The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-01-01

Route"
HE BURNING OF COLUMBIA
correspondent of the Louisville Cbu-
rier furnishes, in the following ex-
tract, some official evidence of the
spirit which animated the authorities
at Washington, as we'll as the COM
mander of the army, at the time of
General Sherman's s campaign through
Georgia and the Carolinas:
I have lately been reading Sher-
mans report to the Joint Com
iuittee on the conduct of the war"
and am struck with the total absence
OF all dispatches in regard to Co.
lumbia, S. G. Up to the 18th of
February, 1865, his daily orders,
&C., to his subordinates are given
ver6atim, but when he gets to that
date all are left out, swith the excep-
ton of two seemingly unimportant
ones, until he reaches Winnsboro,
cn the 2ist of February. No men
tion-not a line-not a word hardly
lis made of Columbia's being burnt.
No mention OF the place for day or
two before he takes it-nothing after
ward. Strange! But maybe it was
best left out. His last order of any
Importance, before taking Columbia,
is, Sin the field, twenty-one miles
from Columbia. February Is, 1865"
then comes the two seemingly un-
important ones of the 10th, one of
which I will copy directly, and
then O clean jump made to the 21st,
at Winnsboro, S. c., beyond Colum-
bia. On page 297 of this work,
("Conduct of the War-Supplement
Part l., ,") will be found these words,
concluding a despatch from Halleck
to Sherman, and dated at Washing
ton, December 18, 1864, and address
ed to Major General w. T. Sher-
man" written when Sherman's 8 plans
were decided: 'Should you capture
Charleston, I hope that by some ac-
cident the place may be destroyed;
and if little salt be sown upon its
site, it may prevent the growth of
future crops of notification and Sc
cession."
Now hear Sherman's reply, COPIED
from page 291, dated "in the field,
Savannah, December q, 1864"
which, taken in conjunction with
this unimportant order of the 18th of
February, 1865, will explain who
burnt Columbia, and who allowed it,
if he did not order it. Listen all
ye who "hanker nrter crow"
'I will bear in mind your hint as
to Charleston, and don't think salt
will be necessary. When I move,
the Fifteenth Corps will be on the
right of the right wing, and their
position will bring them naturally
into Charleston first; and if you have
watched the history of that corps,
you will have remarked that they
generally do their work up pretty
we'll. The truth is, the whole army
is burning with an Unsuitable desire
to wreak vengeance upon South
Carolina. I almost tremble at her
fate, but feel she deserves all that
seems in store for her. I look upon
Columbia Us quite as bad as Charles
ton."
Now for the little despatch of the
10th of February, the night before
Columbia was plundered, pillaged
and burned. It is addressed to Cen
eral Howard, (the Christian soldier
(?) to whom an insulted Georgia
woman of his own name said, upon
his claiming relationship with her:
"No kinl I thank God, the blood Of
all the Howards' is not in my veins":)
'Dear General: I see the bridge
over Broad burning. 1t is very i'm
portant that you effect crossing to-
night. If necessary, get over the
Saluda the bulk of the Qook out
Grow eaters) Fifteenth Corps, then
take up enough pontoons to finish
one across the Broad"
The Fifteenth Corps was the first
to enter the city, and went by Sher-
mans order and burned tho city,
either by his order or his want Of
order.
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