, 1865-03-14

Sights and scenes In Columbia on
His Arrival,
Union Prisoners Singing with IRE
mendous Energy.
Correspondence Of the Richmond W'his.}

CHARLo1TE, Feb. = 1865.
Time has sufficiently quieted our nerve
and restored q healthy. circulation, to cnabl'
one to narTate consistent story Of the rroub
1ors hours through which ne of Columbia hay.
been led during the past week.
Shclnan's adyaI1ce on Columbia was unex
pected. Sudden as surprising, 1t found al
unpreFared for the events which followed
and few cool enough In the crisis to yield t
any other than the bent Of the first impulse
u.ncc hundreds are to-day exiles from homs
who Tou1d give almost their all to be safel,
back. They have learned that being retrsee
dent pay.
/ otungebureh and K1ngsvIllc were supposed
to be the highest points northward' on that
line at which Sherman would strike. Tht
people who planned his campaign thought
from thence be would branch ufr toward
Cha1aw ard Fayetteville, leaving Columbis
untouched. -Four days dispcl}cd the illusion
Our troops fell back until the sounds OF can
non rcvcI besated through the city. Then
public officers for the first time began to thtnI
instructions trc m Richmond had left many o
them no other discretion. HuIry, excitement
and some confusion became the order Of the
day. Eyersbody public and pirate. wanted
Q car. The President of the Charlotte &
South Carolina Railroad, Colonel William
agent Of transportation, and his aids, now
bent their energies Ia the Hetcnlean
task before them. and accomplished all that
men could do. The trains from the South
Carolina and Greenyille reads we're run up N
the Charlotte track, filled and hurried away
TO rctu.n and fill again. Engines shrleked
their signal notes, morning, noon and night,
crowded With goods Of every description.
Passenger trains were thronged, ladiea aud
families, in their flight UNDERGOING the most
gtityous tcTmeuts Of travel 10 escape from
what they believed was q doomed city. The
city Iesounded with the rumble OF Thousand
funnel out Of which It was to be discharged.
Horses, wagons, negroes, everything that
could aid in the removal Of D. OperfY, was
Brought into 1equlsitton, and between force
and persuasion, an immense amount Of lnbnr
was systematically, sel'lsl'y znd judlciously
BY Wednesday night the tide was at It's
height. The enemy we're within three miles.
TIE little army IN their front had given back
step by step until, aanked out Of the fortifl.
cations On the opposite side Of the Congarce.
they retired to the limits Of the city itself,
where q line Of battle again reformed. Three
or four shells thrown aI The bridge increased
The popular agitation until 1t became fever.
TIE stores were closed. Militia 1nd detailed
men were at the fr.nt- Army trains becan
to move through. and the truth at last flashed
upon the minds of all that Columbia must in
cyitat,y be cyacuated. Few slept soundly In
their BEDS during the night that followed.
Thursday, the 18th, the enemy opened on
the city with shells. Some damage WIS done,
but feF casualties are reported. The State
House, Nickerson's Hotel, South Caro|;niua
office, together With some private residences,
were Fcid an iron compliment, and the In.
mates evacuated without the usual polite
lormalttirs Of leaye-takipg. Still the work
OF removal went bravely forward, and vast
amount was accomplished. The time was TOO
b;ief, however, to do all and hundreds Of
thousands Of dollars worth Of public and
private property remained In and about the
Depot, as prey to the Yankee torch and pill
fcrer.
The worst future of the entire scene oc-
cured on the day Of which write. A party
Of Wheelet'3 cavalry, accompanied by thcir
officers, dashed into town, tied their horses,
and, as systematically as il they had been
bred to the business, proceeded to break into
the stores along Main street and rot them Of
their contents A detachment of detailed
men fired on one party and drove them out.
Captain Hamilton, the Provost Marshal, with
another officer, crew swords aud pistols on
another par ty, and succe cded in clearing sew
c,al establishments; but the valiant. raiders
twaImed Ike locqsts, and today, d hundred
miles away from Columbia, you may sec men
smoking the cigars and wearing on their sad
dies the elegant cloths stolen tiom the mer-
chants Ct that city. 1t is said that two of
the "caralry" drew pistols On General Hamp-
ton, who was attempting to protect store,
and th,catt ned his life.
Under these circumstances, you may we'll
imapine that Our people would rather SEE tho
Yankees CT CID Satan himself than party OF
the aforesaid Wheelcr's cavalry. The bafba.
rifles committed by some Of them are repre-
sented to be frighifnf, "life, liberty, and the
pursuit Of happine=s" being perfectly incom-
pasible with their presence.
Common rumor says that Sherman's treat
ment Of citizens and private property was
uniformly icnient and concillatory. Els head
quarters were at Nick erson's Hotel.
The scenes up the railroad may be briefly
described. Crowds at every depot seeking
tlmpura'y shelter; some getting of, more
getting on; twenty trains laundering one
after lhc other in quick succe sson; SCREAM
men, families travelling in box cars among
piles Of bacon, salt, bandboxes, trunks and
tcd-c1othes; q break down near W!nsboro;
engine oil the track; ten hours delay; enc
my reported coming; moro CONSERVATION q
long night no wood, no wafer, no breakfast;
ten carloads of ladies Of the Treasury Depart.
ment, in most unattractivs morning disa16M-,
shivering about in The red, nluclIiaginous
mud ten or twelve carloads Of Yankee pris-
oncrs just ahead, likewise at dead halt, the
guard around their camp fires, and the indi-
vidnals Of q cerlllean aspect singing with tre~
mendous energy Union songs still ahead, the
section masters and brickiayers, with q gang
Of laborers repairing the road and b :lding
Fost mo1tem examinations over the remains
Of o desert epgine-Rnnlly, q run back three
miles, filling Of tanks, fresh start, and a.
rival at Charlotte. There an avalanche upon
the good people, an appeal to hospitality
which is most warmly Needed, and gradual
sinmering down Of ali tbs clemeu1s 10 agita-
ton. Such, in b,ief, is the history Of our
eyacua ton Of Columbia.