The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-09-19
The Burning Of COlu mbia-Ietter from
Hen. Alfred IIugCr.
CnARLEsroN, S. G., August %.

CHARLESTON, S. G., Angus, %.
To the Editor Of The World: :.
SIR: most unwillingly leave the
retirement and obscurity which old age
and circumstances have provided but a
remark III your paper Of the 18th seems
to demand it. A writer signed s."
replying to au article in Harper's Maga-
inc for August, introduces my name in
these words: 'Thcy must rrfer toAl.
fred Iuger, for many Years postmaster
at Charleston" &C., sc. turn 10 the
Magazine, and to my surprise inl con.
tributor whose purposes and motives it
IS not my business to define, making a
capital out Of 50 barren a subject as my.
self Beginning with the Burning Of
Columbia" and the abuse of General
Hampton, he says: Among others
to whom [ was sent to give assistance
was Mr.. Huger, well-known citizen Of
South Carolina" and then recounts an
elaborate conversation about band Of
thieves, calling themselves Wheeler's
cavalry, &c. !; aud in another part of his
narritavc writes: "When the citizens
OF Columbia begin their Investigations
of the bnrning of that city, and the pll-
laying Of houses and robbing OF citizens,
let them not forget to take the evidence
OF Mr.. Hugcr!" am thus put on the
stand without being consulted, aud shall
commence by saying that If this iidivid
ual or any other was ever sent to my
"assistancc,' the mission has been
strangely disrrgardtd. l never saw such
a person as he claims to be, thong I
was an eyewitness to the burning Of Co
lumbia. never had any such inter.
{ course with any human being in Sher.
W. ls,,,5F, az, ont Of it: and if investi-
cations are made and the evidence -oe
Mr.. Huger is called for, I shall, with a
deep CONSCIOUSNESS Of what is due to
truth, say that, before Almighty God,
all that | saw, all that | heard, all that 1
suffered, all that I believe, is in direct
opposition to what is affirmed by the
writer for Harper's Mngaziue, and for
which he quotes Mr.. Huger as portion
OF his authority; and ask leave to add,
after maturcly rejecting upon the events
of that fearful night, when every feel.
ing of humanity seemed to be ohliteratod
if my "well being" here and hereafter
depended OH the accuracy of my state.
ment, | would say that the precision,
order, method. and discipline which pre-
vailed from the entrance Of the Federal
army to Its departure, could only cma-
hate from military authority. How
could como to any other conclusion,
with the fact, rcgared as indispntable
that tie city was doomed before it was
taken and that, as the trajegy pro-
gressed, everybody saw the pogramme
carried out, as they previously expected
or how am I to believe my own senses
when an'individual, pretending to be an
officer, talks of burning the city, pilla
ging houses, robbing citizens,' &C., ns if
'these" were ualounded charges? Why,
cir. never supposed l was dealt with
more hardly than others. because know
that the "plunder" was universal. Yet,
Mr.. Huger, who is to bear witness for
ono who was sent to assist him, now de-
clares ''that he was mercilessiy robbed !;
that his person was rpllessly violated !;
shat food was taken away from his or.
phan children, aad that his family were
brutally insulted by well.mouuted and
'well-armed men in the uniform of the
United Statesl" For augbt I know, it
may he usual or even necessary to grant
this License, while the denial Is equally
absurd and wicked aud TIE. attempt to
implicate other people is the consuma
ton Of both1 But this is the. end that
such things come to, and the natural
.s33Eonscquence of calling witnesses to prove
wlfat the witnesses themselves know to
be false. ! saw those who were appar
emily plying their vocation deliberately
Get fire to houscs, carrying with them
combustiblc preparations for doing so.
OF the effort made to prevent them I
say nothing, because saw nothing. 1t
gratifies mo, however, to relate this IN.
stance of Kindness. My own house was
about 10 be destroyed by the firing of
an adjoining building. There were two
Western mon looking on-soldlers in the
true sense OF the word, I asked one Of
them ltheir names were Elliott and
Goodman, one from Indiana, the other
from 1owa). "lsave you n family at
home ?" fIe answered YES" ! said
40 him, any family are i'll IN that room ;
have you no thought of your own ?''
The man showed that he had a heart.
and, as the incenaiary moved off to 9TH
er objects, he did assist ME, without be.
ing ''sent," and with my servants and
the only child big enough to HAND "a
q bucket; go saved tho house, with its
helpless inmates, thanks to this good
Samaritan.
My conviction is that Columbia was
cruelty and uselessly sacked and burned
without resistance, after being in COM
plete possession of Gen Sherman's army;
bui who gayotho order to apply tho
tcrcn is not for tho v;cfin,s oiik.a IN