The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-19

he shot one of the men dead and drove
the rest OUT They did not go away, how
ever, being determined TO kiln him and
burn the house in revenge. He had his
bed drawn TO the door, and being prOpped
UP, ne kept them away from the rear of
the house, while his wife, who was armed
with an Old revolver, fired often enough
to prevent any approach to the front.
There was a spring house of solid build
rev rods from the back door, and the
bummers' entered it 10 regale themselves
before closing in on the house. The door
opened inward and while they were play
: ing havoc with the milk pans the woman
approached and pulled the door to and
thrust a stick through the handle. The
structure was too solid TO be beaten down,
ana as there was but one window, the
men tried 10 make their escape that way.
Propped up in his bed, with his wound
palning him at every movement the Con-
Iederate Tired at every head thrust out,
ana his bullets flew 50 close that all at
tempts were soon abandoned. We found
him with his musket in his grasp and a
dead man on the floor. and we also found
the soldiers huddled together in the spring.
| house. The Confederate could have been
carried off a prisoner of war, but he was
not disturbed. On the contrary, while a
hundred bluecoats We're dividing their ra-
tons with the wife, the officers were max
ing cash donations to the husband AS
for the "bummers" they were turned over
10 the rank and file 20 be kicked and they
got a dose 20 be remembered all their
days Custer rather favored a man who
set out for adventure between the lines
but ne had no mercy on hooters and rob-
bers.
AS the Confederates were fighting most
~ at home there were few "bummers"
in comparison. There We're guerrilla bands,
who robbed friend and foe alike, but in
| dividual soldiers We're not given to il. The
golden opportunity came when Lee invad-
ed Pennsylvania. Before crossing the Po-
tomac he issued the strictest orders
against footing, but they were observed
only in Maryland. When the Yankee state
was once reached, thousands of men went
to foraging on their own account. They
were ahead of the army-behind ton
both TANKS. They foraged on horseback,
on foot and in wagons For fifteen miles
on either side of the highways they did
not miss a farm house. The first callers
| gobbled the horses. Men on foot bore
away looking glasses, trunks, bedding,
crockery, tinware-anything they could
carry Those no horseback had great bun
dies in front Aand behind them. In a train
| of twenty-eight Confederate wagons cap
| tured on the retreat was found almost
| every article in use by civilized people.
| The "bummers' had taken ploW points,
! drag-teeth old harness collars rusty
3
handleless axes and even the "old oaken
| buckets" from the wells. There were crow
| bars and iron wedges; there were buggy
| wheels and lace curtains. There were
| farmers boots, children's shoes and wo-
mems slippers and hosiery belonging to
all of them. In one wagon a family Bible,
| two checkerboards an old gun-barrel,
| children's picture blocks, Webster's Die
| tionary, a lot of cucumber pickles and a
| worn-out harness were flung into a box
| together. The Pennsylvania Dutchmen
were the principal sufferers and they did
not get through filing their claims for five
| years after the war. No houses or barns
were burned, but no farmer escaped be-
| ing despoiled. Not one in dozen of them
had time to hide anything, and a quarter
of an hour after the first "bummer show
| ed up the farmer was a financial wreck.
| Nine-tenths of the stuff loaded up was
worthless to the captors, but forage and
| commissary supplies were thrown away to
! take it In. After the battle of Falling Wa
| tiers, when Lee finally crossed the river,
| he left on the Pennsylvania shore about
| thirty broken-down wagons. In one of
| these was Dutch bedstead of mahogany,
| which looked to be 200 years old, and it
| was so heavy it must have taken four
| men to lift IL. In another was an iron
| safe, empty, and with one hinge broken.
| 1t weighed 800 pounds, and what it's cap
| tors were going to do with it was puz-
| ze. There was at least one big looking
| glass TO every wagon, and the various rag
| carpets put together would have measured
two miles coffin and tombstone were
| about the only two articles missing.