The New York herald., 1865-03-26
The Des0la tion or South Carolfn q.
IErom the Richmond Sentinel March ~

From the Richmond Sentinel March ~
General Sherman has mptished his pu making
South Carolina His march from Savannah TO
Branchyille and thence to Columbia winnsboro and
Chcraw, was marked, Mr~gh a wide 6E Of count v by
fire and rapne The beautiful city OF Columbia no longer
exists II Is mass OF charred ruins-Herculaneum
buried In ashes. few sraggling buildings remain here
and there TO disclose where the city stood Tn,
State House was burned 10 the ground the gus works
blown up the main street, extending for more than
small building left The Court House. with lis records
has Disappeared the town hall and market, the banks
and four churches are gone or the east OF the
main street some are entirely destroyed others only
part Eghty.four blocks in the city burned, and
Columbia IL Palmyra In the desert
All provisions were cred, used or destroyed; the
stores broken OPEN pilaged and then burnt What
the soldiers cord not on given 10 the
They felt with their bayonets diligently in the gardens
md dug up what was buried All the horses and mules
were carried on and the carriages destroyed Brutal,
drunken soldiers entered every house search OF silver
and jcwery and took them by violence and insult Gen.
Sherman seems emulous OF the Immortality which circles
with halo OF inamy, the names OF Atua and Tmour,
the Tartar and the Russian Haynau in Poland He has
achieved the distinction OF being classed among the
monsters OF the human race.
Some officers polite and expressed sympathy
they pretended that the confagraton accidental
that went beyond the original purposf s. and the
act Of their drunken soldiers The evidence demon
that this is false preence and that the city wss elbe
rateIy given up TO be sacked When the had been
accomplished, few notes Of the bugls called in the
marauding bands and quiet was restored forthwith.
General Sherman left few starved cattle present
to the citizens They poor feeble follow
the army. One Of the ladies' said q neral Francis
lrton blalf rs thiR the way you VAR thought ic-
gitimate war by army against army but you war
upon women and children, and nnct Infinite injury and
dis ross upon helpless non comhatantsn "Msdam, ho
replied, I'VE came here to produce distress Your
fight brayely and the would he niormnabc, II 10
be fought out In regular campaigns We will adopt n
and speed er course we will exhaust your
country, consume your substance, destroy
OF subsistence, shut up your ports, interrupt your
railroads, render transportation difficult and the
supplies TO your armies impossible This * mercy
to you, for IL will shorten the war; The
mutation OF refugees had made Columbia popuous city;
with i,s suburbs u had about twenty Eve thousand inhab
iians These have dwindcd 10 "A fsw thousand who
creep amidst the ruins 10 the office Of the Provost Mar
sa and get tickets with which they proceed to the pro-
VISION depot and get ration-a pound OF beef and
pint OF meal The poor receive this allowance gratis.
such Gs are able To pay give two dollars for ration.
This Is faint picture OF the present condition Of Co
lumbia. The usual tants Of great calamity are
not wanting The decentralization of the lower classes Il
alarming All ideas OF mum, and t,tni lost, when
sh II about 10 b. wrecked, the plague dcsoates
city. Alas, for the beautiful capital Of the Palmetto
State crushed BY the Modern Hum