Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-06-07
The Burning of Columbia.

Editors Charleston Neus An erroue.
Gus report, by Northern reporter, of the
fisherman meeting in Columbia" has been
published in the New York World, aud
copied into your columns. As you request
ed-and no one has sent you an account Of
the meeting-I take leave to give you a
correct report.
Upon the Chairman announcing the object
Of the meeting, offered the following pre-.
amble aRd resolutions:
Whereas, Major Gen. w. T. Sherman,
U. S. A, who gained for himself, by his
systematic employment of the torch in the
war upon the Southern people and their
homes, the we'll merited title of the Great
lncendiary, has attempted to shirk the re.
sponsibility of the infamous act of burning
Columbia, after being surrendered to him,
and in the actual occupation of his army !:
Resolced, That committee of twenty.
one citizens, who were present at the confa.
grafton, be appointed to collect afidavits of
evidence thereof and that said afidavits
be deposited among the archives of the city
for future use.
Resolced, That the committee of twenty
one be authorized to prepare carefully
condensed synopsis of the evidence, and
publish it to the world, certified by their
names.
l stated that it would be impossible to
give extensive publicity to the voluminous
evidence which would be collected, but that
o short synopsis would be widely copied by
the press, while the afidavits would be pre-.
served until the proper occasion occurred
for using them in legal point of view.
Col. McMaster objected to the preamble
as prejudging in advance of the collection
of evidence, and said it should be remem.
bered that tie people Of the NORTH looked
upon General Sherman as great soldier and
honor to his country, who had done more
than General Grant to bring the war to a
close that he was entitled to have the ev.
idence against him adduced before con.
demning him.
Mr.. Tallty took similar view, and so
did the Hon. E. j. Arthur, who offered a
substitute, simply proposing a committee, TO
collect testimony and report to subsequent
meeting. Other resolutions to the same
effect were offered by Mr. f. G. De Fon-
taine
Not convinced by the technical objections
of these gentlemen of the bar, l still re.
piled that my object was not discussion on
q matter upon which all agreed; that in
the preamble had simply explained, in a
few words, the object of the meeting /;
that, in stating propositions known and
believed by all of US, did not consider
that was denouucing Gen. Sherman ; that
I thought l was drawing it rather mild on
the Gen. in alluding to him so gently that
the preamble was not absolutely necessary /;
so, for the reason above given, | asked leave
to withdraw it. DR.. ". Reynolds object
ed, but insisted, and it was allowed.
Mr. Arthur's resolution was then adopted,
as follows:
Whereas it is highly important to the
truth of history that the circumstances
attending the destruction of the city of
Columbia, on the 18th of February, 1865,
should be fully and impartially Investigated,
and the evidence in relation thereto colec
TED and perpetuated while the facts are still
fresh 10 the memory Of witnesses; be it
therefore,
Resolved, That a committee of twelve
persons be appointed by the Chairman to
collect the testimony in relation to the de-
struction of Columbia at the time aforesaid,
and report the same to an adjourned meet
ing of the citizens of Columbia and Of Rich
land District, to be called by the chairman
of said committee when he may be prepared
to make such report.
Under the above resolution, the Chair.
man appointed the following named gentle
men Chancellor J. P. Carroll, Hon W.
f. De Saussure, Hon. f. j. Arthur, DR..
John Fisher, DR.. VIM. Reynolds, DR.. D.
H. Trezevant, DR.. A. N. Talley, Prof. W.
J. Rivers, Prof. John LeConte, Col. j. 7.
Sloan and Col. L. D. Childs.
In common with my fellow citizens, am
unwilling that an impression should be
made that "resolutions vindicating Hamp-
ton and indirentlu fasteninp the blame ON