Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1865-03-29

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YORK WILLIE SOUTH GA
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I Church, all else Is rruiinsEfaing nc, monuments ID
Of -desolation and woe, picture dismal be.
yond description -heartrending beyond ut
terance. EE7-' -.4.s'' So -. s
AS you look k.up and down the banks ot
fthe river the scene:repests itself. But how
shall 1 describe thsEpiceure which is unfold
ed, while ascending the hill intothe oCity
of Flowers and Seminaries.~ Theycrumb.
/, ling walls, blackened by fire and broken by
heat, mark the spot Of the more substantial
buildings; while thered earth looks asst
baked and swept where the frailer ,tene.
ments of wood once stood Every species
Of tools, implements andmaahinery, articles
of husbandry and domestic utensils; andlo-
comotives are burnt, and blown up with
powder. Printing and roller presses, and
all else formed sofsiron and moulded from
brass were burned by FIRE, and systematical.
;ly and thoroughly broken by the elab, axe
OF hammer, and are strsRnty your side and
beneath your feet. cButthe climax is.only
visible when you reach Richardson,or Main
street, in front of the new capitol: Behind
you. and'around you, up the street for moro
than one and a quarter miles as far as the
eye can reach, on the@nght hand, four
squares deep, and on your left; tgo as first
and then one square deep, faroutsto the ex-
ytremiy of Gotten Town, three ,hundred
acres which had been oompaetly built npon
dies before you utterly dssolatediby fire.
The picture issagains reproduced Jas you look,
out from beyond Col. Preston s. house on
either side Of the Gharlntts Railroad, and
before you, as farcas visible. :. ~ sssS = 8.
: From all T eau. learn, the whole matter
was-deliberately planned, methodicalfy ar,
ranged, and perfectly executed. The ff-
teenth and seventeenth corps entered the,
toBn=-tha former, commanded BY General
Logan, who had his headquarters at Colonel
Preston,s mansion; the latter oommandsd
by General e. P. Blair, T., having his
headquarters at the Shiyer. House; while
General Sherman, cohmander.in. Chief, had
his headquarters'at Colonel Duncan'sre
dence. After the troops had entered the
town aud stacked arhus, three iocketslwefe
thrown up-thsfrst white, the seooad blue,
the third .reds From the firing of the third
rocket, a FuRLOUGH OF FTHIRTY:SIX
HOURS WAS; GRANTED, BY ORDER
OF THE C0MdANDIN NG GENERAL,
TO THE TROOPS WITHIN THEGITY
and with this furlough commenced scenes
as ,barbarous ashave ever ,disgraaed the al.
,nats of modern history, Whetherin :Spain,
or POLAND, or among the wild tribes ofsour
OWN continent. The city was fred i1 hun
dreds of. places at the same time: Matches
in lunches, turpentine, tow, and phospho.
rms had been amply provided and duly dis
tributed.< Officers, disguised rs common
soldiers, went about participating in the
deeds, and on two occasions, when attempt
ing to sack houses occupied by their fellow
officers, were compelled to- disclose them-
selves and the General in: Chief walked
the streets during this carnival of violence
and FIRE, as q yquietwitness, beyond doubt
content, hoping fi.E; -%s ~
'.-s'to wade through slaughter to q throne, -,
Ny-s And shut The gates Of mercy on mankind"
Every imaginable crime and violence was.
committed: a lady, whilst giving birth. to,
child, was forced upon q rude litter, and
carried into the streets, aud the house
plundered, fred and burned. '"'5' :
- The granddaughter Of an old United
States naval officer plead. for the house that
sheltered her grand. mother, bed-riddep for
twelve years, and her paraiytic father, say;
,ing5to the foremost of the gang that enter
ed, thaye you no father T. have you no.
grand. mother /? This is our all, and this is
the whole Of our family. :" The leader 4
more tender than the rest, said, ayes-gets
my matches" He who followed next, /
rushed past him, scattered phosphprls g.
round the bed of the aged, deorepid grand.
parent, and it was with difficulty that. the
lady saved the lives of the dear ones:-lo-
sing all else beside. They are now home
less, houseless aud penuilsss ~ .
No place was respected. The Masonic
Hall was 'riasd and its regalia worn by the.
vandals whilst in their assigned work.
None too sacred, Thea Convent was pilaged,
plundered and burned, and theresidence
Of the priest shared the same fate:1 Pro.
testantichurches were robbed Of their SER
vice, all O. them save one fred, all Of them
save two, barned:& But'why multiply these
details. Erough--and that s;ckening
and heart rendipg--.is already known
and published; and besides, I know that
competent heads and honest hearts are en-
gaged,in collecting and authenticating all
facts, and willshortls publish in, due. form
to the world, these exploits of William Te
camseh Sherman, Major General command
ing, and the selected 18th and Hth corps
of his Uniou.saVing, and Flag-preserying
army. = -H1 = = y
After this work of barbarity had pro-
gressed to the point where it now stands,
reverend gentleman waited upon General.
Sherman, and stated that he had
beard that the remainder of the city waste
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