Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1873-01-23

e 4Easeasa = officially. rsfs In fiiamptop an
| ticipatiug that the cneniy would burn the
cetton, as they had doneso .all preyions
occasions in this Slate, preferred to take
the chance, in. the wide streets, rather
than allow it to remain in the buildings
wheretthed obstruction. ofths buildings, and
prbably the city, would have been the
consequence, and hence the order to re.
move it into the streets He did not Or
der the cotton to4be burned. On The con.
-trarys his orders-were that it should not
be burned andlit was not set on fire by
ANY troopstor others under his command,
For in pursuance ofany orders of, his ms
farias my official and personal informa-
ion extends, Iwas.in a position to know
the facts certainly qthen, and remember
them accurately now. HENCE, / speak
tadvisedl y and cannot be mistaken; and
General Sherman deals recklesly with the
truth, to- use no harsher term, when he
tmakesthe charge to the contrary, The
mystery is why;he shouldbe to anxious to
exonerate himself frem this particular
act. AS Ithavc said, itfwas. in perfect
keeping with his past carer. He had
Iirevgllcd 50 long with the ineendiary' s
torch. that we supposed ithad become to
him q pastime.a The reason is ,as stated
above, an attempt tofremoyc the stigma
Which his perfdy had brought upon him,
and he also desired an opportunity to
discharge his ''sweltered venom" upon
the head of n gentleman and soldier,
whome he envied and hated, to strike
him an unmanly blow. The: burning Of
Columbia appcarsato haunt him like a
horrid night mare. He. not only attempts
TO shift the responsibility in his reports
and letters, butin his glorlGcation spec
ches in tnc North, he laborcs to frighten
1t away from his conscience. But. grant
that he explains this to the satisfaction
of the unprejudiced-was this nischivoui
torch Of General Hampton's applied to
the residences and houses one, two, and
three miles from the city, which we're
burned to the ground Was it the same
Which destroyed, for great part, Rob-
crtvilc, Gral,amville, McPhersonyillc,
Barnwell, B!ackville, Williston. Orange
burg, Lexington, Winnsboro, Camden,
Libc;y Hill; Lancaster, Chesterfield, Che
rrw, Darlington in this State, and scores
towns and hamlets in Georgia, and re-
duccd to ashes almost the entire tract.
of country through which he marched,
and to begrcy and want hundreds and
thousands of helpless, innocent women
children? Was this legitimate and c:v-
ilizcI warfare? Would it have bccnso
considered even against savagcs? Has
y rebellion, llo%cvcr wicked, ever ihs-
tiff! the war ana wantonness upon
hela:ess, iltncce:.cc, and inarn,i,y? Why.
did not his benevolent army Save" them
as we'll as ''%hat Of Columbia remains
unco!isumcd?" Did Gen. Hampton sE-
rect his (Shcrman artillery which
''fireI from the west bank Of The Con-
garee, opposite Columbia" upon town
filled with women and Children, and
non -combatants, whose surrender he had
never demanded?
lie did not wish it surrendered. And
no doubt, when the Mayor met him with
n flag of truce, the chagrin felt under the
smiles which lie wore in his promises
of protection, whcttcd Ills hatred for
greater vengeance upon the sdoonied
city
But 1t sickens one to dwell on such
VANDALISM, in this nineteenth century of
beAsted enlightenment, advancement and
civilization. Gen. Shcrman's conduct no
doubt disgusts such honorable and mag
nan,mous soldiers as Grant, Mcclellan,
Meade, Buel, Fitz John Porter, Pleasan-
ton, Schofeld and others, who reflect so
much lustre upon the American arms, as
much ,as those who have been his VIC
tims.y 1t may suit the purposes of Gen.
sherman and his. partisans to proclaim
ron the house tops the wickedness of re-