The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-06-28
How the State Looks After
Sherman's Harvesting.
The Towns, Cities and Railroads
Ruined, and the People I'm an
Abject State Of Poverty.
THE NEGROES RULING THE COUNTRY.
Amusing Account Of Their Preparations
to Celebrate the Fourth Of July.
Matters Military and Otherwise
at Charleston.

A0CCer6 M1l1Cary ana OCn0rW1S0
at Charleston.
Capture Of the Private Papers Of jeff Davis
and Bcaaregard,
Ae., &s., As.
Our Columbia Correspondence.
CoLUxmA, 8. c., June 81, 1895.
THE DIFFICULTIES ATTENDING TRAvH
through the Southern States greater In South Caro-
lima than in any section have yet visited Tho rail-
roads along the line Of which shermans army marched
completely oberated For eighty miles not a
rge is left with the exception Of the bed of the road and
bent rails From Charlotte, N c., the road is running
y the Catawba river distance Of about thirty miles
this point the railroad bridge consisting Of nine spans,
0As burned by StOnemau. Here the passengers alght
pnA the river in small boat the pontoon bridge
having been carried away by recent freshet walk
Mtwo miles through the brong sun brought us to the
pailroad again, where train in waiting for Chester
vine. To Chesterville, distance Of about forty miles,
both the road and rolling stock in better condition
than any have seen. The in good order, and
the speed double that Of any road in Virginia North
oarona Judging from the receipts the day came
ever It, opine that the stockholders not declaring
very heavy dividends at present The number of paying
assenges four the balance consisting Of paroled
ysbel prisoners
Ten miles beyond Cheserville and eight miles from
Wnnsborough the road terminates leaving thirty eight
miles to Columbia to travel best you can Our mode
q conveyance, and the only available, consisted Of
n old fashioned rebel army wagon, drawn by four
mules For this luxury obliged to pay the
NJ
uts higher account OF having Of the chvsrc
sons Of tho Palmetto State for driver At all events
Ae knows how 70 take advantage Of ones necessities for
- nrs proposed 10 take for ten dollars but finding
therc compe ,ition and that would he COM
peed TO with him remain another day he az once
We felt some slight apprehension taking long
MP through the country unprotected as we learned we
s rumors Of guerilla parties and rowing bards Of rebel
soldiers currcnt but we have reached thus far with
gut diculty adventure Of any kind We have forty
ve miles further Of staging to Orangebug before we can
Agn reach the railroad From there to Charleston there
1no interruption.
General Sherman certainly made clean sweep OF it
through this State Nothing but ruin and desolaton
very side. Houses burned, crops DESTROYED and the
Ahape Of horses mules wagons and stock of all kinds
There may be certain amount OF poetic justice in the
deo that here, where secession first originated, and
where the first shot Of the fred and where
0stance the federal government had been advocated
sr the oua ee Of more s Of the sTuess ssr
oaes but that the war is over and we look about
- at the terrible desolaon existing ON every sde We
eAn but think that though their crime was great, their
panshmsnt has been equally 20.
COLUMBIA.
The once beautiful capital OF South Carolina did
not escape tho avenging hand Of sherman Her beauti
tol blocks Of elegant mansions and public buildings are
n ashes In one night twelve hundred buildings were
DESTROYED and fourteen hundred families made homeless
ttshtyfour squares comprising at least two-thirds
q the city, are In ruins. Probably no city of
With Columbia in beauty or in tho wealth and
refinement OF It's inhabitants. There It's capital and
ers concgaed the ve and chivalry OF the state
All that nature and wealth could do 10 embellish
ond sdon its streets and gardens and TO make arac
kve had been done The streets wide and the walks
2nsd with every variety Of foliage most attractive TO the
S0e Flowers in INFINITE number and variety TO hs
ooen every side while the parks gardens and door
1asds are most tastefally arranged There can be but
work Of our army have taken considerable pains n
Get at the truth Of the matter and 1t is the universal
0hsrmans troops from house TO house with burn
ing torches setting re to them and In many instances
Turning them while Scsapsa ey the amss a. , c,1 On Main
pngle building left standing These were mostly of
brick, while most Of the private residences were built of
wood. Among the buildings saved are the South Caro-
una Institute Young ladies' Seminary churches Insane
Asylum, the elegant residence Of General Wade Hamp-
eOn together with quite number of private residences
TIE NHAmrANTs,
from the highest to the lowest today in the most
INFECT state Of poverty. They have neither provisions
the wherewith 10 obtain them, People who occupy
elegant mansions and who, few weeks since, we're
worth their Thousands, are now pennloss and without
lhe means Of buying the actual necessaries of life
Money, there Is none with the exception ofa little put
n circulation by the officers and soldiers OF the garrison
In talking with the citizens find them generally
ready and willing 10 submit 10 the necessities OF the case
bat without any abandonment of the principles Of State
lights for which they have been conendng They say
1--WE compelled TO abandon the for the present,
put hate you, and always shall continue TO do So
addition 70 the hatred Of the Yankees they now seem
cooIt hafr TN r1q tla
negroes have all learned that they free, and ~ Is
usually the at first, most Of them stopped work,
both on the plantations and In the city, and con-
6regated In large numbers at Columbia As there
Pre- In South Carolina more than double the
,nS e1mSer - OF negroes than white people was
orougn the country 10 preserve order Lieutenant Col
Snel Haushton commanding the Twenty NTH Ohio Vol
sneeer was accordingly sent to Columbia for this pur
pose Upon arriving near the town he found the
loads and streets Of the city blocked up with negroes
he next morning he sent and aestcd all the able
bodied male negroes and them TO work clearing the
rubbish from the burned district They worxed ali day
70 eat bu such was not the 6ooncis plan He allowed
shem 70 80 hungry, and IN the morning not a negro
eosld be found All Of them returned TO their homes,
elaA 70 90 10 work again An order then issued re-
6niring owners Of slaves to call them up aud tell them
6hsy free advising them TO continue their worl
with the understanding that they should share cro
yhen harvested but notifying all those who wished 20
)eAve that they at liberty 10 do Many took
tansse q .hs offer and lc and have since been roam
demand, and their only method Of obtain
ine a living this year is by remaining with
ther former masters who compelled TO keep them
ehey wish 10 remain The Southern planters generally
ny that with the exception Of the loss In property in
negroes and The unsettled sate OF Affairs which the free
lnG Of largo body win naturally produce, they will
y better on with fee labor than slave they contend
at tho only Of pront In the State from slavery
Mght Of property In them they win then have maay
more IN the stass than they can possibly use o advan
hga
rm son or sovrs cARorlxA
proves0aliy tho poorest In tho South No effort has
DseA made 70 recupcrate, but after has become ex
hausted by the continuous raising Of cotton has been
nloved 70 60 toyaste and ground cleared up II
- been the policy of the planter 10 clear much land
pOssibs, rase al the cotton and negroes he could In
NV years. and after the soil become exhausted, hs
would 10 hch enough 70 emigvate 70 Louisiana some
fhds Wggern statS shd npy nsw anA larger plantation
o1eDo thers - hnnA - ss>een q eeseegnones