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William T. Sherman (search for this): chapter 13
orage. The same programme was enacted by other batteries in the corps. As Sherman's Bummers achieved a notoriety as foragers par excellence, some facts regarding them will be of interest in this connection. Paragraphs 4 and 6 of Sherman's Special Field Orders 120, dated Nov. 9, 1864, just before starting for Savannah, reador to leave with each family a reasonable portion for their maintenance. As Sherman was among the commanders who believed most heartily in having those who provok the column, turning over their burden to the brigade commissary. Often, says Sherman, would I pass these foraging parties at the roadside, waiting for their wagonsnever reached the commissary; but these acts were exceptional and incidental. Sherman further states that his army started with about five thousand head of cattle a roadside murdered, their bodies stark naked and shockingly mutilated. One of Sherman's men recently related how in the Carolinas one of his comrades was found hang
1862 AD (search for this): chapter 13
place; but later in the war all animals abandoned by the Union army were shot if any life remained in them, so that even this resource was to that extent cut off from the inhabitants, and the family cow, while she was spared, was fitted out for such service. But the soldiers did not always content themselves with taking eatables and forage. Destruction of the most wanton and inexcusable character was sometimes indulged in. It is charged upon them when the army entered Fredericksburg, in 1862, that they took especial delight in bayonetting mirrors, smashing piano-keys with musket-butts, pitching crockery out of windows, and destroying other such inoffensive material, which could be of no possible service to either party. If they had been imbibing commissary whiskey, they were all the more unreasonable and outrageous in their destruction. Whenever a man was detected in the enactment of such disgraceful and unsoldierly conduct, he was put under arrest, and sentenced by court-marti
1863 AD (search for this): chapter 13
his going, came sliding and tumbling down off the roof, striking the ground with too much emphasis and a great deal of feeling, where, joined by his comrades, who by this time had taken in the situation, he beat a hasty retreat, followed by the jeers of the Johnnies, and rejoined the column. A veteran of the Seventh New Hampshire tells of one Charley Swain, who was not only an excellent duty soldier, A Dilemma. but a champion forager. While this regiment lay at St. Augustine, Fla., in 1863, Swain started out on one of his quests for game, and, although it had grown rather scarce, at last found two small pigs penned up in the suburbs of the town. His resolve was immediately made to take them into camp. Securing a barrel, he laid it down, open at one end, in a corner of the pen, and without commotion soon had both grunters inside the barrel, and the barrel standing on end. By hard tugging he lifted it clear of the pen, and, taking it on his back, started rapidly for camp. But
December 7th, 1864 AD (search for this): chapter 13
f the foragers, who had been out on a tramp, brought a hive of bees into camp, after the men had wrapped themselves in their blankets, and, by way of a joke, set No joke. it down stealthily on the stomach of the captain of one of the companies, making business quite lively in that neighborhood shortly afterwards. Foragers took other risks than that of punishment for absence from camp or the column without leave. They were not infrequently murdered on these expeditions. On the 7th of December, 1864, Warren's Fifth Corps was started southward from Petersburg, to destroy the Weldon Railroad still further. On their return, they found some of their men, who had straggled and foraged, lying by the roadside murdered, their bodies stark naked and shockingly mutilated. One of Sherman's men recently related how in the Carolinas one of his comrades was found hanged on a tree, bearing this inscription, Death to all foragers. A large number of men were made prisoners while away from thei
June, 1864 AD (search for this): chapter 13
arties was hams, bacon sides, flour, sweet potatoes, corn-meal, corn on the cob, and sometimes corn-shooks as they were called, that is, corn-leaves stripped. from the stalks, dried and bundled, for winter fodder. The neat cattle in the South get the most of their living in the winter by browsing, there being but little hay cured. In traversing fresh territory, the army came upon extensive quantities of corn in corn-ricks. At Wilcox's Landing, on the James River, where we crossed in June, 1864, the Rebel Wilcox, who had a splendid farm on the left bank of the river, had hundreds of bushels of corn, I should judge, which the forage trains took aboard before they crossed over; and on the south side of the James, east from Petersburg, where Northern troops had never before pene- A corn-barn and hay-rick. trated, many such stores of corn were appropriated to feed the thousands of loyal quadrupeds belonging to Uncle Sam. In this section, too, and in the territory stretching fro
November 9th, 1864 AD (search for this): chapter 13
detail of men was made from my company daily to take scythes from the Battery wagon, and, with a six-mule team, go off and now a load of grass wherever they could find it within our lines, to eke out the government forage. The same programme was enacted by other batteries in the corps. As Sherman's Bummers achieved a notoriety as foragers par excellence, some facts regarding them will be of interest in this connection. Paragraphs 4 and 6 of Sherman's Special Field Orders 120, dated Nov. 9, 1864, just before starting for Savannah, read as follows:-- 4. The army will forage liberally on the country during the march. To this end each brigade commander will organize a good and sufficient foraging party under the command of one or more discreet officers, who will gather, near the route travelled, corn or forage of any kind, meat of any kind, vegetables, corn-meal or whatever is needed by the command, aiming at all times to keep in the wagons at least ten days provisions for his
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