Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-14

ton in this respect?
A.. Except when restrained BY order and
discipline.
Q. Do you not beiieve-I do not want
what people told you-but do you not be-
lieye that individuals assisted in spreading
that confagration?
A. My own, judgment was, that the fire
originated from the imprudent act of Wade
Hampton in ripping open the bales of that
cotton, piiing Ii on the streets, burning it,
and then going away; that God Almighty
started wind sufficient to carry that cotton
wherever he would, and in some way or
other that burning cotton was the oriQin of
the Ere; after the fire began, have heard it
intimated that some Of our soldiers, after
the fire originated, may have been concern
ed in spreading it, but not concerned at all
in starting 1t.
@. Soldiers may have been concerned in
spreading 1t III 10 -slAa EI6 (
A. Yes, sir; after it had been started.
O When you reached Columbia did you
consider it military necessity to burn it?
A. No, sir.
Q. Was 1t military necessity TO destroy
private property, property outside Of ARISEN
ais, depots, and etc? (
A. No; any property used for hostile
purpC ses ought to have been destroyed and
was destroyed; 10 private property ought to
have teen destroyed, except by way Of re-
taliaton for the very mean thing they did
of homearding my sleeping soldiers in their
camp the night before. After it was mani
fest to Wade Hampton that be had not force
enough to prevent my occupation of Co.
lumbia, some battery was sent down TO
CRANKY, opposite our camp, and in the
night time, when our men were asleep,
they bombarded all night; in consequence
of this uncalled for attack upon US l did at
one time think of destroying Columbis,
end publicly avowing this as the cause, but
on reflection 1 said to Gen Howard; 81 will
let my order stand as it is" The order,
which was in writing, was to destroy the
arsenals, machine shops and everything of
that kind, but to spare colleges, asylums
and private property. This was the written
order, but at one time, in moment ofresent-
ment, when these people, unjustidsbly, and
l would almost say, cowsrdly, opened a
battery of two guns, or four guns, across
upon our camp when we were asleep, was
tempted to retali&te; if l could have gotten
hold of these men, would not have spared
them, or anything that belonged to them,
believing it was done by Wade Hampton's
orders.
Q. You think the men were bitter about
thatP
A. know they were, and / was bitter,
too, and for that very reason.
Q. Were the officers bitter?
A. They were bitter, too; we had no love
Co. f1o 1,a ,,aNr,1a bat Cd
Q. If you were commanding a small
force, opposing q large advancing force
through your country, do you not think it
would be justifable for you to take every
step in your power to annoy the advancing
force; in ether words, cut off stragglers and
attack them in every way you possibly car,
and run away?
A. No, sir; it is proper to do everything
you can to stsy the progress of superior
army moving upon tie country-proper 10
do anything which would produce a good
result, but anything whichIprovokes, which
is pure, wanton mischief-such as murder
ing insteac of capturing stragglers, and kill
ing them when in state of repose-is not
onlyiba warfare, but very bad policy; in
! war you do everything that will produce a
good result; if Wade Hampton had resisted
me al the crossing Of Broad River until he
could not have held out moment longer,
would have honored him for it, but in fring
into my camp at The time he did, and under
the circumstances he did, he must have
| known it was such an aes as would exas-
perate the troops, and was perfectly unjusti-
| fable.
Q. You do not think it was his duty to
attack and kill you wherever be could?
A. No, sir, not in acowardly way; he
may oppose my he sd of columns, or pick
up stragglers, or place distractions in the
| way--anyihiDg to oppose our crossing over
| into Columbia; all that would be right and
| fair in war, but to fire across into sleeping
| camp, with river intervening, with the
| foreknowledge that it would only kill few
| miserable soldiers, rolled up in their blank
| cts asleep, was inexcusAble.
Q. Was the army actusted by any bitter
| feelings in Consequence of it9
A. Yes, sir. l do not think any one ex
pressed that bitterness of feeling more in
tensely,thsn did; expressed it openly.
Q. Did your men and officers share in
| these feelings?
A. They did; regard Wade Rampton's
| firing into our camp that night as the
| basest act / ever heard Of; never knew of
! any instance in civilized warfare-and it
ha6 ba6l my misfortune to be engaged in
great many strdggles-I never knew of
such mean act as Wade Hampton vas
guilty OF in firing upon my camp with no
possible object in view, and the effect of
| which he knew would only be to kill few
poor, miserable devils, rolled up in their
blankets and asleep in their camps in the
night time; and that firing was kept no all
| night.
Q. You had no knowledge that Wade
Hampton dit it; you only learned it from
| general reportY
A. Wade Hampton was in supreme CON-
msnd; Beauregsrd was in the town, but had
left; Wade Hampton was in the town there;
hold him responsible for everything that
was done in defence of Columbia; admire d
the action of Butler in a lacking my col
umr, for that was legitimate warfare, but
what Wade Hampton did showed an utter
absence Of military skill; instead of firing
into my camp or sleeping men, By which
no possible good could be obtained, he
should have undertaken to prevent our
crossing at the Broad and Saluda rivers,
which were left almost entirely UNDECIDED.
ed; fifty men could baVe held US in check
for FIVE days, and perhaps longer, but We
met with no res istance at Saluds, aud Com
raratively none at Broad river. l haze for
gotten the me of the little village where
the battery was, but it is about three miles
below Coiumbiaj about four miles below
we had crossed the Little CoDgaree, there
we had pretty sharp fight with Butler,
and he did tirst-rate; was near the head
of the column at the time myself; we got
the crossing, and everything was clear
ahead fus in our march upon Columbis;
after going little d stance ordered halt,
and we laid by ard went into camp; in the
night time SOMEBODY brought a bat cry
down and fired into our camp.
.. You say the army generally-all ranks
were exasperated by this conduct?
A. Yes, sir; very justly so.
q. Do you think the spirit of vengeance
and desire for retaliation of which you have
spoken were modified by this act?
A. On the contrary, it was very much in
creased by it.
Q. The desire for retaliation in all ranks
was very much increased?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you fear the burning of Column
bia by your army?
A. l did.
q. Previous to your entry?
a. Yes, sir.