Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-30
The DesoIalion Of sop1h oaroItna.

LHiom the nlCuUOuu DehNluel, mhTGl
General Sherman has accomplished his
purpose of making South Carolina waste.
HIS march from Savannah to Brsnchville,
and thence TO Columbia, Winnsboro and
Ohersw, was marked, through wide belt
of country, by FIRE and rapine, The beau
tiful city of Columbia no longer exists. II
is mass Of charred IuiDs-Herculsneum
buried in ashes. A few Struggling build
ings remain here and there to disclose
where the city once stood. The State
House was burned to the ground, the gas
works blown up, the main street, extending
for more than mile, and for the most part
closely built up, has but one small building
left. The Court House, with its record s,
has disappeared; the town hall and mar
ket, the banks snd four churches are gone.
OF the squares east of the main street some
are entirely destroyed others only in part.
Eighty-four blocks in the city were burned,
and Columbia is Palmyra in the desert.
Ali provisions were seized, used or des-
troyed; the stores were broken open, pill
lsged and then burnt. What the soldiers
could not carry off was given TO the negroes.
They felt with their bsyonets diligently in
the gardens, and dug up what was buried.
All the horses and mules were carried off
snd the carriages destroyed. Brutal, drunk
en- soldiers entered every house in search
of silver and jewelry, aud took them by
violence and insult. Gen. Sherman seems
emulous Of the Immortality which circles,
with halo Of infamy, the names Of Attila
and Timour the Tartar, and the Austrian
Hsynsu, in Poland. He has achieved the
HiefTnnffnu n haTror olaaead h.
monsters Of the human race.
Some officers we're polite and express ed
sympathy they pretended that the coDfi4-
grafton was accidental-that it wenl be-
yond the original purposes, and WAS the act
Of their drunken soldiers. The evidence
demonstrates that this ia false pretence,
and that the city was deliberately given up
to be sacked. When the work had been
accomplished, a few notes of the bugle
called in the marsuding bands and quiet
was restored forthwith.
General Sherman left few starved cat
tie IS present TO the citizens. They
we're too poor and feebleto follow the army.
One of the ladies said to General Francis
Preston Blair, dis this the way you war
l thought legitimate war was by army
against army; but you war upon women
and children, and infict infinite injury and
distress upon helpless non-eom bstsnts."
MADAM" he replied, 1--WE came here to
produce distress. Your men fight bravely,
and the war would be interminsble if to be
fought out in regular campaigns We will
adopt more sure and & speedier course.
We will exhaust your country, consume
your substance, destroy your means of sub
sistanee shut up your ports, interrupt
your railroads, render transportation diff.
cult and the supplies to your armies impos-
slble. This is mercy to you, for it will
shorten the war" The accumulation of
refugees had made Columbia a populous
city with its suburbs and it had about
twenty five thousand inhabitants. These
have dWindled to few thousand, who
creep amidst the ruins to the office of the
Provost MNshal and get tickets with !
which they proceed 10 the provision depot !
and get ration-A pound of beef and q |
Dnt of meal. The poor receive this allow !
ince gratis. Such as are able to pay give
Two dollars for ration This is faint |
picture of the present condition of Colum- !
bis. The usual concomitants of q great c. |
amity are not wanting. The demoraliza-
ion of the lower classes is alarming. All !
deas of n1e1n and tttkl are lost, as when |
ship is sbout to be wrecked, or theplsgue |
lesolstes city. Alas, for the besutiful |
capital of the Palmetto State crushed by |
he Modern Hunt