers and Armourers are to wear Black Woollen Cloth short Gaiters, with small White Metal Buttons, and to come up sufficiently high above the Ankles to prevent any Opening from appearing between them and the Pantaloons.
Extract From The 1802 Infantry Clothing Regulations
The infantries of the Napoleonic period where expected to march pretty much everywhere overland were they where needed. Therefore shoes where an important piece of the soldiers kit because a soldier with good shoes could march much quicker than those without.
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The shoes issued to the British infantry during the Napoleonic period where neither left or right but the same shape for both feet, these were known as 'straights' and were meant to be worn on either foot and changed over from time to time to even the wear. Soldiers where issued with two pairs plus extra soles and heels a year which where charged as necessaries out of their pay. The shoes where normally of a poor quality and would fall apart quite quickly under the rigours of campaign conditions. There are many stories of soldiers marching on bare feet or nothing other than strips of cloth tied about their feet. |
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Below are three quotes from Rifleman Harris, who apart from being a rifleman was also a cobbler. The first quote refers to the battle of Vimeiro 1808 and last two refer to the British retreat to Corunna/Vigo 1809 |
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"I was not, however, destined to enjoy a very long repose before one of our sergeants, poking me with the muzzle of his rifle, desired me to get up, as many of the men wanted their shoes repaired immediately. This was by no means an uncommon occurrence, and I would fain have declined the job, but as several of the Riflemen who had followed the sergeant soon afterwards came round me and threw their shoes and boots at my head, I was fain to scramble on my legs, and make my mind to go to work" "I saw men with tears falling down their cheeks from the agony of their bleeding feet." |
"The shoes and boots of our party were now mostly either destroyed or useless to us, from foul roads and long miles, and many of the men were entirely barefooted"
Extracts from 'The Recollection of Rifleman Harris' by Windrush Press
As stated in the clothing regulations soldiers also wore gaiters which while on active service would have been worn on the outside of their pantaloons this would have been very difficult to maintain because as skirmishers they would have been expected to move around constantly (lying down, kneeling to fire while skirmishing in front of the line infantry). This would have eventually caused the pantaloons to come free and fall back over the top of the gaiters.
