The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-05-08
The Burning OF Columbia.


the United States Senate:
The solemn denial by the Carolina
General Of the foul and slanderous
accusation brought against him, and
the retorting of the charge upon
Sherman himself, are now first pub
ished III !. form that will command
public attention, and it will he for
the country to decide the issue of ve-
raclty thus raised. What the ulti-
mate decision will be cannot be doubt
ed. The high breeding, the elevated
social position, the nice and delicate
sense Of honor Of General Hampton,
no less than the great qualities of
head and heart which have made him
famous, will lend to his assertions a
dignity, force and weight, not only
among his own people, but every
where, which will scarcely be accord
ed to those of the ferocious chieftain
whose track was marked by devasta-
ton as wantOn as it was cruel and
unsparing, 1t is natural that General
Sherman, or his friends for him.
should seek to rid himself Of some
portion of the obloquy that will for
ever attach itself to his name Official
documents will avail him nothing;
they have long since ceased to
be accepted as trustworthy evidence
Of anything, except in the con-
vcntional hypocrisies of diplomatic
intercourse. To lie like bulletin is
a comparison as just on this side of
the water as on the other; and when
In S{n,.x- To ,1- -,
dict on this, rs on other questions
of the war, ii is not in the ''Story of
the Grand March, or the official bul-
letins, that it will search for its facts.
And these are too notorious and too
well established to require the aid of
even Hampton's testimony. Thou
sands of people i'll Columbia knew
for the soldiers told them so-that
their city was to he Burned and
sacked; that Gen. Sherman had pro-
missed twenty-four hours loot to his
soldiers =; and that three rockets,
thrown up from the heights on
the West bank of the Congarcc,
would be the signal for com
mencing the work of pillage and
destruction. They remember how, ut
the concerted signal, all the devils in
hell seemed to have been turned
loose in their midst, and how, after
twenty-fonr hours Of untold and un-
ntterable horrors, the repetition of
the same signal hcralded the return
of comparative order. They know,
and their countrymen know, and the
world will one day know, that Will
E.,,, II SI,r,,,,, Il I. I
for the burning and sacking of Co
lunbia, and all its attendant atroci-
tics; and if his name lives in history,
the infamy OF the deed will cling to
it forever. The memory of the spirit
of cold-blooded cruelty and unrelent-
ing fcrocity in which he conducted
his campaign will outlivc the recollec-
ton of the success which attended it;
his merits as soldier Will but serve
20 point the moral Of his cruelties rs
a man; and he can hope, ut best, but
for the fame of Il Sylla or al Alva.
lMroHTANT LETTER FROM THE SEC
RETAEy OF THE TREASURY. The fol-
lowing letter from the Hon. Hugh
McCulloch, Secretary OF the Trea-
sury, has been kindly furnished us
for publication:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT.,
May ,, 1866
DEAR Slr: lo"r favor of the 27th
ult is received All | can DO for the
relief of the people of South Caro-
lima, in regard to the direct tax, has
already been done. All sales for
taxes have been suspended until Con-
gress shall have an opportunity of
acting definitely upon the subject. 1
have no power to withdraw the Tax
Commissioners, nor to suspend the
collection of taxes from those who
arc not able to pay them. What
action Congress will take upon the
subject cannot now be determined.
I did not say to Mr.. Trescot that
the direct tax was not to be paid, but
merely said to him, what l now say
to you, that [ had deemed it to be
proper, in the peculiar circumstances
of the Southern people, to suspend
all sales Of property for direct taxes
until there had been ample opportu-
nifty for full consideration of the
subject by Congress. Beyond this, 1
have no authority to go. l am, very
truly, yours,
H. McCULLOCH,
Secretary of the Treasury.
r. IzAED MIDDLETON, Jr., Esq,
Charleston < q