Colorful Characters: Polk McCullough

I suspect most folks are aware that in the Civil War, many Confederate soldiers ended up (or started out) going barefoot. In the south, they’d all probably grown up wearing shoes only occasionally, and as the war continued, supplies were hard to get.

Here’s a story, though, of a Union soldier known for going barefoot.

This excerpt is from “Under the Red Patch”, a history of the Sixty Third Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers.

There was a young man known as Polk McCullough, of Company A, who was raised by his uncle, Captain James McCullough, of near Monroeville. He was only a boy when he enlisted and. was strongly advised not to join as we did not think he could stand the privations of a soldier’s life, but we were never more mistaken as Polk served out his three years’ enlistment and then re-enlisted and served until the surrender at Appomattox. He never missed a battle or a day’s service, but once, when he was sick for a short time, and was as brave a boy as ever wore the blue of a soldier. Always cheerful and jolly, he was the life of the company. Colonel Hays thought a great deal of him and nicknamed him “Old Barefoot,” from the fact that in the summertime, when Folk’s shoes gave out, he would not draw a new pair but would run barefooted until the officers would compel him to put on footwear. Once, when he was detailed for guard duty on the following day, Polk was, as usual, shoeless, and had he told the sergeant he would have been excused. Now, when a soldier was detailed for guard duty, he was expected to brush up, brighten his accoutrements, have his gun thoroughly clean and his shoes blacked. When the detail got ready in the morning, Polk cleaned himself up properly and then taking the blacking and brush, rolled up his trousers nearly to his knees, and then blacked and polished his feet and legs until they shone. When the detail went over on the guard line to be inspected, many of us went along to see how Polk would fare. The officer of the guard was a peppery little German, as consequential as a bantam rooster. When he came down the line of guards inspecting them, he stopped at Polk and gazed on him in astonishment. Polk stood gazing out before him without the motion of a muscle. After looking at him for a short time, the officer blurted out:

“Vat you doing here?”

“Serving my country,” answered Polk solemnly.

“Vere is your shoes?”

“Haven’t got any,” said Polk.

“Vell, you gets to your quarters, and after de guart mount I’ll ‘tend to you.”

Polk threw his gun on his shoulder and, as he turned carelessly on his heel, remarked in his peculiar drawl: “Well, I suppose a man will have to wear kid gloves in this regiment to kill rebels, according to the tactics.” The officer hurried down to the Colonel’s quarters and reported Polk for insubordination. The Colonel heard him attentively and answered:

“Well, that’s Old Barefoot; let him alone, he is too good a soldier to punish just because he wants to go barefooted.”

Moral of the story: if you are going to be barefoot, make sure you are competent and possibly indispensable.

Barefoot Soldier on Railroad Bridge Near Knoxville.

[Picture of barefoot Soldier guarding a bridge from Shorpy.]