Bummers facts for kids
Bummers was a nickname given to soldiers who went out to find food and supplies for William Tecumseh Sherman's Union Army. These soldiers were also called "foragers." They were active during Sherman's famous Sherman's March to the Sea through Georgia, and then as the army moved north through South Carolina and North Carolina during the American Civil War.
What Were Bummers?
The term "bummers" was used by both soldiers and civilians. It described Sherman's troops who "requisitioned" (meaning they took) food and other items from Southern homes. These actions happened along the path of the Union Army's march.
Impact on the South
The bummers often caused a lot of damage. They became well-known among Southerners for taking things and sometimes damaging property. Their actions helped to show that the Confederate States Army was not able to fully protect its own land.
The bummers' activities in Georgia and the Carolinas made it much harder for the South to keep fighting the war. They destroyed important places like cotton gins, farms, and factories. These places helped supply the Confederate war effort. By destroying them, the Union army didn't need to leave many soldiers behind to guard Southern cities. This was because most of the facilities that helped the Confederate army were already gone.
A Family's Story
A North Carolina resident named Jane Evans Elliot wrote in her diary about her family's experience with the bummers. On March 12, 1865, her home in Fayetteville was visited by a group of these soldiers.
She wrote that they "pillaged and plundered the whole day." They stayed through the night and left the next evening. They searched her house from top to bottom. The soldiers took all their blankets, her husband's clothes, and all their silver, knives, and forks. They left the family with only a little meat and corn.
Jane Elliot also described the fear they felt. The soldiers caused a lot of worry for her family. They even threatened to burn down their home. She wrote that it was "terrible beyond description" and stayed in her mind.
After the war, General Sherman himself admitted that "many acts of pillage, robbery, and violence were committed" by the bummers.
