The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1865-03-09
Il, interesting Letter from Columbia.


written by alady residing in Columbia, and which
contains graphicand truthful account Of the de-
plorabe condition of affairs in that onoe beautiful
city The description here given cannot fail in
terest aud awaken the sympa athics Of our. people
with; the homeless population now lowering around
The smould dering asLes of our fair capital
RUINS OF COLUMBIA, Feb, % 1866.
DsarSgsisaa: You and your interests. have been:
scorchel by the enemy, but our beauti townsand
its homeless people have been truly parehed and
Iwlifhered Only esshen Of enyirons is here's
and a centre of cinders and ashes 55ss sS
s Last Wednesday Beanregard returned from
charleston. He thdug Hardce,s corps, then
'at dngssille and Cheatlam's Division towards
Augusta. could get here We light resist tAesFed
rails. Johnston and Hampton we're also here, md
ready to jlosor die: On Thursday, ut dawn, the
Yankees, then over in Lexington and in sight of:
town. commenced Smelling. The women and
children all scampered towards the Charlotte De-.
pot, that being remote. X X Wheeler's cay
airy begged for provision and clothes; this being
denied, they battered down doors and took what
they-nceded. AT dawn of Friday the Commlssary
stores were thrown open for the poor 1t was not
generally known, until the negroes, with usual
rapacity, took off barrels of rice, four bacon SC.
The stores at the Depot were also opened; but
none knew of powder there, and in the midst Of
progging, there vas terrific explosion, which
drove scores into eternity, principally negroes
At daybreak, Mayor. Goodwin went over with the
- -
whito fag for the Yankees had been kept out all
night, only by burning the bridges over Sauda7
and Cong garee Rivers. We heard, then, their long
roll and for miles along the bank of the rive their
muskets and field pieces cleaned with death. Y,
Beauregard went of, at o'clock, on the Char. r
lotte Road At IL O'clock they had fixed their
pontoons and crossed. Three Union fags were
boisted-one over the Market, Hall, and Uncover.
Janncy's 81 and ,Nickerson's Hotels. Half an hour
afterwards came ye!ls and shouts, and Yankee
Doodle music. Many speculators fools-ha re-
served whiskey, and, twas found by hogsheads'in
abundance Had it been empHed into the CUTTERS
the result might not have been sosfatals to our
doomed city From midday till sunset the troops,
some 10000 in number, were marched up and
down OUT streets. Theysew its beauty yand 'enyied
Sits quiet During the entire day houses were en-
tered, and watches. and money demanded; and at
sunset, the torches Of thcse<civilized sayagcs lit
the town
First the gas-works and four squares of its Vi
cinity. Then Main street, from Cotton Town to
the New State House, with one entire row west of
Main street and three of streets east-alf are
in smould dering embers. Washingt gtonstrect church,
Mr.. Pringlo church the Treasury buildings, eve
ry Bank, the Court House, Jail, Arsenal, State
House, and every store oil, ali, gone. The women
begged that they might be helped to. remove their
furniture, and the answer was, z" Rebcl, let it
burn, The town reminds me ofSthe ruins of
Palmyra and Baalbec.
Tssay the Yankees resisted the entreaties of
mothers They even threw from the heads of
servants, trunks and boxes which. were being car
ricd for their owners. They also entered houses
on Main street, before the FIRE reached them, and
ordered the women and children out that they
might have no Mitnsssas of ;;r rc'.hc-;es. r;'c-
sanosxss uass demand ..,d cc .c:a &c
FsTSmsa aSassa s Il md viiiidsd tho ass
groes, and told them they werc thecursed cause Of
tho war. All of them talked of the glorious
union-tley were .deterninedto restore it to-its
original size: :
While the fire prevailed, they went promiscuous-
Ely into houses and kitchens took provisions and
clothes; asking no leave Of either white or tlack
Their General en- leaving, offered some salt to dis
tribute among sufferers, and gave 100 muskots for
the protection of thestown; of these, 70 We're
spiked or out of order. That was humanity, in
keeping with their general conduct.
They we're here from Friday till Monday noon. 1t
seemed like three weeks. They Shot down pigeons
raced after pigs andsealyes and helped themselves
to allsthe nice wagons and buggies. in townsA
sorry spectacle does the town present, with some,
800 families homeless and without provisions,
camped at the Asylum and Pork, and about the
Streets amid the ruins. 3s;S &
When the last regimentswent Of. many families
who had tkeir interests North or none left here,
went with ter, as if to lengthen tlier triumphal
march. 9
It was said Sherman had four corps along, but
about or.less than 90, 900 were in the Streets
Theft wagon trains we're in splendid keeping, and
they had burned or stolen oil they wanted from!
every plantation within raiding distance Of their
march. While they worked one grist mill.
night and day, and they were busy oil the while Of
thesforges mending wagons dnd making hooks tp
tear up. the railroad. .
Oh! what agony tended sthatage Of misery
Tue time then sped slower than have cyerknewils
Twas alone with my feeble grand father ); but gcd
was good, and Daniel was preseryedi the
midst Of lions. sene previously aubscribcd to-
Reconstruction, .hid ideous brutality must have.
crushed the thought, May our present sorrows:
only, teach US to trust in tGtod who in His own
good time cansaye US from such bitter foes::s "a