History Forage Operations

[CdubeJr87]

One of the motifs of Civil War stories and literature is soldiers foraging for food. There's a story of my ancestor hiding under a bridge as the Yankees passed over. He told his comrades he was praying the entire time. When they asked if it was that the Yankees wouldn't see him, he replied, "No, but that the cow wouldn't mow."

My questions are
How common were groups of soldiers out foraging?
Did it happen mostly on the march, after battle, or while the troops were encamped for a long time?
Were there official regulations for foraging?
How many men under an officer would be officially sent out for that purpose?
How much were they expected to pay civilians for their food?

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

One of the motifs of Civil War stories and literature is soldiers foraging for food. There's a story of my ancestor hiding under a bridge as the Yankees passed over. He told his comrades he was praying the entire time. When they asked if it was that the Yankees wouldn't see him, he replied, "No, but that the cow wouldn't mow."

My questions are
How common were groups of soldiers out foraging?
Did it happen mostly on the march, after battle, or while the troops were encamped for a long time?
Were there official regulations for foraging?
How many men under an officer would be officially sent out for that purpose?
How much were they expected to pay civilians for their food?

I don't have expertise on the topic of foraging other than to say it was very common. I would have to research it just as you would need to do, but others on this site will likely respond with ample replies for you.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

One of the motifs of Civil War stories and literature is soldiers foraging for food. There's a story of my ancestor hiding under a bridge as the Yankees passed over. He told his comrades he was praying the entire time. When they asked if it was that the Yankees wouldn't see him, he replied, "No, but that the cow wouldn't mow."

My questions are
How common were groups of soldiers out foraging?
Did it happen mostly on the march, after battle, or while the troops were encamped for a long time?
Were there official regulations for foraging?
How many men under an officer would be officially sent out for that purpose?
How much were they expected to pay civilians for their food?

The whole foraging experience, for both armies, is going to be very different depending on the year of the war and which theater they were in. Some places - Western Theater - it is going to be brutal no matter which army it is. Others less so.

Both armies stripped the land around them. Especially before and during 1863 up through 1864. But… occasionally you would find pockets of land in the South that just hadn't been touched and remained untouched. It became less common as the war went on but it happened.

On the march, the Union army especially would drive beeves, sometimes 1500 or so. That isn't including sheep or any other animals and those animals alone would devastate the countryside marching through. The roads were mostly kept open so the army could keep moving through so both armies were using fields which meant vital crops for the people (and the army eventually, especially in the South) were being ruined).

At the beginning of the war, there was a big deal being made out of paying people for their food, especially in Confederate script because it hadn't become so devalued yet. As time went on, even Southern people wanted green backs or species whenever possible.

In different places and depending on the commander, North or South, some of the food/goods confisicated would be given a receipt which was often never honored after the war be the government. Most farmers hated getting them because they knew, whoever won, it was going to be very hard to get the value of produce/animals back.

Sometimes foraging was done violently and ruthlessly and left women and children without any food - that was especially so in the Shenandoah Valley in the burning campaigns of 1864 and in the Western Theater campaigns in Tennessee.

Other areas of the South like Mobile and New Orleans were little affected by foraging. Richmond's women suffered terribly because they couldn't get supplies in to adequately feed the population.

Lee's army suffered hugely from caloric deprivation as time went on because they simply couldn't get enough food in Virginia. The whole area was depleted and there was nothing left to forage.

I'm sure others will chime in soon but this is a start.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

The thing that has jumped out at me in my readings of diaries and memoirs is how common it was for many soldiers in the ranks - it didn't matter if they were Confederates or Federals - to ignore the orders from their superiors forbidding foraging.

The bottom line is that when men have eaten a limited amount of food for a number of days, getting them to march past food sources without helping themselves is pretty much an impossibility. Humans may starve themselves for their own families, but starving for someone else's family, especially when that other family is suspected of actively supporting those who are trying to kill you, is asking a lot, and many men didn't feel morally required to make that sacrifice.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Some quotes:

*A Confederate View:
Hunger hath no ears, neither hath it a conscience. Pushed on by hope or fear of scorn men will brave the terrors of the battle field with the most reckless abandon but few indeed are those who have the moral fortitude to leave the pangs of hunger In their own stomachs half appeased in order to relieve a starving comrade to a similar extent. The quality and quantity of our rations continued to get no better while at Warrington, so much so it required the utmost inguinity (sic) on the part of each of us to keep the lamp of life alight. Page 12

I soon discovered that the diet furnished in the hospital was as everywhere else in the Confederate Army, cut rather short without any frills or tucks. In fact it was plain, so very plain that it became necessary for the inmates to embellish it somewhat in order to make life worth living.

Rest and the sulphur water seemed to engender in us a decided and continual hankering for poultry, fresh pork and fruits. These our generous compatriots in the vicinity furnished us with true Southern hospitality. We just made a requisition for such eatables as were available and then all that was necessary to procure them was to step up to the coop, pen or tree and draw them. We generally selected a dark night to draw these delicacies, for fowls are much easier handled at night and as our good neighbors who so kindly furnished us were at that time soundly sleeping off the fatigue of their daily toils we were exceedingly careful not to awaken them. Page 6


**A Federal View:
I am not one to justify this indiscriminate foraging, but I do think that it was a burning shame for our General to post safeguards over rebels' property, thus depriving the soldiers of what justly belonged to them, and the moment that our backs were turned, these men that our bayonets had protected would lay in ambush, to waylay our tired out soldiers who could not keep up with the command. This I know to be so. Page 2

Nothing will annoy a soldier more than to have his ration line cut off, and Gen. Lauman, who now commanded our division, gave strict orders against foraging, but of little use were his orders. Some of the boys, to show their appreciation of his orders, stole him blind one night while on guard at his headquarters. He never again called for a detail from the 15th to guard his quarters. Page 4

It had now been ascertained that some of the citizens who had professed Union sentiments had been engaged in plots to tear up the railroad, attack foraging parties, etc., and an order was issued to banish all citizens five miles outside our lines, under penalty of having their houses burned if not complying within a certain length of time. Severe as this order may seem, the circumstances justified it. Page 149

Sources:
* https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesofc00smit/page/6/mode/1up

** https://archive.org/details/armymemoirsofluc00barb/armymemoirsofluc00barb/page/148/mode/1up

 

[Private Joseph]

I would suggest this book.

 

[The Ninth Ohio]

The thing that has jumped out at me in my readings of diaries and memoirs is how common it was for many soldiers in the ranks - it didn't matter if they were Confederates or Federals - to ignore the orders from their superiors forbidding foraging.

Not only this, but I have completely changed my tune on what it meant to be a volunteer "citizen soldier," particularly in the West. There was often no punishment for missing roll call. It was assumed you would catch up later. If in camp, you often didnt need a pass to go into town, and when you did, there was generally no provost to keep you in line. If you knew your unit was about to stop for the night and spied some abandoned shelter, say a barn or a chicken coop, you wandered out of the ranks and took shelter.

The same was true of foraging to an extent, in that even when specifically ordered not to forage for subsistence, the men often did it anyway, and rarely suffered any consequences for it, despite the "guarding potato patches" policy earlier on.

 

[gary]

It''s not war if there's no looting.

Even though prohibited at times, the further a soldier was away from his officers, the greater the opporunity to pillage. Some soldiers were wise enough to share their ill gotten gain with their officers who in turn, wink wink, nod nod, say no more, professed the innocence of their men. Brig. Gen. Thomas Sherman hated his westerners for their proclivity to loot. They only won his respect when they fought Baton Rouge. In turn, his bravery in leading a counter attack at that battle changed the Westerners attitude of hatred toward him to respect.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

As far as how often foraging happened, with the exception perhaps of the very first year of the war, I would say it happened all the time, on the march, after battles, and in permanent camps.

One source I have come across included a story by the author of his and his comrades raids on the hen houses of the neighboring farms during an extended stay in a particular camp (I think in Texas?) At any rate, he recounted with high glee that although it was the Confederate soldiers who were taking the poultry and eggs, the patriotic farmers blamed their slaves for the theft.

 

[iron bender]

Sam Rush Watkins has an interesting tale of he and some buddies going awol in North Georgia and stealing a pig from a local lady, who's sons were also in the Confederate Army. Apparently when Bragg was boss of AOT, going awol to forage was rampant.

 

[RedRover]

The Veterans of the Army of Tennessee:



There was a recurring joke that foraged/stolen hogs, for example, were killed in self-defense...







When the Confederate soldiers themselves couldn't get a pass out of camp, or safely sneak out at night, they would send their camp servants.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

How did they forage among the pickets without getting shot?

The Veterans of the Army of Tennessee:

View attachment 585053

There was a recurring joke that foraged/stolen hogs, for example, were killed in self-defense...


View attachment 585054


View attachment 585056

When the Confederate soldiers themselves couldn't get a pass out of camp, or safely sneak out at night, they would send their camp servants.

View attachment 585058

View attachment 585060