I have trouble believing this.
Frostbite would've taken them in a matter of hours. These men would become a liability, requiring someone to carry their asses.
More likely: there were some men in the Continental Army who didn't own shoes, when they arrived at Valley Forge. Most of them probably got a fucking pair of boots during the months spent training and reorganizing the army. Standardized uniforms and equipment were introduced, so these guys were almost certainly issued a pair of boots. If they "ran out of boots", the guys who didn't have them were probably left behind at camp or at Valley Forge- that's what you do to soldiers who are not properly equipped. The 2,400 men Washington crossed with were probably the best of the soldiers he had- all wearing newly standardized equipment, trained in the Prussian method, many of them veterans from smaller engagements earlier in the war, well-organized and well-led, and highly motivated (at this point, there was a "what do we have left to lose?" attitude prevalent among many of the colonists). I have to imagine that some of these men were lost in the crossing and subsequent march, getting separated or falling behind and dying to the unforgiving cold.
But the ones who pushed through, wearing fucking boots by now, were probably mostly Chads, led by giga-Chads. Remember that these men were volunteers- they enlisted in the army upon their own will, not because the King conscripted them. Guys who want to fight, who want to win a war, will be willing and able to do fucking incredible things, take unbelievable risks and come out the other side (sometimes) victorious.
I could see them doing a 10 mile march (not that far, honestly, even though it seems ridiculous to the modern sensibility) without shoes in winter. Their feet would be absolutely fucked once they arrived and probably would have lost some toes but it's doable certainly.
I used to walk 5 miles to work (obviously with shoes) every day and it didn't take me much more than an hour.
If the terrain didn't have too many obstacles to poke feet it wouldn't be the worst march ever.
What about the dozens upon dozens of miles they marched before they made their final trip to surprise the Hessians? Were they shoeless then, too?
I'm telling you, they'd all have lost their fucking feet. Army life is rough. Taking care of your feet is a goddamned art they taught in the US military. I'm not even joking, it's very serious. A soldier with a bad foot is a liability to all the soldiers with good feet more often than not, just like a bad shot is a liability to a rifle team. They'll get you fucking killed, man.
The men back then would know this, too. They don't want ol' clubfoot Kenny rushing in to bayonet drunken Hessians with them. They want Chad Thunderdick and his nice, polished boots and good diet and high motivation at their side. Washington would know this, he seemed to understand soldiers very well, knowing how to keep them motivated. I don't know if any other man could've kept the "continental Army" together for as long as he did, fleeing from the British for most of the war. Without a strong leader, men would desert in droves or become agents for the British and really fuck your shit up.
All because you couldn't provide them with fucking shoes, one of the most basic human necessities, especially for marching. Not even makeshift sandals? Wrapping your feet up in like frozen cloth boots? Come on due, the Romans figured this shit out millennia before this.
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