The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-09-04

tl-.. oot' aieo tne Demon Of
DeStiuction was no respecter Of persons
or property, and at 2 O'Clock in the
lnpoining iipg took little bird ia It's cage,
winch !! could not bear to leave to tbe
names In one hand and my little child a
nahd IN the other. and walked out from
unaer our burning roof into the cold and
pitiless street. Hundreds, nay thoush nds,
were there before me; some not so we'll
OIL as l, Tor they were iuvalids. None nj
US had any pillow but the frozen pround
nor any coz yering but the burning beav.
ems. Ae"s'
The terrified lowing of cattle tho
irenz!ed flight of pigeons circlinp bigh
ABOVE their blazing cotes, the ribald iesfa
qua brutal assaults Of our drunken con.
querors, the dun clouds of despair rolling
between us and the plying eve of God
made up picture whose counterparf ce n
be found only in the regions of the
A Federal officer said TO me next dav
- knew when General Sherman sent for
the se7enteenth (Logan's) army CORDS,
tnat he had black work for it to do" :
''vE vIcrIs."
On Saturday morning we took ree,ao
with some kind friends iu the suhnrbs
whose house had been OVERLOADED rathe,
than spared, and not until Sunday did
We venture back to look at the ruins of
our once beautiful home.
On the utter, utter desolation of n
CITY IN ashes and its people wanderers
Even The very landmarks were lost, and
you stood stranger on your own
Threshold. Nothing was left but the
smokeiess chimneys, keeping ward over
t9e widespread ruin. Hundreds of
Yankees, with ramrods and bayoneta
were proudiing the still smoking soil in
quest of buried treasure.
On Tuesday morning the blue lines
formed and the invaders Left Columbia
city once synonym of all that was
beautiful and elegant-s heap Of ruins !;
her living homeless and scattered, her
dead insulted and desecrated. To me
the curse of the broken. hearted sounded
above their steady tramp and martial
mualc. Confusion and terror went before
them and want and despair lowered In
their rear. Va Victis may not have been
inscribed on their banners, but it was
written in characters of blood and living
lire on the hearts and homes of a cor.
quered people.
remember going, few Sabbaths after
the destruction of the city, to hear one
OF our ministers. He was one who had
been personally abused by the Vandal
horde in their mad riot on that fatal
night, and just and holy indignation
still burned in his clerical bosom.
My friends" said he, warning in his
discourse, Let US be faithful in following
our Divine Master until we come to the
New Jerusalem, the golden city, not
desolate place like this, but ever bright
and fair, and assure you, my friends,
there will be no villanous Yankees there"
Then remembering that he was pledged
to preach doctrine Of forgiveness, he
added reluctantly and doubtfully, Gun.
less they have entirely new hearts"
l could not refrain from adding men,
tai amen to this sentiment.
Necessity is said to be the mother of
invention. Ii this be true Columbians
| should have been the most inventive
people on the face of the earth during
that spring Of eighteen hundred and
! sixty five, for their needs were certainly
great.
Left without shelter, clothing or food,
and with no means to obtain either, their
condition was indeed deplorable.
heard of many persons sustaining life for
several days upon the corn picked up
around the feeding troughs of tho Yam
kees' horses.
A lady whom had known in her days
of prosperity came to me, with the tears
streaming down her cheeks and said
"If you have anything divide with me
my little children are at home crying
for bread"
Alas, was but little better off.
LOYAL AND NOBLE NEGROES.
To the eternal honor of the negroes be
1t spoken, that many of them aided and
sustained their former owners ia these
trying times, with devotion as surpris-
ing as it was noble.
One old fellow brought store Of pro-
visions and laid it before his former
master, saying: "Massa, it nearly
breaEs my heart to see you in dis old
shanty, but it would break entirely TO
know you were hungry and couldn't get
nothing to eat"
"But, Peter, my good fellow" lsturned
his master, II cannot take these things
from ycu and !e&va you ard yoaE children
to etarve,"
"No danger of dat. Peters used to
helpin hisse1f, and dat. massa, you never
could do, you nor ole miss neither.
"Peter," said the master with q sus-
picious moisture about his eyes, Eve have
fallen upon evil days; but, perhaps, /
might live to repay you."
"You's done dat already, massa; you's
took care cf Peter good many years,
and rs sure it's his time to take care Of
YOU and ole miss"
All honor to Peter and to all, who
like him, did not forget
'sThe tender grace Of day that Is dcad."
My friend, Mra. H., with whom we had
taken refuge, had some negroes left in
her charge by relative who had fled
from the city. 1t became serioue ques-
tion how they should be fed, as she did
not care to drive them away. and they
showed no disposition to leave.
"I'll tell you what will do" said she,
ri will 90 to Sherman and demand food
for them. Will you 60 with me?"
although diaagreeable mission, ]
did not like to refuse, so with a few other
ladies, who, like myself, were refugees,
we set out to find Gen. Sherman's head
quarters. believe they we're in the old
Meyers house; at least, we found them
without difficulty, with sentinel pacing
up and down In front of the gate.
"Where is General Sherman 2" asked
Mrs. III. !"
"He is not here" replied the sentinel.
"Where is he, then Z" impatiently.
81 don't know" indifferently.
"When will he be here3"
II don't know"
Turning at the end Of bis beat he saw
lharman coming arnnnd tha corner.