The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-03
The BURNING of Columbia.

,,., ,b.: city ,cos burned by Federal troops.
Dawn JACOBS, large loser by the fire, last
week took in Baltimore the testimony OF
General WADE HAMPTON and others. Gene
raj HAMPTON testified that he was the last
Confederate officer in the town, and that De
left Just before the entry Of the Federal cav
airy, leaving no Confederate troops there.
He states positively that at this time the1e
were no fires in progress in COLUMBIA.
When asked what orders were gwen III
reference to the disposition OF the co,ton ~ III
Columbia Immediately pricr 10 inc i'l" ",
| February. General Hampton stated tha' III
| order had been issued by General l,eau'e-
| g,rd IN the l4tb to Major Allen y. Greeh'
tho no,t-commandcr. TO have the COTTON
| movod ont of the warehouses TO u pace
,vhere II could be burned, if it became ne
[nSsarv 10 do so, without endangering the
Town Not having the transportation at his
disnosal, Maior Green had placed 1t in the
streets. On the night Of the 10th, when
General Hampton was assigned to duty az
Columbia, he called General Beaurcgard,S
| attention 10 the position OF TINS cotton, tell
ing him that If it was burned ii would en-
! danger the town, and urged him TO order
| that the cotton should not ue burned. This
| he did, Being asked whether TINT order NOS
| to fire the cotton had been carried out by
the ConfederateS, he answered that he knew
| by official Investigation and by personal Oh
servalion that it had not been fired by them.
On the morning of the 18th General lamp
| ton directed the officers under his command
to withdraw their men from Columbia ana
| its vicinity, rs the city was to be surrendered
/ b.,, 1rlltt nd
| The MAYOR, with flag of truce, met the lead
ing column Of the Federal army, composed
of Stones brigade, and surrendered the city.
General Hampton had moved out by the
ASYLUM road with one OF Buffers briyades
and stationed himself at the upper BOUNDARY
street, facing toward Richardson street.
From the position he occupied he COM
mundcd view of the whole town and vicin-
ity. He saw the mayor come buck with the
tllg, and surrounded by columns OF troops
General HAMrros's testimony is of itself
sufficient to settle the question. lie saw
with his own eyes the Federal troops enter
Columbia; saw the mayor with them; and
saw that there was no fire in the town. 1t
thus appears clear that the town was not
only fired by Federal troops, but after they
had no sort of excuse, seeing that it had been
surrendered pclceably without the least
resistance.
Yet Mr.. JACOBS was not content to rest
his case here. General HAMPToN's testimony
was corroborated by Assistant Adjutant-
General LowSpEs, whose testimony before
another body was read. LowSpEs testified
| that General HAMPTON directed L0wSDEs to
issue an order directing that no cotton
should be burned. This | did at once,'
| says LowSDEs, land when ] lett Column
bia, which did after the entrance OF tie
Federal troops, not one bale Of cotton was
burned, nor had any been fired by our
troops. At the time, was Assistant Adj
"jutant- General for General HAMPTON"
Til, next affidavit. produced by General
| HAMPTON was thai of General NJ. &. Butler.
General Butler was division commander
under General Hampton. He swears that be
| withdrew from Columbia about 10 \. NJ. Oh
the morning Of the 18th. just rs the advance
| of the Federal troops bad reached the sub
urbs of the town; that no cotton was burn
| ing when nc left As far rs he could observe,
| aud none would have been fired without his
orders; that lie remained in the suburbs of
the city for two hours after it had been occu-
pied by the Federal troops, and that when lie
| left he could see no evidence of cotton burn
| lug. He further says that Lleutenaut-Genc-
| lsll Hampton, on the morning of tie eHacua-
| ton, had directed him that the cotton must
| not he tired inasmuch as the mayor had gone
| out to meet General Sherman to surrender
the city and to ask his protection. General
| Butler fun ther state, that TIC tonicdcr!tc>
retired from the city quietly, without thing
or doing anything which would provoke and
Justify violence OF the part Of tie troops
coming In.
Here General HAMPTON explained that The
only tire in Columbia for forty-cight hours
previous to the entrance OF the Federal
troops was the burning Of Il railroad dcpot,
| and this, he proved by = letter from General
| BEAuREGARp, was an accidental fire. General
HAMPTON also gave it as his opinion that the
cotton, which we suppose caused all the
fires, caught from the smoking Of the Fede-
raj soldiers, who stacked their arms when
they came in and sat down on the cotton.
| General HAMPTON said there was no disorder
| of any kind in Columbia when the Federal
troops entered. II" produced the sworn
testimony OF negro named WiLLtAM REv-
kRLY NASH, 1T present Il senator from Ricn-
inond county. and who WAS II delegate to the
Philadelphia Convention which renominatcd
General GRANT, that the Federal troops did
fire the city of Columbia, and that General
HAMPTON had nothing to do with it.
General Hampton went on to state that,
in a conversation With General q. y. How
ard, the latter said that his 0Hvward'S)
troops burned the city. This conversation
took place in the executive office of ihc Hon.
james l.. Orr, who is now United States
Minister to Russia, but who was then
Governor Of South Carolina. General How.
ard introduced the subject of the burning of
Columbia and expressed great regret that it
bad been done. He said that be did all he
could to prevent it, and that no one wa, GER
tainly authorized to say that "our troops
did not Set fire to it, for saw them do so
myself"
General Howard further stated that Sher-
man knew perfectly we'll that Hampton did
not burn Columbia. At this interview with
General Howard there were present Gov
ernor Orr, General John ). Preston, General
Scott, who was afterward Governor of South
Carolina. and Mr.. De Fontline. =
In support OF this statement, General
Hampton produced letters from Governor
Orr, General Preston. and others. Governor
Orr's letter is us follows:
WASHINGTON, December 2s, 1872.