The Portland daily press., 1873-09-15

d;atn conway, Aroostook county, to Bene-
Gicta. Postmasters appointed "A. HI. Bailey,
centre Sidney, Kennebec comfy.
The Burnin. of Columbia.
The Chronicle OF tomorrow will publish the
iVliowlng letter from Gen. Sherman in relation
10 the burning of Columbia:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE u. S. !
Washington, Sept. IL.
10 the Editor of the "Chr0nicLe Dear Sir.
When you applied to me Some time ago for
maternal bearing on the controversy of "who
Durnt Columbia l gave you two printed
pamphlets which had obtained from Judge
Holt, containing all the testimony taken in the
COTTON cases growing out of that event and sub
United to Il mixed commission appointed to
au]udlcate these cases under the treaty with
Great Britain. judge Holt could have obtain
ed the testimony Of all the 5000 or 10000 Of
ncers and soldiers who were at Columbia when
tne contiagration occurred, but he thought he
nad enough without putting the government to
tne expense of bringing more witnesses from
distance. l suppose he did not summon Col.
stone, who commanded the leading brigade of
me 10th corps, because he did not know where
10 md him. | surely did not know his where
apouts till he voluntarily published his state
mem nehe IN my official report, published before
Gne close of the war when Gen. Wade
hampton was fighting us, and not when, as he
alleges, he was prisoner OF L referred in
c,dentally to the fact of which l had knowledge
mat a small detachment OF the 18th corps bad
passed over Congaree; had entered Columbia
ana holsted flag on the new State House in
advance of the regular entry of the 18th corps,
Wnich had made circuit to cross two branches,
the Sallnda and Broad, which make the Con-
garee. L treated the performance of this de-
tachment as somewhat irregular, bnt the men
VINO composed it now become important wit
nesses, and herewith enclose copies of their
written statements, together with the official
reports. which explain the whole affair. These
witnesses go back to the time three--quarters OF
an hour before the entry of the head of Stones
brigade and about two hours ahead of the time
personally reached the piles of burning cot
ton, OF which there were many, and l invite
your careful perusal of their statements, for
tney are positive they saw rebel cavalry soldiers
ripping open bales and applying fire. They al
so saw rebel soldiers plhndering stores ON Main
street. which Gen. Hampton attributes to our
me2, and they further positively assert that
Gen. Hampton had already gone out of Column
bla, so that he could not and did not see his
men applying fire Now Gen. Hampton ad-
mits that the cotton rolled out in the streets
for the purpose of burning but that he forbade
the burning lest the fire should extend to the
houses and reiterate that no matter what his
orders were, the men of his army, either his
rear guard or his stagglers did apply the fire,
and that this was sufficient cause for all else
that followed.
With great respect yours
(Signed) w. 7. SHERMAN, General.
Various Matters.
H A. Willard has been made Vice President
of the Board of Works vice Shepherd DIR.
John B. Blake has been rendered the appoint
ment as member of the Board.
Col. Charles l.. Kilburn, Assistant Com
missary General, is retired from duty at the
headquarters of the Department of the South
and ordered to relieve Major Thomas I. Haines
at Boston.
The German government states that for
newspapers in the German language coming
under bond from the United States of America
addressed to the kingdom of Prussia news
paper tax is no longer collected from those to
whom they are addressed, by post officers on
that side.