Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson on the Reb side, the "Red Legs" and "Jayhawkers" on the Federal side. Uniformed troops of BOTH sides had no use for the "guerillas," and orders exist from both Confederate and Federal commanders to shoot guerillas (even those supposedly allied with the side issuing the orders) on sight.
Historically, though, plunder was common in warfare prior to the Hague and Geneva Conventions, and there was no real law of war prior to the latter (1890s) Nineteenth Century. Diaries of civilians are replete with accounts of soldiers in both blue and gray robbing farms, raping women, stealing horses, and this was done all under the heading of "foraging for supplies." When the US Army was operating in Virginia, troops plundered. When the Army of Northern Virginia went into Maryland and Pennsylvania, troops plundered. Confederate soldiers from Arkansas looted houses in Mississippi, and Union troops from Ohio "confiscated" goods from houses in Pennsylvania. All documented.
Sherman gets condemnation for one reason only: He was successful in waging a modern, total war. He had said when he started his March to the Sea that "I intend to make the South howl." He did do that. However, the extent of official foraging was fairly limited....only to those farms, plantations and houses of KNOWN secessionists. Those were his written orders. The "bummers," however, were an entirely different story. Many were cavalry vedettes who would leave their posts to do some private plunder....others were infantry "coffee boilers" who would hang back from the main line of advance and commit their crimes. Quite a few of the "bummers" were shot after summary courts-martial.
Sherman's order to only forage from known secessionists was a valid order, unfortunately, its execution was carried out in a flawed manner by brigade and regimental commanders, as well as followed only in the breach by company commanders. Still, it must have been followed to some degree, as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia and Florida contributed 116 non-black regiments to the Union side. If the Union was as brutal as claimed by so many revisionists, it's doubtful that southerners would have fought to save it. And that count is exclusive of the 400+ Missouri Federal organizations....and Missouri had more fighting in it than did Virginia during the Civil War.
Let's just remember: Both sides committed acts of atrocity, but for every Andersonville, GA, there was an Elmyra, NY. And for every "Jayhawker," there was a "Bushwhacker." Let's just be glad it ended and we're one country again.
NO southern POW camp came close to ANY of the damnyankees CONCENTRATION CAMPS. NONE!
at Point Lookout alone over 15,000 helpless CSA POWs & civilians were MURDERED, in COLD-BLOOD, by the guard force.
by way of contrast, there were TWO murders of US POWs,by guards at Camp Sumter (BOTH were court-martialed & hanged.). TWO.
so spare me the excuses for lincoln,stanton,sherman, butler & other WAR CRIMINALS. all of them should have been hanged for their crimes
free dixie,sw
Totally agree and, the point that I was making before I became a target of our "southern gentleman" here. Fortunately our insult-belching blowhard is not representative of what most southern men are like.
I travel through the south every year and really do enjoy the people and places there. I find most folks to be friendly and accomodating,probably more so than in the north.
I agree, let's just be glad that the conflist ended as it did and that we are one country again.