The Camp, The Battle Field, and the Hospital; or, Lights and Shadows of the Great Rebellion
Foraging
Note: This paragraph is the lead paragraph for a series of anecdotes and incidents in The Camp, The Battle Field, and the Hospital; or, Lights and Shadows of the Great Rebellion
Nothing
in the excitement of army life has been the cause of more sport than the
liberty given under certain circumstances, and taken under others, for the
private soldier to “forage.” In civilized warfare, ordinarily, the supplying
of the troops with necessary food from the enemy's country is supposed to be
a systematic business operation, conducted by the officers of the army of
occupation, by requisition, either in money or produce, for which receipts
of greater or less value are given. In a civil war, the supplies are to be
paid for, according to the tenor of the receipt, on proof of the loyalty of
the party furnishing them to the government of the captors. But in actual
practice, there is a large amount of private plundering, which army
officers, though they may censure, find it convenient to wink at. The men
may have been on hard and unpalatable fare for days or weeks, and it is
nearly impossible to prevent them from taking pigs, chickens, etc, when they
are in a vicinity where they abound. The plunder and destruction of other
valuables, such as watches, jewelry, clothing, musical instruments, books,
and the burning of houses, etc., as it was practiced by the “bummers” or
camp followers of Sherman’s army, is an outrage on civilized warfare, and is
a just ground of bitter reproach to the administration of that very able
commander. Some of the foraging stories are, however, full of humor, and
could hardly be otherwise regarded than as excellent jokes, even by the
sufferers themselves. We subjoin a few.
Treasure Seekers
The Bummer
Brockett, Dr. L. P., The Camp, The Battle Field, and the Hospital; or, Lights and Shadows of the Great Rebellion, Philadelphia: National Publishing Company, 1866
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