Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-06-22

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population from the theater OF war It
produced the effect intended, and hastened the
of the war,-a bloody war, which Mr-
Davis according to his own account, would never
have terminated as long as he could have saved
his own life. As to the burning of Columbia, he
that have endeavored to escape the
responsibility " for that act" and refers to the
excesses Of Walensten's army in the thirty
years war Mr.. Davis was not In Columbia
during that fire, nor was General Hampton
was, and so was General o. o. Howard, so was |
General John A. Logan, and General William b.
Wood, now Justice of the supreme court, and his |
brother, General Charles Wood, and fourteen |
thousand honest, good, true Union soldiers. Mr. |
Davis ignored all these and adopts the solitary |
statement Of Wade Hampton, who got away and
was not there at all after his troops had set FIRE to
bridges depot and cotton in the streets Of his own
city, all of which were burned down or were
burning when our troops entered the city. The
Hampton mansion occupied by General Logan
was still standing and the college where General
Howard was quartered was not burned The fire
originated on Richardson street, near where 1saw
with my own eyes burning cotton bales, which
had been set on fire by the confederate cavalry.
was in supreme command inside of Columbia
during the night of the confagration, and allow
no man, not even jeff Davis, to question my
statement OF fact as seen by myself. What re-
maiped OF Columbia the next morning was wholly
due to General Logaus troops. without them
not house would have escaped. Had intended
to burn Columbia would have done 1t just as
would have done any other act OF war, and there
would have been no concealment about it, | may
have said, and now repeat, that should rebellion
again occur in South Carolina, and 1t should be
my office to cross The Congaree opposed by Hamp-
toms cavalry, and II in my simple judgment the
interest Of the government demanded It, there
will be such question afterward, but it so hap
pens in this instance my orders were made two
days before we entered the city. They were in
writing and must be still in General o. o. How
ards possession. They are recorded in the war
department, and have been often printed. These
| orders were purposely most mercful, because |
have none but the most kindly feelings toward
| South Carolina by reason of old associates and
friends made before the Mexican war, some Of
whom were known to be in Columbia, and to
whom extended personally and officially every
| possible assistance. Habitually honorable men
accept the Judgment Of a court of competent
jurisdiction especially OF such courts as do honor
| to our country This whole matter has been adju-
dicated by the mixed commission on American
and British claims in the cases of claims for cot
ton, belonging to British subjects, burned in
Columbia. If burned by agents of the United
States the United States were liable. If the fire
originated by act of the public enemy, the judg-
ment was to be for the United States The testi
mony was overwhelming, and the judgment wa:
IL.
posed of Count Cortie of Italy, the Hon. Russell
Gurney, NJ. p, of London, and the Hon. james
S. Fraser of Indiana, rejected every claim for cot
ton then burned at Charleston, South Carolina
twenty-three in number. Several claims wer'
brought for property destroyed by the burning o
Columbia on the allegation that the city wa'
wantonly fired by the army Of General Sherman
large amount OF testimony was taken upon thi
subject, including that Of General Hampton anc
other confederate officers on the part of tn
claimants, and of Generals Sherman, Logan
Howard, Wood and other federal officers on th'
part of the United States. The claims were al
disallowed, all the commissioners agreeing. an
advised that the commissioners were unanimou
in the conclusion that the conhagration which de
stroyed Columbia not to be ascrbed to eithe
the federal or confederate officers. declare tina
1t is simply infamous for Mr.. Davis to offer til
naked statement of a fact after such a judgmen
, by tribunal of Justice to which he now owes al
allegiance, however unwilling. Were it not 70
the fact that he has published such statements /
foreign lands, would be disposed to treat hi
comparison of me with Alva and Wallensten a
the fruit of his pompous vanity, for the likenes
is about wide a probability as his own resem
| ta Tulin 4 in ha IA thotu q
Greensboro, North Carolina General Joseph i
Johnston disobeyed his (Davis's) orders to retrea
towards Texas 30 as to proong the war. al
sure there is no good American citizen OF tn
north or the south but will feel debt of graf
tude to General Johnston for his good sense an
, his humanity in stopping the war in defiance
I Davis orders. To have then resolved the WI
from one by grand organized armies into one {
7 partisans, guerrias, would have been an III
pardonable crime against humanity. know 6
the time many OF us dreaded such an event an
: would not have believed that man OF sue
weight and experience could have advised an
ordered it, had not Mr.. Davis in his new book r
vealed the truth over his own signature. Gener
t Johnston still lives in vigor and health, and
4 abundantly able to vindicate his soderly fan
against this and the other filings which Mr.. Dav
4 has cast at him. / may only allude to the case
. this connection to show how blind Mr.. Dav
a seemed to have been to the humanities OF Il
:. war how little sympathy he felt for the marche
II tolls, privations and death Of his own soldiers
a advise an "order" that the remnants Of h
a armies should flee toward Texas, thousar
d miles through country already devastated, pp
| sued by relentless foe, delaying for few sho
:, | weeka and months his own hODeless fatn