The march through Georgia had then not been made and "Sherman's bummers" were not yet known.
"In and Out of Rebel Prisons"
Lieut. A. [Alonzo] Cooper
On landing, however, I was told by the blacks that two of our "bummers" had been there the day before, and in an altercation with the plantation hands had killed one of them.
"A Narrative of Service with the Third Wisconsin Infantry"
Julian Wisner Hinkley
And it's my opinion there won't be anythin' for you ez long ez you hang around bar-rooms and spend your valooable time with loafers and bummers.
"Mrs. Skaggs's Husbands and Other Stories"
Bret Harte