The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-06-30
SOUTH CAROLINA.
TRACES OF GEN'L SHERNrAN'S
GREAT MARCH.
What Befell the Southern Athens on the
18th of February,

18th OF February
Correspondents of the New York Hersld]
SILVER HOUSE.
ooLuaDIA, S. G., Jun. 81.
TRAVEL SOUTHWARK.
The journey from Richmond South
ward may be made with no greater de-
lay than that caused by the breaking
down of train, the washing away of a
portion of the track, and an inevitable
stoppage at nightfall, and with no great
er difficulty than the ride of hundred
miles day in a first-class freight car
Progress is slow. Danville may be
reached under the most favorable cir
cumstances in one day. Another day is
required to get over the little link of bad
road, called the Piedmont, to Greensboro,
N. c., forty-eight miles. There is gen.
orally no pretense of connecting trains,
each line running at its convenience or
at the dictation of the military officers.
A third day brings the traveller to Char
lotte, N. c., which, for the present, is to
be considered the end of the line of rail-
way. The roads are very rough and the
cars uncomfortable. There are no eat
ing-houses on the road, and only an oc-
casional withered old negress who brings
what is called u "snack" of corh-bread
and ham, or few blackberries. You
are obliged to stop over at the different
termini, and yet there is not decent or
clean hotel on the route. Your fellow
travellers are, for the greater part, pa
rolled Confederate soldiers, just from
Point Lookout, who are hardly rid of
the dirt and vermin of their prison.
They travel without money generally
begging their living. A stray specula-
tor, sutler, or, perhaps, native, who
has saved little specie, may be found
along. We fail to see how the railroad
companies can pay the expenses of their |
very limited accommodations, notwith- |
standing their charges of from six to ten |
cents per mile.
FROM CHALLOTTE TO COLUMBIA.
At Charlotte the country begins to
show signs Of improvement. The hotels
are not as filthy, the rooms are furnished
with towels. and the beds with coarse
sheets. The tables have, beside, the
usual bacon, heavy biscuit, and an addi-
ton of greens. The armies have not been
and consequently an occasional
egg, or even chicken, may be seen.
Going south we take the train on the
South Carolina Railroad, anda few miles
onward, across the dividing State line,
we alight at the Catawba river, where
The fine six-span bridge has been burned
by the retreating and crazed Wheeler.
From present appearances twillrequire
three months to rebuild it, as they have
neither mechanics nor money. The cor
were obliged to ferry the
stream by skif, and tug their baggage
for mile and a-half, under fierce sun
pouring down his fervent rays to the de-
gree of ninety-six Farenheit, and made
their way to the train for Chester,
South Carolina. Without further mis-
hap than the locomotive becoming
detached from train on steep grade.
we passed over the forty miles the same
er, Sherman s troops desisted from their
work of tearing up the track. We hired
/ country wagon, the only conveyance
70 be found where vehicles and draught
animals have been taken by either army,
for which we were compelled to pay an
enormous sum. At Chester, and all
along the railroad to White Oak Station,
Its present terminus, we found dozens
of damaged locomotives and hundreds
Of cars standing on the side-tracks, hav-
ing been run out of Sherman's way.
The cars are inhabited by the families |
of the employees, whose homes have |
most of them been burned. About two |
hundred negroes and few whites are at |
work repairing the road, but, from the
manner in which 1t was de-
stroyed, they can put down but two
miles week. There is gap of eighty
five miles to close, including several
bridges, so that some time must elapse
before communication can be had with
by rail.
THE TRACK OF sHERMAN's ARMY.
From Blackstock IS station to Columbia,
fifty miles, the country is desolated
tract. The blackened chimneys in hum
1reds stand as monuments of the VEN
geance of Sherman's army upon the enc
my. Hardly house is left standing,
unless it be q little cabin belonging to
some of the poorer people. There were
but few exceptions to the universal de-
VISITATION. Houses and fences were
burned, their contents first being pill
LACED. Money, and jewels, and plate
were eagerly sought, and usually dis
covered in their places of concealment.
At White Oak we found fine large
house, surrounded by elegant grounds,
still standing, and occupied by widow
with very interesting family; and we
found the cause of this exception was
that there being in the family northern
yoverness and teacher whose intercession
had saved the house. There seems in
general to have been stumbling kind
IF Discrimination in the work of destruc-
ton, for though cases are found where Sc
,essionists were spared and UniOnists
suffered, yet in general the judgment of
The troops, aided by the blacks, led them
% deal most severely with the worst
rebels,
The destruction of the railroads Is
and one cannot but be sur
prised at the patience, labor, and inge-
nuity which has been devoted to utterly
destroy the roads, and to render their
repair as difficult as possible. The ties
we're all torn up, and piled at intervals
and fired; across these the rails were
laid, and when at white heat they took
them by the ends, and twined them
round trees and telegraph poles, twisted
hem into spirals, and il some cases
ooped them into masses so large as to
De unwieldy. The rebels had been
obliged to use the rails before by rebend-
ng, but this process was here impossi-
lie; not one IL ten of the rails can be
The railroad company
will have to procure new iron and ties,
8 nothing but the grading remains.
Al Winsboro' rested for the night, :
nd found that there also the principal |
torres and cotton warehouses Had been {