The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-03-06
THE DAILY EMPIRE.
II. Il. ROBINSON,
PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR.


The DesOlatiOn OF BabylOn-Thc
RuinOus Appearance Of Charles
ton.
How shall begin to describe the ruin
that stretches on either hand to the sea- The
great depot was burned long ago, and the
only shelter for all who come aud go. in
the one daily train. is the open sky. have
passed through streets in which there Is lit
orally nothing to he seen in any direction,
but standing skeletons of buildings. brick
walls and tall climneys; stores. churches,
thoaters ami shops swept away. The great
fire consumed four hundred houses and
two hundred have been burned. either by
accident or design, during the war. Not
one has been rebuilt. Rank weeds grow in
the Old cellars and yesterday a gang of
Iaborers were at work digging the grass
from between the paving-stoncs OF u once
crowded thoroughfare. All this, beside the
effect Of the iron rain that fell here for n
year and n half see where the terrible
missiles came plunglng down through
roofs. tearing of elegant cornices and
bending iron fences and gates. Not u
structure has escaped. The POst-ofIicc
looks as Though powder magazine had
exploded in It.
In the upper part of the city an enormous
hole directly through the brick spire of n
church attracted the attention of Que gen-
tlcman of Gir party.
'What made that hole?" he asked.
God or the Yankees" was the answer of
an old woman near by.
climbed through "A shell hole into the
Enclosure Of the church where Calhoun used
to worship and walked over shattered glass
10 rear door. The altar Is gone. the beau
tiful windows OF stained glass behind are In
fragments bomb-shel tore up the seats in
the middle aisle: the whole interior of dark
rich wood is covered with mortar and bro
ken bricks and splintcrs. | never want To
see such sight again.
Governor Rutlcdgc and his daughter
were buried near the door. The graves
were covered with bricks knocked out from
the corner of the building. tablet near
by bore the Inarksof a shot IN long radiat-
ing lines while a few feet distant, on an
other grave, u wreath, placed there long
since by the hand of love, lay whitening
undisturbcd.
We rode around the walls Of the iail-
yard where our prisoners were confined
They bore the marks Of holes made by
hheli--nOw bricked up. Some elegant resi-
denccs fronting the Battery OH Ashley
River are shattered as If by an earthquake
1t was done, ! am told, by the explosion of
a big gun-bqrst pnrposely by the confed-
crates on The day we entered the city. The
roses aud myrtles are blooming In The gar
dens, but ruin sits within. One shell ex-
plodcd In !irc-enginc while the company
were working it, putting out fire. An
other blew up in M old wOman's cook stove |
and scattered her corn-bread dough all !
over the walls, where tle remnants We're |
visible for weeks afterward.
She fortunately lived to tell the story. !
Oneof the first fired fell into throng at
tending slave sale. Three persons were
killed. The sale was postponed.
The warehouses are riddlcd, aud the
wharvcs are empty. In this beautiful har- 4,
Dor counted this morning fifteen vessels |
all told. The burden Of Tyre" is fallen !
here. Neither Is II easy to see what is TO
bring back life again TO this point as a cen |
ter.
The land Of South Carolina lies untitled. !
and the miserable inhabitants Of the few |
shantics we passed In a ride oftwo hundred {
miles as we approached the city, do not
have the air of contributing much TO the
trade of any place. The remnant of the
confederate army, In their gray suits, are
lounging around, flll of cursing and bit
terness against the Yankees, declaring that
now they have made the ''niggers" free,
they may have them; while have seen
many families of blacks sitting under the
storage sheds, and even in the middle of the
walks with few ragged bundles, among
their whole earthly possessions. What Is
to become of them? lie who made them
only knows. There is feeling of hatred
II
tural and one of the most alarming results
of the present critical condition. Some of
those who fled are now returning. The one
passenger car on the train was crowded
with a motley multitude. Clay-eaters,
wounded confederate soldiers, gentlemen
who have applied for pardons, two or three
merchants who have been to New York,
women and children who
had long lost traces Of fashions. and who
had terrible stories TO tell of Shermans
maraudcrs, black-legs, and now and then Il
blue uniform, made such n company as !
never expect TO see again. Theblacks were
In forward caboose-a packed mass of
rags most Of them going they knew not
whittier, bewlldered with the new liberty
OF going
ramble in parts Of the city less touched
by fire and sword, LEFT Impressions scarcely
less melancholy. The great houses all stand
with closed shutters, and have an air rs If
the family had fled from an epidemic. This
Is the case Of the mansion OF SECRETARY"
Trenholm. Tho buildings of the South Car
olina College are vacant. They have not
had u student since April, 1861. The church
where went 10 worship yesterday had
been visited by shot which tore away
both windows Ofthe ycstibulc. Otherwise
the building was whole. For years the
proudest of South Carolina ehivnlry were
here spurred on religiously, with fiery zeal
In tho road they have travelled. Their elo-
qucnt pastor--Alr. Observation-Disclosures IN
southern rights though not In human
rights. The scattering members OF differ
ent churches gather here for the present.
He told them he was going this week 10 at
tend Synod, privilege which had been
'denied him for four years" As we de-
sired 10 attend church In the evening,
gentleman Of the party went out 10 find the
hours of service. Amer long search in
vain for an open cdiilce, he accosted we'll F,
lr,ssnh hlnck man with the nInslinn. !