, 1873-06-09
WHO BURNED COL lUMBIA,
Statement by tho Of{lcor Commanding tho
Union Bridge Which Guarded
tho City.


A7onlaor, Kan., juno ?, 1873.
h tho Edstor ar This Chicago Tribune:
e1Rs Aa II appearB overy wrong ansWor has
boon giron to tho conundrunl, "Who flrcd CO.
lun1bla Z" (un1oas It be tho one, "DocasiBo 1t
couldn't climb troo v, propose to givo you
tho true ono. s3
Tho answer is contained In half-dozen words;
but, as quite lengthy explanation would have
to follow, I'll mako tho explanation first, and
lend up to tho nnswor,-kcoping, like noyolists,
tho iniorcss intcnpifod till the laat moment.
An intensely bitter feeling wan manifested by
our troops from tho moment thoy stopped on
South Oarollna soil. In no othor socodod State
(and wo had aoldierod in all Bavo Texns) was
thoro any particularly Ill fooling shown towards
tho Inhabitants. But, from ono end Of tho first
named stato to tho other, 1t might hc truly sa!d
TINT our march was markod by - cloud Of
smoke by day md pillar Of flrc by night"
Ny recollection Is, that, outside Of tho town,
not house was loft standing, unless occupied
by negroes; md, from tho denao clouds Of
smoke 1ow milcs onch to our right and left.-
plainly defining tho march of tho columns nd
ynncing in parallel ineu,-it scemed TINT tho
eamo destruction waa following In the wake OF
those columns. Ono inatanco-1 could givc
twonty-will illustrate and show the animus Of
Tho troops:
Ono evening, just at dusk, had halted within
throo miles Of camp, at worry fino manaion,
whoro strong guard had boon posted by our
advance. I had command Of tho rear-guara,
aud, up to this place, had picked up MI tho sick
md all tho stragglers. Fearing thia houBe might
neot tho fate OF all othors, I scnt everything
Ahcnd, md rolioved tho houso-guard nyaolf,
and kept with 1t till wo arrived lnside
Cur plokot-lino. About midnight my at-
tention was called to fire in tho d.
rcction Of that house; and, upon m invos-
tlgation next morning, thoro WAS nothing loft
to mark tho situntion Of that mansion savo
q heap OF smoulderlug aBhcs. Although the
men had marched twenty-soyon miles that day,
nomo Of them sddod six moro, In order to npply
the torch to that houBo. Their droamB would
hayo been troubled had that building 10 NAMED
ns monument Of their oversight or neglect.
T1is remark would ofton bo heard: Hero is
whore Troaso on began, and, by G-dl bore is
whoru It shall endl'
This feeling OF hatred was intensified as wo
approx ched Columbia.
My brigade (Third Brigade, First Division,
Fifteenth Army Corps) composed OF the Fourth,
Ninth, Twenty-ffsh, Thirtieth, and Thirty-hrss
Iowa Regiments, had marched and skir1nishod
almost incessantly for tho two days preceding
the capture of that city. The night We renched
The Suluda and Broad Rivers, We pushed over
silently in canvas-bottom pontoon-boats, two
milos abovo tho city, laid Oh our nrmH till dawn,
and then attacked, carrying everything before
us.
The Mayor mot us near tho city, and made d
1ormnl unconditional surrender" had re-
fused any other; but, upon his accopting, at
nrnfentlDn.
: erty.
: As VIC entered enc Of tho principal streets, tho
Bidowalks wero lined with negroes Of overy ngo
sex, and condition, holding in their arms
a1lled with almost every conceivable kind Of
liquor. Hore was An old white-wooled man, who,
with q - Lord bress you, maBbal try BONG diB,
offered brandy from q gourd that had been filed
offering wines, champagne, &o., from original
packages, tin cups, crooks, otc. Ofleora wore at
once reminded that their men, considering their
Enc morning, their loss Of sfoop and food ior tho
past tWenty-four hours, woro III no condition to
drink much liquor.
The temptation offered vas too great to with
+: stand by Nil and, III spite OF strenuous efforts
OF officers, within tlurty minutes no nconsitl-
cradle number Of my command wore intoxicated,
THIS had occurred during my nbsonco to plant
: our national colors on tho state-Housc, and I
= Ind returned in groat haste, as Gen. Hnmpton's 3
threatened D charao on tho brigade. Harsh
,aeasureB had to be adopted at once, and thoso
drunk wo1o put under guard, md, 30 soon az
tho enemy had boon compelled to retire, at
once had tho ontira brigade distributed through
the city.
Up to this timo NO fires had occurred in any
part OF tho city, save those Of public buildings
and ouartcruanstors' stores, frod by tho enemy
fLo day before we entered, think, but which
ire had not extended aud did not extend, te
my other part OF tho city. Tho atroetE
In somo placos contained balcs Of cotto1
Which had been cut open and these caught firt
twice or three times during the day; but those
ares had been promptly put out BY somo Of The
hremen of the city, aided by detail OF soldiers
under charge OF an officer.
BY this time, ronlizel how much too small
my command Of 2,2oO mon was to properly guari
oity OF 10000 inhabitants, rich, almost boyoni
conception, In such stores as we coveted. II
addition 10 their own,-moro than ordiuaril,
i found anywhere, -Dichmond and Charestoii
!. had sent for safo-keeping oil their surplus.