The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-09-17
The Burning of Columbia.
A DARK CHAPTER OF UNWRITTEN
HISTORY.


HISTORY.
The Report Of the Committee Of Citi
zens Appointed to Collect Tcstimon.
Scenes in the Stricken City Incl
dents Of the Night of Terror Caus
ed by the Great Conflagration.
[By j. Z. Carroll, Chairman c( The Committee Q
Cui:cnS.)
| The committee who were charged with tn
duty Of collecting the evidence In relation t
the destruction Of Coluplbia by fire on tn
18th of February, 1865, submit the following
report: by the terms of the resolution up
pointing them the committee do not feel au
thorized To dcduce any conclusion or pro
nouncc any Judgment, however warranted b.
the proofs. rs to the persons responsible 70
the crime. Their task will be accomplished
by presenting the evidence that has been Oh
tanned. with an abstract of the facts establish
ed by 1t. More than sixty dispositions ant
statements in writing, from us many Ind
viduals, have been placed in the hands Of tn
committee. The array Of witnesses Is i'm
prcSSive, not merely because of their number
but for the hlgh tone and elevated charactc
OF some OF them, the unpretcnuinS and ster
ling pr0bity OF { theirs. and t~hegencral intcili
gence and worth Of all. Tie plain and un
Vanished narrative s%ubjoined Is aiken from
the testimony referred to solely and eXclll
Sivrly, except so much as refers to ccrtaii
declarations Of Gen. Sherman himself, wide
ly circulated through the public press, and Il
the ravages of his army in this State aftc
their departure from Columbia matters q
such notoriety as, in the Judgment OF TIT
committee, to dispense with the necessity q
formal proof. The forces OF Gen. Sherman
command while in Georgia seem to have an
ticipated that their next march would b.
through South Carolina. Their temper AM
feeling toward our people, & witness, Mrs. l.
Catherine Joyner, thus describes: 1.-The sol
diers were universal in their threats. The.
seemed to gloat over the distress hat woul'
result from their march through the State.
conversed with numbers of all grades belong
Ing to the Fourteenth and Twentieth corps
Such expressions rs the following were q
hourly occurrence : Carolina may well fea
us she brought this war on, and shall pay tn
penalty. i0u think Georgia has suffered
just wait until VIC get into Carolina ever.
or Gen. Sherman himself the same witncs
informs us that addressing himself to q IL
dy Of his acquaintance, he said to her; "G'
OIL the line Of railroad, for will not al
swer for the consequences where the arm
passes"
4 HARVEST OF DESoLATIoN.
The threats uttered IN Georgia were stcrnl,
executed BY the troops of Gen. Sherman upol
their entrance into this State. For eight,
miles along the route Of his army, through
the most highly improved and cultivated re
gion of the state, according to the tcstlmon,
habitati0ns Of but two white persons remain
ed. AS he advanced, the villages of Hardec
willie, Grahamvillc. ~GillisOnville, Mcpherson
Vile, Barnwell, Blackville, Midway, Orange
ted 10 the flames; indignitics and outrage
were pcrpctratcd upon the persons of the In
h%abitantS: the Implements of agricultur
were broken dwellings, barns, mills and gil
houses were consumed; provisions OF ever
description appropriated or destroyed horse
and mules carried away, and sheep, cattl
and hogs were either taken for actual use o
shot down and left behind. The like devas
tation marked the progress of the invadin
army from Columbia through this State TO 1t
northern frontier, and the Towns of Winns
boro', Camden, and Cheraw suffered from
like viSitatiOns by fire. If o single town q
village or hamlet within their line OF marc
escaped altogether the torch of the invaders
the committee have not been informed
the exception. The line of Gen. Sherman
march from his entering the territory Q
the State up to Columbia, and from C0lum
bia TO the North Carolina border. was on
and ruin thus inflicted were but the eXccr
ton of the policy and plan Of General She
man Tor the Subjugation OF the Confederut
States. Extracts from his address, ut Salem
ILL.,, ave appeared in tho public prints, an
thus he announces and vindicates the polio
and plan referred to: I'VE were strung GU
from Nashville clear down to Atlanta. Had
then gone on. stringing out our forces, wha
danger would there not have been Of their u
lacking the little head of the column an
crushing it? Therefore, l resolved in q mt
ment TO stop the game of guarding their citie
and to destroy their cities. We were deter
mined 10 produce results, and now whit
were those results? TO make every mai
woma and child In the South feel that
they dared to rebel against the flag of the
country they must die or submit" The pla
of subjugation adopted by Gen. Sherman wa
fully comprehended and approved OF by hi
army. His officers and men universally Just
fled their acts by declaring that it was 18th
way to put down the rebellion by burnin
and MISUNDERSTANDING" Before the SUI
render of our town the soldiers of Gen. She
was to be destroyed. ut was" deposes
witness (NlrS. Rosa j. MeerzeD THE cOmmo
talk among them lat the village of Lexington
that Columbia was to be burned by Gel
sherman" At the same place, on he ISL
of February, 1866, as deposed by another VII
ness, Mrs. Frances T. Caughman, the geners
officer in command of his calvary forces, Gel
Fitzpatrick, said, in reference to Columbia
sherman will lay 1t In ashes for them" 81
was the general impression among all til
ticcr, Col. j. L. Austin, OF the Ninth keI
lucky Cavalry, that Columbia was to be d.
Stroycd."
SMELLING SOUTH CAROLINA'S CAPITAL.
On the morning of the same dag (Februar
IL. 1866 some of the forces Of Gen. Sherma
River, and without a demand Of surrender {
any previous notice of their purpose, bcga
TO shell the town, then filled with wonlc
children and aged persons and continued I
do SO, at intervals, throughout the day. TIL
Confederate forces were withdrawn and tn
town restored to the control of the municipi
authorities on the morning Of the 18th
February. Accompanied by three OF the a
dcrmcn, the mayor, between 3 and 8 o'cloc
a. NJ. proceeded in the direction OF Broa
River Tor The purpose of Surrendering tn
city to Gen. Sherman. Acting in cOncel
with the mayor, the officer In command
the rear guard OF the Confederate CaValrI
, Gen. NJ. G.. Butler, forebore from further n
sistance to the advance Of the opposing arm.
and took eliectual precautions against any
thing being done which might provoke Gel
sherman or his troops to acts Of violence
or severity towards the town or It's citizen
The surrender OF Columbia was made b
the mayorand aldermen to the first genert
officer Of the hostile army whom they me
and that officer promised protection TO th
town and its inhabitants until commun
cation could be had with General Sherma
, and the terms of surrender arranged. b
IL O'Clock A.. NJ, the town was in posse
sion Of the Federal forces, the first dctacf
ment entering being the command of tn
officer who had received the surrende
They had scarcely marched into the town
however, before they began TO break into tn
stores of the merchants, appropriating I'll
contents. or throwing them INTO the street
and destroying them. AS other bodies
troops came in the plllagc grew more gel
eraI, and soon the sack Of the town was I'm
vcrsal. Guards were in general sent to thos
OF the citizens who applied for them, but 1
numerous instances they proved to be an
able or unwilling to perform the duty n!
hold or family escaped altogether from be
ing plundcred. The streets of the town wer
densely filled with thousands of Federal SO
diers, drinking, shouting, carousing and rof
bling the dcfcnceless inhnbitants withou
rcprimand or check from their officers. an
this state OF things continued until nigh
In some instances guards were refused. Pa
pers and property OF great value were !
the vaults Of the city banks, while the apar
ments above and in the rear were occupied b
women and children, with their food an
clothing. For a guard TO protect them appi
cation was made by one Of our worthiest an
most respectable citizens, Edwin j.. Scot
Esq, first to the general officer who had re
ceivcd the surrender OF the town. Coz. Ston'
and then to the provost marshal, Major Jer
kinS. The reSpOnSc made to the applicant b
the former officer, though standing idly In tn
crowd, as that he chad no time to attend t
him." and the answer OF the latter was, 81
cannot undertake to protect private property.
Between . and 3 o'clock I. NJ. Gen. Shcrma
i'm person rode into Columbia, informed til
mayor tina his letter had been received an
promised protection to the town. Extraord
nary license was allowed to the soldiers b
Gen. Sherman.
suERMAN's ASSURANCE OF SAFEGUARD.
On the afternoon Of the 18th of February
and shortly after his arrival in Columbia. th
mayor of the town, at the request OF Gel
sherman, accompanied him on q visit to
lady of his acquaintance. While proccedin
TO her residence Gen. sherman began to e.
press his opinion very freely upon the subjeC
of our institution of slavery. In the midst
his remarks he was interrupted by the sudde
and near report Of O musket; immediatel
before them. in the direction they were goin
they observed q group OF Federal soldier
s L.. a LIZ xnifad nnl i1nnn AnnrOnnhin