Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-09-28
Burning of Columbia.

y 'GfeeetttNfIs "IAAlhS OsSA thS org
nature of "R. A. A" says:
GA few weeks ago saw the an
nouncement of the sudden death
of Mr.. T. S. Nickerson, the for.
rner proprietor of Nickerson's Ho.
tel, at Columbia, S. c., and more
recently in charge of the Screven
House, Savannah. / saw this
news with regret, as he was a
warm-hearted, amiable and be-
nevolent man, and his aptitude
for his profession was remarka-
BILE. | have heard it said that
there were more men born to
make good Presidents of the u
nited States than there were to be
good hotel keepers. Mr.. Nicker.
son certainly was one. During
the war, he kept the best house in
the Confederate States, and al
though he was known to be a
Unionist, yet his uniform kindness
to our soldiers made him very
popular. He accumulated an in-
dependent fortune, much Of which
was invested in his hotel. When
Sherman was at Dalton, / hap
/ pened to be in Columbia, and Mr.
Nickerson asked me if | thought
/ Sherman would ever reach Allan
ia? l replied, Yes" He then
said:
"Do you think he will get to
Columbia 2"
l replied "If he ever passes
Kennesaw Mountain, he will sweep
over the country like the waters
of a mill dam broke loose, and the
very point he will make for will
he Columbia"
At this Mr.. N1ekerson looked
concerned, and he asked me, in
very earnest manner, what would
advise him TO do, in such an event.
Said |,
"When Sherman gets here, make
| friends of the the mammon of un-
righteousness; place your house,
| your horses, your wines, and eve
trything else that you have, at his
disposal, and ask him to protect
you. This is the only course for
you to pursue. This may save
you; | know of nothing else"
In due time Sherman reached
Columbia the city was sacked
and burned, and Nickerson, like
everybody else, lost all he had.
After the surrender, at Charlotte,
was returning home, and iii
passing through Columbia, called
on Nirkerson. He was living in
a small house on the outskirts OF
what was once the city. He
looked haggard, and ! may al
most say despairing. After bid
ding me welcome, he said:
well, Colonel, l took your ad.
vice. When Sherman got here, !
turned over ell | had to him and
his staff. | wore myself down in
waiting on them, and at eight
o'clock in the evening |. went to
my room and put on my slippers
and threw myself OH the bed for
short nap. l had scarcely com
posed myself when Isaac, whom
you knew we'll as my billiard mar
ker, came rushing into my room
and said to me: "Mr. Nickerson,
you had better get Mrs. Nicker,
son out Of this hotel; they are
going to burn this town at nine
o'clock ]" He says he was SO be-
vildered that he simply remarked:
Great God, no."
"Yes, they are, said Isaac, "be-
cause | heard Gen. Barnes and
the officers say that the fire would
commence at nine o'clock, while i
was waiting on them at supper"
Nickerson said the boys man.
ner was so earnest, and his ex-
preston so Indicative of alarm,
that he rushed down stairs, and
as he approached the officer, he
saw the staff officers examining
his horse blankets. "Great heav-
ems, gentlemen, what does this
mean?" They sneeringly replied;
"We just thought we would ap-
propriate these, as you will not
need them any more" He then
went to Gen. Barnes and begged
him to save his house, which he
agreed to do, and ordered a de-
tachment of men to be in readi-
ness. Nickerson then commenced
to collect all the blankets aud had
them saturated, and even pro-
cured an engine.
Sure enough, at 9 o'clock the
rockets went up, and in ten min
utes the whole city was in flames,
and thousands of poor women and
children were running to and fro,
shrieking and screaming in des-