Confederate soldiers were chronically short of shoes. The South lacked the leather industry to produce military boots at scale, and the brogans Confederate quartermasters could supply wore out faster than they could be replaced. By 1863 many Confederate regiments had men marching barefoot, with the brigade's shoemaker (every regiment had one or two) repairing what could still be repaired and the rest of the men walking on padded socks or rags. The famous story that Lee's army invaded Pennsylvania in June 1863 partly because Gettysburg was rumored to have a shoe factory is somewhat mythologized — the army was looking for many supplies, not just shoes — but it captured a real fact. Bare feet on long marches were a constant Confederate problem.

This W. Britain two-figure set depicts a pair of Confederate infantrymen on the long campaign — both in gray frock coats made of domestic Confederate cloth, light blue trousers, slouch hats (one tan, one darker), knapsacks and bedrolls on their backs, rifle muskets carried over the right shoulder in the standard march position. Both wear the worn, faded look of men who had been campaigning for months by the time of the pose. The set is a natural foundation piece for any Confederate marching column or invasion-route diorama. Pair this set with Confederate Infantry Drummer Marching for the column's cadence; with Confederate Corporal Marching for an NCO at the column's head; or with Confederate Infantry Company Officer as the officer commanding the march.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31500. From the American Civil War range. Two foot figures with themed bases, supplied painted and ready for display.