American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-05-24
The Burning Of Columbia.

; Ihe burning OF C0lumD1a.
| There are few journals in the country
that can compete with the Tribune in
the ingenious sopbistry il brings to bear
on questions which it feels constrained to
discuss. but 10 which disclosure of the
actual facts would be ruinously fa,al TO
the hypothesis it seeks to sustain. It's
article Of yesterday on General Wade
Hampton is case in point; and the
GOODNESS with which it lodges the issue,
while charging that General Hampton is
evading 1t, is refreshing to contemplate.
The substance Of Shei mans charge is
that cotton WAS fred in the streets of
Columbia BY Hamp;on's order; and
that the flames from the burning cotton.
so fred. communicated to the adjoining
buildings. and so produced the conAa-
grafton which destroyed the town. Now,
General Hampton says. in replying to
this charge.y'tI deny empha,ically tina,
any cotton WAS fred in Columbia by my
order" And the Tribune calls this
"evading" the charge. What would the
Tribune have?l The question is not as
to General Hamp'on's wishes or in,en-
tons. but as to his acts. 1t is matter
Of no sort Of consequence whether G n
eral Hampton ordered the cotton to be
burned or not, unless il can be shown
that the cotton WAS so burned. But
General Hampton went still further in
his statement He admitted having once
given an order for burning the cotton,
but stated that he had o, untermanded,
at the instance Of General Brauregard,
a. d that, consequently, it was never ex-
ecued. II the issue 10 not fairly and
met. then there never yet has
been an issue fairly made up.
Columbia was burned moi BY means of
cotton bales. hut by means Of balls of
yarn. stepped 10 turpenine and o,her
combustibles. which were set fire and
thrown into private dwellings all over the
;ity. And il was Federal soldiers who =,
tut the hose attached to the FIRE engines
md prevented any successful attempt to
'xilnguish the flames. As FOR the eypIo- v
lion at the depot Of the South Carolina :
railroad. that was the result Of an acci- n
lent. The building was full Of slores Of
very description. which we're abandoned T.
the popplace when the Confederate
roops commenced evacaa,ing the town. IL
nd spark from the pipe Of careless
prayer falling upon box of cartrid .es.
he top Of which had been wrenched of,
reduced the catastrophe.
IL is amusing to see the squirting OF
BE Radical press on this subject. It's ed B
ors affected, a! Crst. to see nothing O
iroeious in the burning Of Columbia and
8 aiten dant horrors, and were rather 10 -,
ined 10 make merry over the calamities
"lhe rebels" Bat, now that public A
pinion has emphalically condemned the 70 "a
u. they are making desperate effort to OF
'st the odium Of il upon General Hamp -
%. How desperate the effort is, may be 10
ferred from the character OF the evil d
'nce on which they rely to sustain their =, T.
'surd charges. The Tribune concludes
article by the question III il was is
,ht for the rebels to burn, Why would il 70
We been wrong for Sherman" The
swer is simple. Columbia belonged to Ii,
Confsderates and did not be long to '0
neral Sherman. The burning Of Nos
" immor'alized Rostopcbin. but il
ench soldiers had done the deed il =
'uld have been infamy for Bonsparte. u
% D " l. u Ne,o York Necs. .r