Winter in the Tennessee Mountains had now set in with a vengeance. Snow fell almost daily and the biting, icy wind cut to the bone. Shoes had long since worn out in the Texas Brigade, creating indescribable suffering. Some of the Arkansans cut a make-shift shoe out of green cowhide, which was laced to the feet in a wraparound fashion. After wearing this poor substitute for a short time, the cowhide became so pliable that it was soon difficult even to keep those shoes on the feet. At night, after holding them near the fire to thaw frozen toes, they became so hard they could not be bent. The soldiers' feet, already painful from the cold, were cut and blistered.
(from They'll Do T Tie To! by Major Calvin Collier)
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