Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-04-07
The DesoIaIlon 81 south Car0I-

ltiom IN o Richmond Sentinel, MA ch 90
General Sherman has accomplished biz
purpose OF makiuR South Carolina a waste
n His march from Savannah TO Branchvlle, and
thence to Columbia, Wihnsboro and Cheraw
was marked, tbroughA wide belt OF country
by fire aud rapine, The beautiful city OF Co
lumbiR no longer exists 1t is a mass of
chsrred Observation-Disclosures buried in ashes.
A few struggling buildings stand here and
there, to disclose where the city once stood.
The State house was burned TO the ground,
the asworks blown up, the main street ex-
tending for more than a mile, and, for the
most part, closely built up, has but one snl all
building left The Courthouse, with its rec
ords, has disappeared, the Town Hall aud
market, the banks ard four churches are gone
| OF the square east Of the main street, some
are entirely desolated; others only in part
Ephty.fOnr blocks 10 the city were burned
aud Columbia is Palmyra in the desert.
All provisions we're seized, used or destroy
ed the stores were broken open, pillaged and
then burned What the soldiers could not
carry of was given to the negroes. They
felt with their bayonet diligently in the gar
den, and dug up what was buried. All the
horses aud mules were carried of and ths
carriages destroyed Brutal, drunken soldiers
entered every house in search Of silver and
ljewelry, and took them by violence aud Insult
General Sherman seems emulous Of the ion.
mortality which circles with halo ofinlamy,
the names Of AttillA and Timour the Tartar,
and the Russian Haynau, in Poland. He has
achieved the distinction of being classed
among the monsters of the human race.
Some others were polite, and expressed
sympathy they pretended that the conhagra-
ton was accidental--Ihat it went beyond the
original purposes, and was the act Of their
drunken soldiers The evidence demonstrates
that this is false pretense, and that the city,
was deliberately given up to be sacked. When
the work bad been accomplished, few notes
Of the bugle called in the mArauding bands,
and quiet was restored forthwith
General Sherman left few starved cattle,
as present to the citizens. They we're TOO
poor and feeble to follow the army. One of
the ladies said to General Francis Preston
Blair, is this the way you war l thought
legitimate war was by army against army
but you war upon women and children,
and inhict infinite injury and distress upon
non u.combatAnts" '"aadam," he replied 1--WE
came here 10 produce distress. Your men
6ght bravely, aud the war would be ntermina.
bic II II was to be fought out in regular cam.
Pe'Eu0' " U VIZ uuOP' hHoiN uuA
speedier course. We viii exhaust your coun
try, consume your substance, destroy your
means Of au bsstence, shut up your ports, in
terrupt your railroads, render your transpor.
tation difficult, aud the supplies to your army
impossible. THIS is mercy TO you, for il will
shorten the war
The accumulation Of refugees had made
Columbia populous city with its suburbs il
had about twenty-five thousand inhabitants.
These have dwindled to few thousands, who
creep amid the ruins to the Provost Marshafs
Office and get tickets, with which they proceed
to the provision depot and get a ration-a
pound Of beef and pint Of meal The poor
receive this allowance gratis Such as are
able to pay give two dollars for a ration.
This is faint picture Of the present condi.
tion of Columbia. The usual coucomitants
of great calamity are not wanting The
Generalization Of the lower class is alarming.
All ideas Of meum and tuum 9re lost, as
when a ship is about to be wrecked, or tbs
plague desolstes a city. Alas for the beauti-s
ful capital of the Palmetto State, crushed by
the Modern Hunt