The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-04
,y.rI Answered! Sherman's
Savagery!

Ex-pyesident Davis book. blames
Q t,r not accepting Gen. Sherman's
nun that he burned Columbia. The
Igi '"Ioston Neaos md Courier ably re-
~. he matter as follows
W shall now, however, conlne u
r.,. 10 the testimony taken by the
III Commission on British and
mean Claims, established by the
TT Of Washington In 1871. This
ir;jrnce was printed and presented to
t,,b Houses of Parliament 10 1874.
". will not 90 outside of the record.
u Both Gen. Hampton AMI Gen. Nj.
r. Rutler testified that the cotton in
C.rrmbia was not to be fired by the
E,,fsder.te troops, and that it was
". fred. Their testimony was confirm
Xiv that Of tn, Rev. A. Toomsr Por-
~. VIM. IL. Orchard aud other. Gen.
Sbsruan's story is that when he enter
sd the city tho wind was pitching the
,,,fou about and lodging it on the
+r.as 50 that 1t presented the appear
~ Of It snow storm, and that the
Tnraiup cotton whirled up in the air
NE = fire ball. When Sherman enter
.i Columbia it had been in the posses
s-,r Of the Federal forces for one or
,.n hours. and none of the officers who
t~-t entered were brought forward to
move that cotton was then burning.
uumher Of witnesses on the other
>d, swear positively :here was no fire,
snI that no cotton was flying about,
,Di some o: them testified nat cotton
does not fake or fly in the air when it
j, burning.
II While Sherman was in Savannah
he Ieceived 4. letter from Gen. Halleck
In which H1llcck said: Should you
capture Charleston | hope by some
.ac-ident the place might DC destroy
..rd." The reply of Gen. Sherman
was: - wiU brr an mtnd your hat
ms 10 Charleston, and do not think
salt will be necessary. When |
move, the Fifteenth Corps will be on
..the right OF the right wing, and their
position first and if you have watch
'yi the history of the corps, you will
have remarked that They generrdUy
I'D. hcir pretty ro0rk tCeU. The truth
rs. tie uohJIc army IS bnrniny 10Th m
"<thptLte desire to tcreak rcngeunce
"g,oa South CiurOhaa, almost tremble
al her fate; but feel that she deserves
all thut seems IN store for her. GEL.
Sherman also SAYS: Il look upon Co
',lumbia as quite as bad Us Charleston"
There is no m~istaking the meaning Of
this. But the testimony is cumulative.
Mrs. Anna. VI BaIc.ay, wife of the
late British Consul at New York, ties
titles that about the end of DecembIr,
1861. at the house of Miss Telfair. in
Savannah, she heard Gen. Sherman
Say that his course through South
Carolina should be marked by fire
and blood" and his own words: LAS
TO the hot-bed Of secession, Columbia
'IShoH 10y It IN ashes" Upon an ex-
preston of horIO and regrst 10y some
persons present Gen. Sherman repeated
his threat tina ''Colun.btu shall be
burneI" Mrs. w. ii Miller, who
was present, testified that she also
of What was to be done was not con6n-
ell to Gen Sherman. His officers and
men knew what was coming. Mrs.
Rachel Susan Cheves testified that she
was warned 10y Col. Poe and Major
Dayton, of Gen. S%nernan's staff, not
to 20 to Columbia, az they intended to
burn it. They saiu, indeed, tina; Gen.
Sherman iuteHieti To burn CoiunlJ0.'
Mrs. Langd,n Cheves was present and
aud heard this. Mrs. Frances L.
Caughman t~estifies that the day before
the burning OF Columbia she heard
Gen. Fitzpatrick say: Gen. Sherman
will get 'in Columba tomorrow, and
ciW lay It m "asheS."
Ill The burning of Columbia was
SYSTEMATIC and evidently prearranged.
Major Alexander, of Columbia, a Re
publican in his political principles,
Was IN the Company Of Capt. Ryan, U.
: A, on the evening of February IL,
IN6j, when ne saw three rockets go up
III the City of Columbia then in the
po.essiou of the Federal forces. When
the first rocket went up Ryan told
Alexander to wait and he would tell
hin what it meant. When the third
Rocket went up Capt. Ryan said he
was sorry to see it. that 1t was the
orders to burn tie city dOrn.' Soldiers
gave warning to John 4. Shield, to
Mrs. Agnew, to j. b Pollock, to NJ.
EnrIich, J. Dooly, Wm. III. Orchard
and others that the city would be burn
Ell. One Of Gen. BlaiI's Guards told
the Rev. 4. Toomer Porter, when tie
rockets went up from the centre OF the
town, that it tie styani for burning
"~Coipmb,a." The soldier added: Go
up INTO garnet and you will soon see
tire enough t o satisfy you that Co
.'lumbia will be burned" DIR. Porter
went up into the second story piazza
AID saw fires, in the course of an houI
break out in several portions of the
town and simultaneously in every direc-
Iion. Capt. w. B. Stanley, a veteran
OF tho Mexican war, was told 10y a
nited Slater officer, who was sick in
his store, that Columbia would be
burned on the night of the 18th o.
February, and this officer explained to
10 him the signals which would be
used.
". Abundant preparation had beef
made. Alderman j.. Ii. Wells, of Col
umbia saw soldiers wash the sides o
buildings 18th infiammable liquid anC
ignite the same. MIR. VIM. Ii. Orchard
Saw hundreds Of Sherman's mcn set
ting fire to the town, by means o.
''camphene balls prepared for that pur.
pose" Malcolm Shelton saw United
States soldiers setting fire to building.
by means of infammable torches. The
Rev. VIM. B. Yates, who like otheI
witnesses was told that the three rocket!
were the signal for firing Columbia, saw
the soldiers sprinkle %turpentine in the
rooms of a house and then set fire to thu
saturated bedding. q. b. Ancker saw
III. S,IIInru M n rIn.ac - ~ ralta1