The National tribune., 1897-05-20

parties properly detailed, and that all
provisions thus obtained must be de-
livered to the regular Commissaries, to be
fairly distributed to the men who kept
their ranks.
From Covington the Fourteenth Corps
(Davis's), with which / was travelling,
turned to the right for Milledgeville, via
Shady Dale. Gen. Slocum was ahead at
Madison, with the Twentieth Corps, hav-
ing torn up the railroad as far as that
place, and thence had sent Geary's Di-
vision on to the Oconee, to burn the
bridges across the stream, when this corps
turned south by Eatonton, for Milledge-
vile, the common objective" for the
first stage Of the "march."
We found abundance of corn, mo-
lasses, meal, bacon, and sweet-potatoes.
We also took a good many cows and
oxen, and large number of mules. In
all these the country was quite rich,
never before having been visited by
hostile army; the recent crop had been
excellent, had been just gathered and
laid by for the Winter. As rule, we
destroyed none, but kept our wagons
full, and fed our teams bountifuuy.
HOW FORAGE WAS COLLECTED.
The skill and success of the men in
collecting forage was one of the features
of this march. Each brigade COM
mander had authority to detail COM
pany of foragers, usually about 30 men,
with one or two commissioned officers
selected for their boldness and enterprise.
This party would be dispatched before
daylight with knowledge of the in
tended days march and camp; would
proceed on foot five or six miles from
the route travelled by their brigade, and
then visit every plantation and farm
within range. They would usually
procure wagon or family carriage,
load it with bacon, cornmeal, turkeys,
chickens, ducks, and everything that
could be used as food or forage, and
would then regain the main road, usually
in advance of their train. When this
came up, they would deliver to the
Brigade Commissary the supplies thus
gathered by the way.
Often would l pass these foraging
parties at the roadside, waiting for their
wagons to come up, and was amused at
their strange collections-mules, horses,
even cattle, packed with old saddles and
loaded with hams, bacon, bags of corn
meal, and poultry of every character and
description. Although this foraging was
attended with great danger and hard
work, there seemed to be a charm about
it that attracted the soldiers, and it was
privilege to be detailed on such party.
Daily they returned mounted on all
sorts of beasts, which were at once taken
from them and appropriated to the gen.
eral use; but the next day they would
start cut again on foot, only to repeat
the experience of the day before. No
doubt many acts of pillage, robbery and
violence were committed by these parties
of foragers, usually called "bummers >;
for / have since heard of jewelry taken
from women, and the plunder of arti-
cles that never reached the Commissary;
but these acts were exceptional and
incidental. | never heard of any eases
of murder or rape; and no army could
have carried along sufficient food and
forage for march of 800 miles, so that
foraging in some shape was necessary.
The country was sparsely settled, with
no magistrates or civil authorities who
could respond to acquisitions, as is done
! in all the wars of Europe; SO that this
system of foraging was simply indispen-
sable to our success. By it our men were
we'll supplied with all the essentials of
life and health, while the wagons re-
tanned enough in case of unexpected de-
lay, and our animals were we'll fed. In
deed, when We reached Savannah, the
trains were pronounced by experts to be
the finest in flesh and appearance ever
seen with any army.
| Habitually each corps followed some
main road, and the foragers, being kept
out on the exposed flank, served all the
fHilittit USES VI udHkeis. Lie H1diu
columns gathered, by the roads travelled,
much forage and food, chiefly meat, corn
and sweet potatoes, and it was the duty
of each Division and Brigade Quarter
master to fill his wagons as fast as the
contents were issued to the troops.
The wagon-trains had the right to the
road alacays, but each wagon was re-
9uired to keep closed up, SO as to leave
no gaps in the column. If for any pur-
pose any wagon or group of wagons
dropped out Of place, they had to wait
for the rear. And this was always
dreaded, for each brigade commander
wanted his train up at camp as soon
after reaching it with his men as pos
sible.
/ SMART oUARTERMAsTERS
| / have seen much skill and industry
displayed by these Quartermasters on
the march, in trying to load their wagons
with corn and fodder by the way
without losing their place in column.
They would while marching shift the
loads of wagons, so as to have six or ten
of them empty. Then, riding we'll
ahead, they would secure possession of