The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1865-04-05
THE HORRORS OF WAR.
Extracts from Letters from Correspond
snts with Sherman's Army.

Extracts from Letters from Correspond.
snh with Sherman's Army.
Those who are uDacquainted with the
horrors Of war cannot realize the fearful
suff.rngs it entails on mankind. They
read of it in papers and books, gided
over With all its false glare and strange
fasc;nations, as splendid game Of glori.
Gus battles and triumphs, but close their
eyes 10 iis bloody horrors. The battle
field is to them field Of hopor-p field
of glory, where men resign their lives
amidst the joys Of conquest, hallow the
soldiers CORY couch and light up his
death features with smile. This sounds
we'll ip heroic fiction, but how different
the reality! Could those frcside heroes
but witness battle feld, with its dead
it's dying and its wounded, writhing in
pgoniRipg tortures, or witness the poor
victims under the scalpel knife, with the
field hospital clotted with human gore,
and fpll Of the MANNED bodies and dis.
sected limbs Of their fellow creatures, war
would Jose all its false charms for them,
Could many tender mother see her dar-
ling boy uDcared, pnpitied, without one
kitd hand to stay the yelling blood or
wipe the death damp frpm hia brow,
her gentle, loving heart would break in
one wall Of anguish. War, after all, bas
horrors even greater than the battle field
presents. The death wound is mercy
compared to the slow torture of lanepish
ing in prison houses-living charue
houses Of slow pvtrefactionv-pale, spirit
less, un:ared, unpitied, gasping nnd
groanipg away their lives in hopeless
misery. And then think of the satket
and burned cities; think Of helpless wo
men and children fleeing in terror before
the devouring elements without q homt
10 shelter them; think Of the widows ant
orphans that water their scant breaG
with the tears of sorrow think Of ull tn,
snfferings, misery, ruin, death, war en-
tails on mankind, and you will curse it
authors, and wish tnat God had o. rherwist
chastisc1 His people. Though war may
enrich the Shylock shoddics, paymasters
contractors, and speculative politicians
wh0 sport gorgeous equipagcs and ricl
palaces out Of tho blood OF their country
men, it crushes tho people under il,
wheels, like the car OF Juggernaut, anc
oppress.s the millions with taxation.
oRANoERURa
OranReburg, on the Columbia brancl
Of the Carolina Railroad, 81 miles from
Charleston, and Al from Columbia, hac
been pretty place befors tie war, ant
had population close on 1000. 1t wa
built upon rising bluff, one Of the frs
we pct since we left Savannah. u pos
sessed some historic relics of the Revolu
tionary war. When I reached the cit,
il was in flames. Our men say that the,
found several houses in which cotton va
stored on FIRE when they entered il. b
thi, asit may, the whole town was 1901
in flames, and by the following morning
one heap Of ashes. The tasteful church
Is, with their tall ateeples, and about ft
ty private houses alone escaped. A lars
amount OF cotton was also consumed.
was sad sight next morning to witnes
che smoking ruins Of the town, the tall
back chimneys looking down upon It lik
funeral mutes, and to see the old wome
and children, hopeless, helpless, almos
frenzied, wandering amidst the desolctior
HoRRID SCENES AT COLUMBIA.
Coming on night, our escaped pris
oners, soldiers and negroes, intoxicate
with their new born liberty, which the
looked upon as license to do as The
pleased, were parading the streets 10 iii
tie groups. As soon as night sot in ther
eDsued sad scene indeed The subprb
were first set on FIRE, some assert by III
burning cotton which ,be rebels had nile
along the streets. Pillaging gangs 500
entered the houses, in many instance
c'rrying off articles Of value. The fam
soon burst out in al parts of the city
and the streets were quickly esoRde
with helpless women and childrcn--som
IN their night clothes AgoniSed moth
ers seeking their .children all aifrighte
and terrified. wero rpshiag on all side
from the raging flames and falling houses
invalids had to be dragged from thei
beds, and lay exposed to the aames au
smoke that swep; the streets, or the col
Of the open air in back yards. Ehs seen
at the Convent was sad ono irdeed. :
Che flames were fast encompussiag III
Convent, and the Sisters and about sixt
terri6ed young ladies huddled togstho
on the streets. Some Of these had com
from hc North previous to the war, 70
their education, and we're not able to re
turn. 6ome Ilhtistian people formed
guard around this agqnizcd group oe A
dies and conducted them to ,ho paBk.
crS. HAzKS coATs TO Eul RESCUE.
Toward morning. Gen. HsssD, sho Il,
H.