Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-04-05
About Ehe-man,s ArmH.
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercial
HOW THE BOYS ARE pREssRD.

ID.
An English or French officer, one who
never sees solGiers in any but the neatest
of order, would laugh to see Sherman's
army, and laugh itill heartier to hesr it
called an army. They are the motliest
troops ever marched through the country.
Scarcely s soldier has an entire suit of blue.
They are ragged ami many bare-footed.
Some have appropriated the fnery of the
Southern lords; some You see with fine
high-hsts, swallow tailed coots, tight-legged
breeches and Touud-toed boots. Some have
the broad brimmed plantation hats and
sheep-grsy clothes, and others have the
rebel uniform entire. Some wear tteir
white shirts, others have their wooden.
Some have yards of fine carpets for bed
ding, others have counterbsnes or quilts
Some carry their knspsacks, others have
nothing but their blankets. Some carry
their change of clothing, others depend on
the country for that and change at the
first fine house they come TO. Some carry
china dishes, Others tin-wsre. The rebels
would have US believe that these men all
hare siLUsrioare TO eat from, but the boys
say the the ''chiVslry" of the South all
have bogus ware, and "darned" little of
that.
TEE BUMMERs OF THE ARMY.
In order to systematic and more thor
oughly regulate the work of foraging for
the troops, detail of sixty men to divis-
ion was made. These men, under proper
officers, were mounted, and we're called by
the boys, "bummers." They became an
institution in the army, and the history of
their work is not the least important part
Of the labor of thst army. Covering the
dirks end front, and rear of the army,
they served, to great extent, the purpose
of cavalry. 1hey hsd had many skirm-
ishes with Hampton, and General Sher-
man asserts that he has never known them
to have bern driven in by the rebel horse.
In some instances they have been in the
adyap es and i is mater of record that
on the Charleston and Savannah Railroad
Tint story is this General Howard, with
1000 men of his army, was carefully sd-
vanring toward the road, expecting at
As be was giving directions to the
officer in command, he noticed
one OF these bummeIs mounted on dumpy
mule with a rope bride, and without a
saddle, coming down the road stfull speed,
beating his mule at every jump, with his
cudgeL. "StoP, stop" said the General;
"where are you going ~ "Hsven't got
time, said the man. "Hsven't got time.
In devil of hurry. Tho bummers of
the Sd Brigade have Midway, and I'm af.
ter reinfoIcements."
These bummers we're the first to enter
Fayetteville. Their work has been we'll
done, and done in this manner: Know
ing about where the command would en-
camp for the night they would be ready
near that point with their IatiOns all di-
vided out-ssch man having ten piles for
his regiment-one for each company. The
road at such points wonld be lined for
miles with these forsgers and their piles of
meEt potatoes, rice, meal, corn &c. They
looked more ike maIket-men than soldiers.
The regiments, as they came TO their places,
would halt, and each company divide out
their ralions. 1t was the work of but
few moments, when the march was re-
sumed.
These bummers and their vehicles for
transportation, following their divisions in
their march through the town, were the
most amusing sight we ever saw. Mount
ed on mules, horses and oxen, with old
saddles and brides, followed by carriages
of every description, froma gig 10 csrrysll,
drawn by mules, horses or oxen carts and
wagons of every description; then the
pack mules and oxen, sll loaded with
chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, bacon,
hams, meal, rice, and everything the
country afforded, led by negroes, old and
young male and female. All this, off.
cered and guarded by these bummers, was
the occasion of many jokes and hearty
laughs.
So efficient has this organization been,
and Of such great service and assistance
to the cavalry, that though General Hamp-
tons cavalry force Outnumbers General
KilPatriek's nearly three to one, the rebels |
have been able to strike oar sOago,l trains,
aud, FROM Atlanta to Goldsboro, they have !
never captured even one wagon.