Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-03-18

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Confederate soldiers TO be "murdered."
You characterize your order in proper
terms, for the public voice, even in your
own country, where it seldom dares to ox.
press itself in vindication of truth, honor
or justice, will surely agree with yod in
pronounciDg you gpilty Of murder. il your
order is carried out.
Before dismissing this portion of your
letter, | beg TO assure you for every SOL
dier Of mine "murdered" by you l shall
have executed at once two of yours, Civ
ing, in all cases, preference 10 any officers
who may be in my hands. -
10 reference to the statement you make
regarding the death of your foragers, |
have only to say that know nothing Of
it; that no orders given by me authorize
the killing oi prisoners after capture, and
that do not believe that my men killed
any of yours, except under circumstances
in which it was perfectly Legitimate and
proper they should kill them.
1t is part of the system of the thieves
whom you designate as your foragers, to
fire the dwellings Of those citizens whom
they have robbed.
To check this nnhuman system, which
is justly exeeratcd by every civilized ma
ton, have directed my men to shoot
down all of your men who are caught
burning houses. This order shall remain
in force a, long as you disgrace the pro-
fcsson OF arm by allowing your men to
destroy private dwellings.
You say that cannot, Of course, ques-
ton your right to forage OH the country
"It is right as old as history" do
not, sir, question this right. But there is
a right older even than this, and one more
iuaienable the right that every man has
to defend home and to protec. those who
are derend, Mt upon him aud from my
heart l wish that every old NAH and boy
in my country who can fire gun, would
shoot down, as he would wild b asst, th
men WIN arc desolatpg their land, burn
ing their houses, and in,ulting their wo
men.
You are particular in defining and
claiming war rights May ask If you
enunerate among them the right 10 fire
upon defenseless city without notice, to
burn that city to the ground after it had
been surf ouuded by the authorities, who
claimed, though in vain, that protection
which is always accorded in civilized war
fare TO non combatants to fire the dwell.
ling hou es of citizens after robblrg them
and to pcrpetrate even darker crimes than
tn se-crimcs too black to be mentioned.
You bave permitted, if you have not or
dered, the commission of these off.uses
against humanity and the rules of war
You fred into the city of Columbia with.
out word of warning. Af'er its surrcn.
d by tn Mayor who demanded protcc
Jon 10 private property you laid the whole
city in ashes, leaving amid its ruius thous
ands Of old men and helpless women and
Ell ldren, who are likely t, perish Of STAR
va ion and exposure. Your line of march
can be traced by the lulid light of burning
houses, and in more than one household
there is an agony fur more bitter than o.
death.
The Iudian scalped his victim regard
less OF Sex or age. but with all his Larbar-
'ty he always respected the persons Of his
female cartives. Your soldiers more saw.
age than the Indian, insult these whose
natural protectors are absent.
In conclusion, | have only to request
that whenever you have any Of your men
disposed Of or murdered, for the terms
appear to be Synonymous with you, you
will LET me hear of it, in order that / may
know what action 10 take in the matter.
In the meantime shall hold ffty.six of
yoa' men as hostage, for those whom you
have ordered to be xccutcd.
am yours, &C.,
WADE HAMPTON,