Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) an infantryman.

1865		in B.L. Ridley Battles and Sketches of the Army of Tennessee (1906) 460: The cavalry, [are called] ‘Buttermilk Rangers;’ infantry, ‘Webfoot.’.
1866		C.H. Smith Bill Arp 115: If we are to be whipped at all, then the infantry, which is to say the web-feet, are to be whipped first.
1884		G.W. Cable Dr Sevier 421: Compliments [...] flew back and forth from the ‘web-foots’ to the ‘critter company’ and from the ‘critter company’ to the ‘web-foots’ [DA].
1918		H.W. McBride Emma Gees 170: [ref. to Canadian Army] The [...] long-suffering ‘doughboy’ or ‘web-foot’ as he is called by the men of the other branches.
1929		E.S. McCartney ‘Sl. and Idioms of World War’ Papers Michigan Academy of Arts & Sciences 10 n.p.: Web-foot (Am.), an occasional name for the infantryman.

2. (US, also webfooter) a native of Oregon; occas. the state of Oregon; also attrib.

1862		Oregon Statesman in G. Barth All Quiet on the Yamhill (1959) 23 June 58: The nicknames for Oregonians, in most common use, is ‘Webfoot,’ but some insist that ‘Lop-ear,’ others that ‘Flop-ear’ is the proper designation.
1865		W. Hilleary diary 30 Mar. in A Webfoot Volunteer (1965) 52: The pleasant weather makes me feel like moving out of ‘Webfoot.’.
1884		J. Miller Memorie and Rime 109: ‘Hello, webfoot,’ cried the Californian leader to old Joe Meek.
1891		W. De Vere ‘A Black Hills Sermon’ Tramp Poems 21: I’ve fetched up with the ‘Webfeet’ way down here on old Puget Sound.
1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 222: [in Portland, Oregon] He [...] steps to the front door, whistles for a web-foot cop.
1903		Goodwin’s Wkly (Salt Lake City, UT) 3 Oct. 9/1: You wooden-shoed web-footer.
1913		B.T. Harvey ‘Word-List From The Northwest’ in DN IV:i 28: webfooter, n. An Oregonian.
1949		Milwaukie Rev. (OR) 28 July 7/6: [heading] Weather Keeps Web-foots at Home [DA].
1983		‘Heat Moon’ Blue Highways 212: Oregonians, also known as ‘Webfeet.’.

3. a native of Lincolnshire.

1884		Daily News Aug. in Ware (1909) 260/1: Why English people give each other comical names is a question fitter for a learned essay than a descriptive sketch : but the fact remains that we have besides Yorkshire ‘tykes’, Norfolk ‘dumplings’, Cheshire ‘cats’, Essex ‘calves’, and Suffolk ‘punches’, as well as Lincolnshire folk, who are web-foots.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 260/1: Web-foots (Provincial). People of Lincolnshire, probably bestowed upon them by their higher county neighbours, who did not live in the wretched fens of Lincolnshire. Also called yellow-bellies. Taken together suggestive of fen-game, such as wild ducks and geese, widgeon, all common to the fens.

4. (US) an environmentalist.

1986

Chapman NDAS.