Bummers [Foragers]
1862-1864
![Bummers [Foragers] by Edwin Forbes, 1862-1864](https://www.thequadro.com/api/storage/artworks/thumb/l/edwin-forbes/edwin-forbes_bummers-foragers_63e59591)
Edwin Forbes captured the gritty reality of Civil War life in this 1862 sketch, depicting a group of Union cavalrymen—slangily known as 'Bummers'—riding past a rustic log cabin. These weren't your typical heroic soldiers; they were foragers and stragglers, often taking supplies from local farms to survive. Forbes, an official artist for the Army of the Potomac, sketched scenes like this right in the field, giving us an unvarnished look at the less glamorous side of war. The loose, energetic lines perfectly convey the movement of the horses and the casual, almost ragtag nature of the riders.
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