The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-05-06

Tussday Morning. May 9. 1873:
|. SsvASs1aEaiaE Of GslnsAiA.a.. y

Tuesday Morning, May 9. 1e7s:
:. aTAss1.lniat Of Gsis.ssiA.a. -
To.day'Sdespa.ohes state that Generals
Sherman and Howard. in their testimony
before The American and British Mixed
Comnission. dsofated tha. "Oolumbia
was not fred BY order. or by Federal
soldiers" OF the frat potion Of the
statement. we know nothingsbat as for
tne last. it'is simply batsisoed false !.
hood. General Sherman 4 orders to the
Provost Marshal On the morning 81 the
18th February-the. day 4isst the terri
bio fire. or fres-to direct ghis patrol. s'to
shoot, without .ohallengssap soldier
seen setting Gre to any pffssts property. -
il proof sufficient that he knew whore
and how.to check the burning. The
papers received yssterdsy oontsin full
reports Of tho recent examination in
Baltimore into the matter Of the respon-
sibility for the; burning Of our once
bsautifql capital city, which resulted in
making the, testimony against William
Tecumssh Sherman still more dsmning.
The Tribune reports tho evidahoe in full.
General Hampton testified that he gave
orders to prevent the burning OF the
cotton on the 'strees, the destruction of
which, he feared; would lead to the de-
ssruotion OF the city. This was corrobo-
rated by letters from General Bsaure-
gard. his superior officer, and General
n. @. Butler, who commanded q divi-
sion Of cavalry. Is'wss proven by letters
thsttths Federal General o. O. Howard,
in the Executive ofade of Governor Orr.
in, the presence I, Governor Or. Gene
raj John s.. Pres.on and General latter
wards Governor), Scott. stated that his
own troops burned Columbia. Howard
+. further said that Sherman knewperfeotlyi
well that Hampton did not burn the
eplsce. -i-it. ,s.....l o.
.But the evidence shows, that Sherman
erimiasted himself. In his published
eo1isspondsnoal tGets 20 . letter from,
General, Halleok, in which. be expresses
wish that IL Sherman took Charleston,
by some acuidenst the SitSy should be de-
stroyed; and that il Sherman would COW
it'Miseeshlt. II might ptsyens tho growth
OF future oropssof nuliiaestionr and So
oassiosI Gshish General. Sherman shta; re-
pliAa that Re hEid d aosioedss WHIT General
HailecK' had said about Qhasisatpn, and
that, when he entered that city, the Fiji
teenth. Corps would 10 On On tho right
wing: ana 90 enter the sity Hrss: and IL
General Hallsck had observed the conrae
Of that corps. during 'ths war, he must
have noticed that IT generally did it's
work pretty we'll. and ~ dfd.SHpt think
An assault would be n necessasy; that he
thought Oolnmbia was ~ a. bad ~ CHARLES
ton, and ha doubted IL he would spare
the uhlio buildings there. The testimo-
ny Of the Mayor Of Columbia, too, helps
to pile the odium Of this infamous bar
barity upon General Sherman. This
gentleman. DR.. Goodwin, In his afida.
VII. sestiaea that, With number OF lead
ing citizens. he called upon Sherman
two days after tho ovaSuatiop, and, In
course Of conversations, In reiation to the
burning oi tho city, General Sherman
said that he thought that bis troops
burned the, city. but excused them he:
cause. as he alleged, the citizens had
given them liquor aud made them drunk.
whereas they should have destroyed all
the liquor In s oity before the entry Of
the army. Hedid no. make any asser.
tion that the firing Of the city was caused
by any order Of General Hampton's to
burn the cotton. General Howard, Gen
eral Blair and other Federal officers were
present at this interview.
Being asked whether he knew from
observation or from information OBJ.
tanned in official Investigation, what the
prastioe OF Gen. Sherman was in his
march through South Carolina, with re-
ference to the burning, appropriating or
destroying public or private property,
Gen. Hampton said that he knew that
from Columbia to the extreme limits OF
South Carolina, which Sherman's army