Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-11
VINO BURNED CoLUMBIAs
Sen. Sherman's Testimony rs to the
IS q Outrage. 81 $,

GEN. Wade Hampton.
The recent testimony Of Gen. Wade
Hampton before the British and American
Mixed Comm ssion at Washington, that
Sherman's bunmers fired Columbia, has
caused q great flatter among Shernan's
friends, who insist that the testimony of
Sherman, Howard and Logan, taken before
the same commission, shows the, frs to
have been The work Of the Confederates.
Let us see what Gen. Sherman's testimony
amounts TO. In answer to a question as to
where be was when the FIRE broke out, Gen.
Sherman said:
sThe IRE was burning day and a half
or two dayswhen we get into Columbia,
but was local, confined to the big bridge
across the river, 10 depot known as the
Charleston depot, close by the bridge, and
the railroad depot on the opposite side of
the town, known as the Charlotte depot,
and cotton piled up along the various streets,
and which wss burning at easttwelve hours
before any soldier belonging to my army had
gotten within the limits of Columbia. On
the night of our arrival, after we had been
in quiet possession of the city for about
twelve hours, q fire originated near the old
market house. 1t mus have been after
dark, for saw the light shining on the walls
of the room 10 which was, and sent one
of my aids-de-camp down about mile to
see what was the matter, and he came back
and told me that the drug store diagonally
opposite the old market-hous was burning,
that the wind was very strong, and the fire
was spreading. / inquired if he had seen
the commanding officer of the brigade which
constituted the provost guard, and If he
was doing his best to prevent an ex-
tension Of the flames, and he told
me that be had seen Gen. Chas.
r. Woods himself on the ground, and that
the troops were doing seemingly ali they
could to check or limit the fame to that
one block. That must have been about
1880 o'clock in the evening. We had en-
tered the town about IL O'Clock that morn
ing. The fire continued to increase, and
second time sent one of my aids down,
becoming uneasy about it, and he returned,
saying it appeared beyond all control, and
be had seen Gen. Logan and Gen. Howard
there, whose troops occupied the city, How
ard being Ia chief command, Logan in
command Of the Fifteenth corps, and Chas.
r. Woods il command of the troops imme-
diately chartered ia the city. The fire con-
tinued to rage until after midnight, when L
went down myself to walk around tie
burning district. l saw the flamts carried
sometimes two blocks by the free of the
wind, and the fire spreading in every direc-
ton and from natural causes. /
admit that / saw myself one or more drunk
en- men, aid ordered the arrest of one, to
effect which, one Of my aids.de-camp (Col.
Dayton) had to shoot him with a pistol.
The fire was most fearful beyond question;
but saw with my own eyes no fire origin
sted, and GLI1dyS supposed that it origin
a.ed in that burning pile of cotton which
[ saw with my own eyes.
| saw with my own eyes, about IL
O'Clock that morning., as l rode in the city
of Columbia, cotton piled along the main
street, which ifprolonged would have run
up against the State House, very near the
old market house, and very near that drug
sore where my sid-de-c1mp reported the
fire had originated. The wind was very
strong, without a cloud in the sky, and it
tossed and pitched the cotton about, lodging
j. in trees and on the caves of houses.
In the morning on entering the
city we rode down to the Charleston depot
and found it burned, and many piles ofeorn
meal burning"
At subsequent period of the examina-
ton Gen. Sherman was asked: "When
you entered Columbia did you meet any of
Stones brigade there?" to which he gave
this answer:
A. l found Stones brigade with their
arms stacked, engaged in trying to put out
that burning cotton which was piled In the
main street, not far from the markethouse,
the pile of cotton being at least three hun
bred feet long, and from two to three bales
high; they were endeavoring to extiDguish
the flames so as to enable the train Of the
fifteenth corps, which would have to come
right behind, to fol ow the road and to pass
through; they were trying to make suffi-
Gent space around, so as TO let them pass
safely, especially the ammunition train,
which it is little dangerous to have pass
near great fires; they were endeavoring to
extinguish that fire; / found them IN the act
of so doing 1Uhen 1 entered Columbia.
Q. A great many OF Stones troops were
disbanded, were they not, and scattered
about?
A. Pickets would be over the town, post
ed at intersections of such streets and in
such places as Col. Stone thought proper
for the maintenance of general good order
in the town.
Q. Were not large number of them, at
the tine Of your entry or shortly afterwards,
not under orders?
A. They were scattered through the
town, you know, like soldiers generally,
when they have stacked arms.
Again at another period Of the examine
ton, he was asked: Show do you account
for the fire from that burning cotton in the
streets at II o'clock in the forenoon remain
ing smothered and with high wind blow
ing, as you have testified to, for so many
hours and not causing any destruction IN
til after nightfall?" to which he gave this
answer: .
A. The motive we had in extinguishing
the fire in that particular pile of cotton was
to enable the trains belonging TO the if
teenth corps, which had to 60 by that road,
to pass in comparative safety; as soon as
the train had passed and gone on TO camp
the fire was allowed TO burn; we had no
further interest in protecting it.
Q. In other words, knowing the existence
of this high wind, and knowing the disas-
trous effects which would result from a
fire, you had no interest in protecting
this cotton, eXtinguisbiDg the fire in The
bales, and thus preventing the destruction
OF the city?
A. We had no reason to spprehend the
large fire that subsequently broke out. l
said we had no interest in protecting this
particular cotton; it 1caS pretty ,veU burned
dO1Un burned do1CR into q SmoulderiIlg
pile. did not give it any personal atten-
ton; do not think l looked back
walked through the town great deal that
afternoon, but do not think l went back
TO that burning district there were so
many rowdies down there, so many ne
groes and others hollooing and yelling
that did not care to mingle with them,
and did not. | remember walking about
in the suburbs; l did not 90 back to that
point again.
Now we have here all that Gen. Sher-
man protested to know about the burning
of Columbia. The only thing burning
when he arrived about IL O'Clock in the
morning of the 18th of Februry; 1865, was
some cotton, which he found some of the
soldiers belonging TO Stones brigade en-
deavOring to to put cut, and which "was
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