Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-14
wHO BURNED COLUMBIA?
Gen. Sherman's Testimony as to the
Outrage.

naiupoOH DclOiS bAC DAApiSA A'N ~A-1SAAS~H
Mixed Commission at Washington, that
Sherman's bummers fired Columbia, has
caused great lutter among Sherman's
friends, who insist that the testimony of
Sherman, Howard and Logan, taken before
the same commission, shows the fire to
have been the work OF the Confederates.
Let us see what Gen. Sherman's testimony
amounts to. In answer TO question as TO
where he was when the FIRE broke out, Gen.
Sherman said: . 44A " ~
"The fire was burning day and half
or two days when we got in'o Columbia,
but was local, confined 10 the big bridge
across the river, to depot known SIS 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 was burning atlessstwelye hours
before any soldier belongipg,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, fire originated near the old
market house. Il mus have been after
dark, for saw the light shining on the walls
of the room in which l was, and sent one
of my aids-de-camp down about a mile to
see what was the matter, and he came back
and told me that the drug store disgonally
opposite the old market house was burning,
that the wind was very s;rorg, 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 tie flames, and he told
me that he had seen Gen. Chas.
X. Woods himself on the ground, and that
the troops we're doing seemin ly all they
could TO check or limit the fame to that
one block. That must rave been about
7:30 O'Clock in the evening. We had en-
tered The town about IL O'Clock that morn
ing. The fire continued to increase, and a
second time | sent one Of my aids down,
becoming uneasy about it, and he returned,
saying it appeared beyond all control, and
he had seen Gen. Logan and Gen. Howard
there, whose troops occup ed the city, How
ard being Ia chief command, Logan in
command Of the Fifteenth corps, and Chas.
r. Woods in command of the troops imme-
diately chartered in 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 flames carried
sometimes two blocks by the rec of the
wind, and he fire spreading in every direc-
ton ard from nstuIal causes. l
admit that saw myself one Or more drunk
en- men, aid ordered the arrest Of ole, to
effect which, one Of my aids de camp (Gol.
Dayton) had 10 shoot him with a pistol.
| The fire was most fearful beyond question;
but saw with my own eyes no FIRE origin
ated, and dlscdyS supposed that it origin
aled in that burning pile Of cotton which
l raw with my own eyes.
l saw with my own eyes, about IL
O'Clock that morning, as / rode in the city
of Columbia, cotton piled along the main
street, which ifprolonged would have run
mp against the State House, very near the
old market house, and very near that drug
store where my abide camp reported the
| fire had originated. The gind was very
strong, without cloud in the sky, and it
tossed and pitched the cotton about, lodging
it 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 q 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-
DIR, d fee. long, and from two to three bales
| high: they v ere endeayoring 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 10 make suffi-
Gent space around, SO as TO let them pass
safely, especially the ammunition train,
which it is q little dangerous to have pass
near great fires; they were endeavoriDg to
extiDguish that fire; !. found them in the act
of so doing 1ohen 1 entered Columbia.
Q. 4 great many of Stones troops were
disbanded, were they not, and scattered
about?
A. Pickets would be over the town, pest
ed at intersections of such streets and in
such places as Col Stone thought proper
for the maintenance of general good order
in the toEn.
Q. Were not large number Of them, at
the time of your entry OF shortly afterwards,
not under orders?
A. They were scattered through the
town, you know, like folders generally,
when they have stacked arms.
Again st another period of the examina-
ton, he was Asked "How 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 un-
til after nightfsll?' 10 which he gave this
I answer:
/ A. The motive we had in extinguiS hing
the fire in that particular pile of cotton was
! to enable the trains belonging TO the if
| teenth corps, which had to go by that road,
/ to pass in comparative safety; IS soon as
| the train had passed and gone on TO camp
/ the fire was allowed 10 burn; we had no
further interest in protecting it.
Q. In other words, knowing the existence
! of this high wind, ami knowing the disas-
| troRs effects which would result from q
fire, you had no interest in protecting
this cotton, eXtinGuisbing the fire in he
bales, and thus preventing the destruction
of the city?
A. We had no reason to apprehend the
! large fire that subsequently broke out.
! said we had no interest in protecting this
particular co. ton; 1t toGS pretty 1ceH burned
! dOlUn-burned dOdgR into Sm0uLdering
pile. did not give it any personal atten-
ton; do not think l looked back; |
walked through the town a great deal that
afternoon, but do not think went back
to that burning district there were so
many rowdies down there, SO many ne
groes and others holooing and yelling
that did not care TO mingle with them,
and did not. remember walking about
in the suburbs; did not so 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 II O'Clock in the.
morning of the 18th of Februry; 1865, was
some cotton, which he found some of the
soldiers belonging 10 Stones brigade en-
dsavoring to to pat cut, and which "was
pretty well burned down-burned down
into . Sr,ouldarin1 y,ila - Tha infaronoa 10