I suspect that most of them consist chiefly of the fiction added to make the stories better.

In one instance it was reported that a few men of Sherman's army passed a house where they discovered some chickens under the dwelling.

They immediately proceeded to capture them, to add to the army's supplies.

The lady of the house, who happened to be at home, made piteous appeals to have these spared, saying they were a few she had put away to save by permission of other parties who had preceded and who had taken all the others that she had.
The soldiers seemed moved at her appeal; but looking at the chickens again they were tempted and one of them replied: "The rebellion must be suppressed if it takes the last chicken in the Confederacy," and proceeded to appropriate the last one.
Another anecdote characteristic of these times has been told.

The South, prior to the rebellion, kept bloodhounds to pursue runaway slaves who took refuge in the neighboring swamps, and also to hunt convicts.
Orders were issued to kill all these animals as they were met with.