Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1861-11-29
BEAUFORT PLUNDERED BY THE Me-
GROES,

....-. GROES.,
The South Carolinians have had the
rare justice to acknowledge the fact that
Beaufort was plundered by their own ne
groes, after the whites had fed, instead
Of laying the guilt of it upon the Yankee
invaders. A letter from Port Royal, da-
ted the 18th, confirms this statement
"No sooner had we put foot on shore
at Beaufort, than the melancholy exper-
fences Of the day began. A warehouse on
the wharf had been broken in and its con-
tents pillaged the relics of stores of food
were strewn around, empty barrels, broken
doors and windows, cases of liquor, oils
ovcrset, and wanton destruction of every
sort perpetrated npon the property, and
this was but sample of what We were
destined to meet at every step. All the
shops and stores were riAed; the post
Office despoiled and on the doorstcps some
fragments only told what once had been
written. Not white man was to be seen,
beside those of our own party. Capt.
Rogers of the Wabash Immediately dis
tributed his men around so as to guard
against surprise, and gave strict orders
that not an article should be removed
from the village. The negroes whom we
had seen before landing had got away
with their plumber, but other groups
lounged around, touching their hats to us
or in default Of hats, pulling their shaggy
wool and seemed anxious to talk. We
asked where were the white people: "All
gone, massa, gone the day Of the fight,
left we behind" Their story was uni.
form. Their masters had fed with the
greatest precipitation SO soon as the firing
commenced at Port Royal Some indeed
had left even earlier, but not one now re-
NAMED They had endeavored to per-
suade or force the blacks to accompany
them, but in vain. The negroes had re-
manned, and others had come from the
surrounding country, and an indiscrimir-
ate pillage of the town had taken place.
The testimony of the blacks was unani-
nous that the ringers" were robbiug
and destroying everything they could lay
their hands on. until on the 10th, Capt.
Ammen of the Seneca had arrived, and
his officers threatened to shoot them unless
they dcsisted. Again and again, men,
women and children were asked in my
hearing, by Commodore Dupont, by Gen.
Sherman and others, who had committed
the ravages we saw again and again they
answered, the blacks, Twenty different
times myself asked as many different
negroes, who had stopped the outrages,'
and invariably they told me the Yankees"
Many Of the officers went into houses
of their friends some into mansions, even,
where they had dined and slept in other
days. Mr.. Nat Heyward's house was one
of the finest VIC entered another was that
of Edward Rbett where Barnwell Rhett
himself had often resided. There seemed
a retributive justice in the fate that rested
upon the dwelling Of this arch rebel the
slave property on whose account he had
endeavored to overturn his government,
was not only become worthless, but abso.
lutely an active and destroying force d.
rected against his own home; and that
too, without any instigation or even ap-
probation from Union troops. Entirely
of their own accord have the negroes per-
petrated these enormities. We look
through the rooms, 50 ruthlessly devasted,
and so sadly changed. out on the luxuri.
antgardens, blooming with tropical plants,
and redolent with unfamiliar fragrance,
we saw the November sun shining on a
landscape as warm and genial as our
northern fields in June, and thought how
miserably and speedily has come the pun
ishmeDt Of those who had planned and
perpetrated the great rebellion" ~ u.