Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-06-26
9flistrltaneul1s geaaing.
WHO BURNED COLUMBIA! =
ATcHIsoN, KANSAS, June End,

WHO BURNED COLUMBIA!
ATcH1soN. KANSAS, June End, 1873.
To the Editor ofthe Chicago Tribune: AS il
appears every wrong answer has been given tc
the conundrum, "Who fired Columbia ?" un
less it be the one, Because it couldn't climb
tree" I propose to give you true one. The
answer is contained in half dozen words
but, as quite lengthy explanation would have
to follow, I'll make the explanation first, and
lead up to the answer-keeping, like novelists
the interest intensified till the last moment
An intensely bitter feeling was manifested by
our troops from the moment they stepped on
South Carolina soil, In no other seeded
State, (and we had soldiered in all save Texas
was there any particular i'll feeling shown TO-
ward the inhabitants. But, from one end Of
the frst.named State to the other, it might be
truly said that our march was marked by "a
cloud of smoke by day and pillar of fire by
night" " &" -. . q. /. =
My recollection is, that outside of the town,
not house was left standing, unless occupied
by negroes; and, from. the dense clouds OF
smoke few miles each to our left and right,
plainly defining the march of the columns
advancing in parallel lines, lit seemed that the
same destruction was following in the wake
of those columns One instance-I could
give twenty-will. illustrate and show the ami
mus of the troops: -.
One evening, just at dusk, l had halted
within three miles Of camp, at a very fine
mansion. where strong guard had been post.
ed by our advance l had command of the
rear guard, and, up to this place, had picked
up all the sick and all the stragglers. Fear
ing this house might meet the fate of all 9th.
ers, sent everything ahead, and relieved the
house guard myself. and kept with it till we
arrived inside our picket line. About mid
night, my attention was called to a fire in the
direction of that house; and, upon an inves'
tigation next morning, there was nothing left
to mark the situation Of that mansion, save a
heap of smouldering ashes. Although the
men had marched twenty-seven miles that day
some of them added six more, in order to ap'
ply the torch to that house. Their dreams
would have been troubled had that building
remained as monument of their oversight or
neglect.
This remark would often be heard: "Here
is where treason began, and, by Cd! here
is where it shall end!" This feeling was in
tensifed as we approached Columbia. My
brigade, (Third Brigade, First Division, Fif-
teenth Army Corps, composed of the Fourth,
Ninth, Twenty fifth, Thirtieth and Thirty-6rst
Iowa Regiments, had marched and skirmished
almost necessarily for the two days preceding
the capture of that city. The night we reached
the Saluda and Broad Rivers, we pushed over
silently in canvas bottom pontoon boats, two
miles above the city, laid on our arms till
dawn, and then attacked, carrying everything
before U.s. The Mayor met US near the. city,
and made formal unconditional surrender" "
I had refused any other; but, upon his &C.
cepting, at once promised protection for all
private property.
As we entered one of the principal streets,
the sidewalks were lined with negroes of every
age sex and condition, holding in their arms
vessels of every conceivable size and shape,
filled with almost every conceivable kind Of
liquor. Here was an old white-wooled man,
who, with "Lord bress you, massa, try some
dis" offered brandy from a gourd that had
been filled from the bucket held in his hand.
Others we're offering wines, champagne, ETC.,
from original packages, tin cups crooks, &c.
Officers were at once reminded that their men,
considering their fatigue of the past few days,
their sharp fight of the morning, their loss Of
sleep and food for the past twenty-four hours,
were in no condition to drink much liquor.
The temptation offered was too great to with
stand by all and, in spite of strenuous efforts
of officers, within thirty minutes no incon-
siderable number of my command we're intox-
icated. This occurred during my absence to
plant our national colors on the State House,
and 1 returned in great haste, as General
Hampton's cavalry had attackedmy advance
guard, and threatened charge on the brigade
Harsh measures had to be adopted at once,
and those drunk were put under guard, and,
so soon as the enemy had been compelled to
retire, I at once had the entire brigade dis
tributed through the city.
Up to this time, no fires had occurred in
any part of the city save those of public bull
dings and quartermaster's stores, fired by the
enemy the day before we entered, l think, but
which fire had not extended, and did not ex-
tend to any other part of the city. The streets
in some places had contained bales of cotton,
which had been cut open, and these caught
fire twice or three times during the day; but
these fires had been promptly put out by some
of the iremen of the city, aided by a detail
under charge of an officer.
By this time, realized how much too small
my command of 1900 men was to properly
guard city of 10000 inhabitants, rich al
most beyond conception in such stores as we
coveted. In addition to their own-more
than ordinarily found anywhere Richmond
and Charleston had sent for safe keeping all
their surplus. Represented to Gen. Woods,
commanding the division, how inadequate my
command was to the task, particularly as this
was the capital of South Carolina. And,
while he expressed himself as of my opinion,
he could do nothing further than to refer me
to General Logan, commanding the corps.
Logan expressed himself even more strongly
than Woods had done, that my command was
too small for the provost duty of Columbia,
but said that Howards orders were, one bri-
gade must guard the city, and he could not
change them. Inow had intimation that the
Union officers released by us from the city
prisons had formed society, to which had
been added many members from our soldiers
and the negroes, and the object of which So
ciety was to burn Columbia.
Colonel j. D. Palmer, commanding my
regiment, the Seventy-6fth Iowa, and to whom
I had entrusted the charge of the most dan
gerous part of the city, viz: that on the rv-
er and in "Cotton Town." confirmed my opin-
ion that there was plot to burn the city, by
telling me that several fires had started in his
district that he had Succeeded in putting