The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-10
rILLAGINa rRorENsuTIEs.
The Respective Characterization Of Union
aud C0 tfeAeratc summers,
III, v. Redfleld In the Phiadelphia Weekly


and CO .feaeratc summers.
II. Y. Redheld In the Philadelphia Weekly
Tiipesi
The remarkable difference IN the pillagng
pfDpensitieE Of the two armies may DO AZ
counted for on the ground first, that the Fed-
eral army WAS In an enemy's country. and all
things were considered legitimate game. and
little inquiry made whether or not the own
element In the Federal army was very: large,
aud with them was the. titI-raff from the
large cities, who entered the army more
from motives of pillage than patriotism.
Regiments raised i'll cities were always
more troublesome as pillagera than those
from the rural districts. in the Southern
army these conditions did not exist. There
were no enliatmeuts in that army prompted
by motives OF Invasion and pillage. And
there were few large cities to bend out
army, Besides. the foreign element In the
Southern army was very small. And for this,
had been poured into the North that the
course of the Federal army In the
South. The personnel of the two armies
differed widely In the points above mentioned
The gillagers and robbers in the Federal
army did not spare the Union people. The
hfst who came TO our neighborhood commit
ted saveral outrageous rubberiea, and 1t han
pened that the victims in every instance were
Union men. This had an unhappy effect one
of the victims at least thereafter transferring
his aympathies from the Union side to the
confederate on account of his i'll treatment
The outrages, rohbefies and pillaging which
took place wherever the Union army moved IL
traeeable to a small minority of tho soliiera,
and almost Invariably TO the foreign element
among them, enlisted in the large cities
The officers used to say in explanation
that every flock had black sheep. and that a
thousand men, picked up promiscuously.
would always contain a few desperate charac-
terra who went In for motives of plumber This
ts no doubt true. but the hummer element in
the Union army was certainly larger than in
the other. have known regiments of South
efn troops TO encamn around promises for
weeks and not even rob q hen-roost but when
the other side came then chickens and all
movable property animate and inanimate.
had to be under the eye of it's owner and often
this did not protect 1t.
The Uontederates usually paid for what
they took for the use of the army in Confe,l-
crate money. Indeed, payment was the rule
seldom violated. The Federals, when upon
organized foraging expeditions. usually gave
receipts for what they took, which were pay
ahie upon proof OF loyalty on the part of the
claimant But 1t was from the fnraging of
irresponsible soldiers. without an officer, that
the people mostly suffered. Often in our
.nesghborhood would they kill fine COW for
instance, take q. quarter, or what they
could conveniently carry, and leave the
rest TO waste. In fact, every living animal
: Ilt Tor Ipod was in instant danger from ire
sponsible Federal foragers and stragglers.
Mhen men are hungry they must eat. and eat
tney would, when they could get ANYTHING,
whether Union or secession: but the Union
soldiers were by far the most inyeterate,
wastetui ana reckless foragers. The farmers
ana country people who traded In the camps
81 ootn armies mad to skin their eyes when In
! me camp OF the Yankees" as they called