Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-01
'Auasts Ton e"fts-p'''ls"ts 70 Hs" iV'@ "''''F'

0urning OF Ceium bta Coudittoa
and views OF the People.
Extracts from Correspondence 10 ssw YORK World
THE rRAcr OF sHtHrlSs AMY.
From Biackstocks station TO Columbia. Giiy
miles the country i a desolated track. The
blaekencd chimneys 10 hundreds stand ~ monu
m.uts Of the vengeance Of sherman's army upon
the enemy. Hardly q house i len standing
unless IL be little cabin belonging 20 some OF
the poorer people. There were but Few sxcsp-
lions % the universal devastation. Houses aud
fences we're burned, their contents first being pill
iaged Money, and Jewels, and plate we're
eagerly sought, and usually discovered IN their
places OF coneealment. At White Oak We
found a fae large house. surrounded by elegant
grounds, still standing. and occupied by widow
with = very interesting family; and we found the
caUse OF this exception Was there being 10
the family q northern goyerness ard teacher
whose intercesson had saved the house. There
seems IN general 20 have been stumbling kind
Of discrimination in the work OF destruction, tor
though cases are found where secessionists we're
spared and Unions.s suffered. yet IN general the
judgment Of the troops. aided by the blacks, led
them 10 deal very severely with the worst
rebels.
The destruction Of the railroads Is vonderiul
and one cannot be but surprised at the patience,
labor, and ingenuity which has been devoted to
utterly destroy the roads. aud to render their re
pair difficult as possible. The ties were all
torn up. and piled at intervals and fired; across
these the rails were laid, and when at white
heat they took them by the ends, and twined
them round trees and telegraph poles, twisted
them into spiras. and in some cases loopei them
into masses so large as 10 be unwieldy. The
rebels had been obliged 10 Use the rails before
by rebending, but this process was mere impos
sible; not one in ten Of the rails can be straigh
tened The railroad company will have to pro-
cure new iron and ties, as nothing but the grad
ing remains.
At Winsboro We rested for the night. aud
found that there also the principal stores aud
cotton warehouses had been burned. From this
point to Columbia the country is laid waste.
There is an entire absence of men, women,
horses and cattle The inhabitants have fed
from the scene of their former pursuits. there
being no longer anything on whicnTo live.
THE BURNING or COLUMBIA.
Columbia ia now an area of ruins and rubbish
The heart of the city is burned out including all
the business portion and much of that devoted
TO private residences Two hundred acres oil
blsckened bricks and crumbling walls now oc-
cupy the place of the fine stores and palatial
licences of the city. Eighty four squares. or
twelve hundred houses. were destroyed in the
eonfagration-fourteen hundred families rem
utfeu uOuletc6s ltnulttS- All tue puDue
buildings. manu- factories, depots and shops, OF
which there were many. are now completely de
str0yed
The origin Of the fire. although made the sub
iect of sharp correspondence between General
SHERMAN and General Wheeler, and has been
much discussed since is by no means settled
Shernsn's troops appeared on the opposite bank
Of the Congaree river quite Unexpectedly, aud
although General Wheeler had no force to resist
- -. - 4
elected TO order the evacuation of the city until
actually driven out of town. In the twenty four
hours occupied by Sherman in bringing his forces
up, much of the provisions and medicines as
could be gotten of by rail were taken to Chester
and Newberry. The cotton was placed in the
street and fired an hour after our forces enteret
the city by pontoons IL is not established
whether the city did burn from this fire or ont
independently started by our troops 1t is quit,
certain that our officers, including General Sher
man himself. ordered and endeavored to put tn,
FIRE out. A high wind arose about that time
and il il proved that houses fired by tht
smouldering flakes of cotton as they fell on the
roofs IL is also quite as certain that our troops
carried brands from house to house, pillaginE
and firing them. and taunting the terror stricken
inhabitants. In fact the soldiers had found larg,
quantities of liquor The COnfederacy had
distillery for producing medical stimulants in tn,
tltl utuuhCu huu tOOpS Dc
came wild and shameless, and converted thu
streets of the place for that day into pandemo
mum of rapne, fire and horror IL Is but just Il
say that W heelers men had commenced the orgit
the previous night, and everything seems to hav,
favored the terrible corfagration and demorali
ration.
SAcKISG CITY
The sack of Columbia was one of the mos
fearful and at the same time one Of the mos
shameful scenes of this war, and spproache
more nearly = the description of the famous
savages OF Europe during the past four centuries
There have besn many stories Circulated con
corning il. purporting TO be told by eve wit
nesses. which should be received with caution
FOR there were not fifty white men remaining in
the city when our forces entered: all had fled
except the women, children and negroes. Some
thing OF the CONSERVATION may be ina gineC
when the flames were roaring aud cracking
from house to house aud from street to street
the women and children rushing franticall,
about with such articles as they deemed mos
useful and most valuable ia their arms The
soldiers jeered tho poor women--the more re
fined the more bitter-with such words AZ these
How are you. South Carollnvf" Good bye
Columbia" We're firing the Southern hear
how do you like ~" aud many more indecent
indignities
la the vast exodus which had tax en place lfou
Missis sipp. Alabama. Louisiana aud Georgia
before sherman, much of the plate and specie
had been brought % Columbia for safe eeping
AZ Il was properly considered TO be place caps
BILE of excellent defense. aud the Southefnefs. Al
we'll "a General sherman, expected there woai,
be a hatd hght for tie possession All ~ lhi
plate and vaasblea the populacs buried, most .
u unskiilfully, and our troops having had 70
mafksble training ~ uneafthing such things
seoa discovered iets of u. Gardens were probes
ell over With famfodt cellars we're mined ani
Ysfis ditshej. aud estetns drained Ia ell difee
lions Ia some eases men we're tied up by lh'
thumbs and hung OF bf The neck 10 make lhen
reveal Women aud negroes had pistols held q
iheit iagehesda and breasts ~ iofee them 10 eon
feail0a hlFalagem aud iafpa wefe both use,l
The soldiers claimed 10 have OWNING to'
Witch would ihlsllblf nelnl out the treasure
shd 90 urged The people o. toll where theft val
usblss wefs concealed, Wafse than tha, hel
aad ssea women wsfs stripped ~ their Watches
nnas and jewels IN the streets, Ona felo-
boasted that 30 bad eny tartf i've gold watches
aad he dus weFk vM not half done funl
lufe We smashed % pleeaa aud apparel tippe'
snd tossed % the ave stiekeu blacks All thl
provisions eFepuipassly scattered abroad,
tus slosg AN tas au.as 90 ~
feF whule dai the work of ravage and pit
lage ssni on, aud night closed upun huld %
bstihs and smaulasslas fsnalns The mal
seFs augofefuable iFum dliek aud lfam pfetl
aus license There we're few " any eases at 20
eallaI personal outrage, though i've women dIed
~ fright The olhgefs, Ia some Eases, mad.
noted aud sugaeasl4t iufeflafanaa IA slu. 60.