The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-12-25

VOLUME ~IX.---NUMBER 2
THE MARCH TO THE SEA.
SIBERIAN MA TIzED As THE
.l.s.s. BURNER OF COLUMBIA.
"A Brief Eventful History OF the Bloody
s and Brutal Work.
The ruthless burning ofthe City Of Columbia,
on. the night of the 18th of February, 1855, by
the soldiers OF that army OF General William
Tecumseh sherman's,1 which has since been
-denominated by no less q general than tine
Count Won Moltke ian armed mob" the
night of horrors endured by the flying FAINT
lies, The tender women aud the helpless chill
dren of the then beautiful capitol Of the Pal
metto State, and the wanton acts of rapine,
lust and vandalism committed by the flushed
soldiers Of that army which had sworn to
hew with name aud sword a bloody track
from Atlanta to the Sea-" furnished an cpl
sode of the war between the States which
must ever remain a vivid point In American
history, and q blot upon the escutcheon ofthe
victorious Northern aims.
The question OF the personal responsibility
for this deed is a most serious one, and one
which has from various causes which can
easily be understood, been extremely difficult
OF accffate and official settlement. The par
tisan histories which were written almost be-
fore the smoke OF the great conflict had rolled
away, are hardly to be relied upon, either for
thorough investigation or dlspassioDate
statements, and the inquiries Of committees
on the conduct Of the war, appointed by and
reporting to the Congress 'ef'the victorious
section, have been shown to, have been sadly
Insufficient to set at restsuoh questions as the
present. sga-.5aa- - 1.d q:
The people Of Columbia and OF the State
have found 1t difficult to understand how the
torch could have been applied with such
thorough and systematic efficiency by the
soldiers Of an invading army, without the
order, or at least the consent, Of the com.
mander Of that army. That commander was
Lieutenant General W. Sherman. and he
has, from time to time, given his unofficial
narrative Of the destruction OF the city, and
upon every such; occasion has facility expressed
his sense of the enormity Of the outrage by his
evident anxiety to relieve himselfo Of the direct
responsibiity therefor. An opportunity has re-
Gently bsenS3onsred, however, for his thorough
axaminstion before an impartial tribunal upon
this subject and the revelations thus obtained
furnish the most reliable data thus far pro-
dnSed Tor anSexsot estimate OF the measure OF
his responsibility for this outrage. The tri6u1
nal Is the mixed commission on British and
American claims, organized under the proyls:
Ions Of the Treaty Of Washington between the
United States and Great Britain, and now Bit
tag In Judgment, among other cases, upon
those Of various British residents OF Columbia
whose stores and residences were destroyed,
and whose very lives were imperllled on that
dreaaf1f winter night In 'e6.
The examination OF General Sherman and
the other important Witnesses has been con-
Quoted in behalf of the claimants chiefly by
George Rivers Walker, Esq, OF the law firm
Of Messrs. Walker & Bacot, of this city, and
under the rigid direct and cross.exsmIna-
ton Instituted by that gentleman, the follow
ing statements by General Sherman were
elicited:! That on his arrival IN Columbia ne
marched at the head of his army down Main
street towards the capitol, General Stones
brigade having preceded him about one hour
before; that all along Main street he saw cot;
ton bales cut oren and on fire; that the wind
was blowing q z ale, which Increased towards
night; that the trees and house tops were 30
covered with particles Of cotton as to cause
him to remark at the time It's great resem.
blsnce to q snow storm, and that the wind
was whirling the ignised cotton hundreds OF
feet In, the air.
Although he had previously stated that
Stones men had entered the city before him.
he continued: That the soldiers under Wheel.
or oct Ore to this cotton. That his army en-.
tered before noon, and the fire broke out at
nlghtisll, and that 1t was undoubtedly due
to the gale scattering the burning cotton over
the city; that II any persons In Federal uni
form misbehaved during the night they were
the prisoners Of war who had escaped from
the CosEederate prisons, and who naturally
were vindictlve. He quoted orders that he
had given for the protection Of private proper
ty, and claimed that he hsd done all In his
power to save the city.
Upon the cross-examtnation by Mr.. Walker,
General Sherman deposed as follows: That
General Wade Hampton shelled his (sher-
uan's) camp from the Columbia side of the
Congaree River the night before the Federal
army crossed the saluda and Broad Rivers,
which was I'm the estimation Of the witness)
g ds,tsrdly aud Cow ardly act, showing great
want Of geperalship. General Sherman
seemed much exssperated at the mention OF
Hampton's name, and while testlfying on this
subject walked up and down the room,
frequently interpreting his testimony with
oaths and expletiyes.
He testified further that the only effect OF
this Smelling was to kill a few sleeping SOL
d%Iers-nothing vas to be gained by 1t, and 1t
was not q legitimate act Of war. That he
{sherman) and the soldiers under him were
very much embittered by 1t, and that 1.-THE
soldiers knew that he felt very bitter on &C
count of It," That he had good reason to be-
lleve that they would r~etallate In SEINE way
upon the arst opportunity. That the destruc-
ton OF private property In South Carolina
no. orea,er than before the crossing Of the