The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-06-23
THE BURNING OF COLUMBIA.

L
tioners was in perfect harmony with the
temper and spirit of the order"
THE BURNING OF COLUMBIA.
Still further of this General he says,
touching the burning of Columbia, S. g.:
"Hypocrisy is the tribute which vice
pays to virtue; therefore, Gen. Sherman
has endeavored to escape the reproaches
for the burning o. Columbia by attribu-
ting it to Gen. Hampton's order to burn
the cotton in the city, that it might not
fall into the hands Of the enemy. Gen.
Hampton has proved circumstantially
that Gen. Sherman's statements untrue,
and, though in any controversy to which
Gen. Hampton may be party, no cor
roborative evidence is necessary to sub
stantiate his assertion of fact coming
within his personal observation, hun
dreds of unimpeachable witnesses have
testified that the burning of Columbia
was the deliberate act Of the Federal
soldiery, and that it was certainly per.
mitted if not ordered by the command.
ing general"
And again:
"Were this the only instance Of such
barbarity perpetrated by Gen. Sherman's
| army, his effort to escape the response
bility might be more successful, because
more plausible; but when the eulogists
of his exploits note exultingly that
swide.spreading columns of smoke rose
wherever the army went,' when it is in.
controvertibly true that the line of his
march could be traced by the burning
dwelling houses and BY the wall of wo-
men and children pitilessly left to die
from starvation and exposure in the
depth of winter, his plea of mot guilty
in the case of the city of Columbia can
not free him from the reprobation which
outraged humanity must attach to an act
of cruelty which only finds parallel in
the barbarous. excuses of Wallenstein's
army in the Thirty Years War, and
which, even at that period of the worlds
civilization, sulliedI the fame of that
otherwise great:se'ldier."
THE SURRENDER OF LEE.
One of the most interesting features
of the book is what MIR. Davis says of
the various peace movements. 1t has
been charged that Gen. Lee told Mr..
Davis early in 1864 that it was impos-
sible for the Coniederacy to maintain
itself, and the President has been
blamed for continuing the war after
this time. On this point Mr.. Davis
says:
Lee had never contemplated surren-
der. He had long before, in language
similar to that employed by Washing
ton during the Revolution, expressed TO
me the belief that in the mountains of
Virginia he could carry on the war for
twenty years, aud in directing his march
toward Lynchburg it may we'll be that
as an alternative he hoped to reach
those mountains, and with the advan-
tage which the topography would give
yet to battle the hosts which were fol.
lowing him."
And further:
In the early part of March, 1866, as
we'll as my memory. can fix the date, Gen.
Lee held with me long and free con-
ference. He stated that the circum.
stances had forced on him the conclu-
sion that the evacuation Of Petersburg
was but question Of time. He had
early and fully appreciated the embar-
rassment which would result from
losing the workshops and foundry at
Richmond. which: had been our#main
reliance for the manufacture and repair
of arms as we'll as the preparation OF
ammunition. The Importance of Rich
mond in this regard was, however, then
less than itihadH been by the facilities
which had been created for these pur-
poses at Augusta, Selma, Fayetteville
and some smaller establishments, also
BY the progress which was being madc
for large armory at Macon, Ga. To
my inquiry: whether it would not be
better 10 anticipate the necessity by
withdrawing once, he said that his
artillery and draught horses were too
weak for the roads in their then condi.
ton. and that he would have to wait
until they became frazer. Then natu.
rally followed the consideration of the
line ofretreat. The paper was forwarded
to Gen. Lee and returned by him with
an unfavorable criticism, and the con.
cIusion that, if we had to retreat, it
should be in a southwardly direction
toward the country from which We were
drawing supplies, and from which a
large portion of our forces had been de-
rived. In this conversation the same
general view was more specifically stated
and made to apply to the then condition
OF affairs. The programme was to retire
to Danville, at which place supplies
should be collected and a junction made
with the troops under Gen. J. E. John.
ston, the combined force to be hurled
upon Sherman in North Carolina, with
the hope of crushing his army before
Grant could reach him."
AS to the manner in which the deter
mination to surrender was reached MIR.
Davis writes:
son the evening of the 9th Gen. Lee
decided, after conference with his corps
commanders, that be would advance the
next morning beyond Appomattox
Courthouse, and if the force reported to
be there should prove to be only Sheri.
dams cavalry, to disperse it and continue
the march toward Lynchburg; but if
infantry should be found in large force,
the attempt to break through it was not
to be made, and the correspondence
which Gen. Grant had initiated on the
previous day should be reopened by a
flag, with propositions for an interview
to arrange the terms of capitulation. Cor.
don, whose corps formed the rear guard
from Petersburg, and who had fought
daily for the protection of the trains, had
now been transferred to the front. On
the next morning, before daylight, Lee
sent Col. Venable, one of his staff, to
Gordon, commanding the advance, to
learn his opinion as to the chances OF
piled: My old corps is reduced to
irazzle, and, unless I am supported by
Longstreet heavily, I do not think we
can do anything more When Col.
Venable returned with his answer to
Gen. Lee, he said: Then there is moth
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