The path of Sherman was narrow, his foraging parties relatively large to be able to defend themselves from Wheeler’s cavalry, and his destruction focused on larger plantations, because there a slave could always be found to reveal where foodstuffs were hidden. Sherman’s orders were to only burn houses if the were fired on from such houses.
By contrast, southern deserters moved in smaller groups, were able to range more widely, mostly ransacked smaller properties, burned them to hide the evidence of their crime, and were not accompanied by a reliable officer, so they were more able to indulge in rape and murder as well as theft.
Just as the southern partisans blame the burning of Atlanta on Sherman, despite fires set at the orders of pretended confederate general Hood that destroyed most of the town, they also blamed destruction and crimes wrought by southern deserters on Sherman’s bummers.
Sherman did not follow any rules of war his policy was “skorched earth”!