The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-02-22
WORK OF VAINDALS.
The \ Bu,ning Of coIumbiaby oen
sshettnan'a Amy
/ 1.HtRIY.FlvE YEARS 400.

/ s, az. .HE1:'RIy.FlvE !: YEARS 400. !.
A Story ota su'fcting, c'uoIty
81 and q .'viae!nldai'stn.';0 0raphl-
ca'ly rfcld by Capt
Q. AlDlckett.
Tho following is tho story Of the
burning Of Columbia in February, 1865.
BY Gen. SheIman' army as related by
Capt, D. Augustus Dickort in his his-
tory Of <erhba~B Brigado:"
When Sherman rut hia mighty ma
chine of war in motion Kerehaw's bri.
gsdo nas hurried back 10 Charleston
and up 10 Georges Station, thon 10 tho
bridge on tho Edieto. Raiding parties
wero out in every direction, destroying
bridges aud railroads, and as tho
stu,hcrn army lai no pontoon corps
NO. sny methods Of crossing tho doop,
slurg ish s.teams in their roar Tut by
| tridgts, it can ben soc n that the cut
ting Of enc bridge alono might bo fatal
to tie Amy ltwas discovered carly
IN Tho march that Shormsn did OF in.
tcId to turn 10 tho right or to the loft,
but to continue on direct limo, with
| Colunb bia as tho ccnt,e Of operations.
We were remove d from tho Edis q back
to Charleston, and up tho Northwest
crn railroad to St. Stephon's, on the
San,ec. 1t Was 1oartd that raiding
party from getown would come up
tho saptoe ard out The bridge, thereby
iso'atipg tho army Hardeo had in Char
its on and vicinity. Slowly Sherman
'drassed his cary long,h along On
,fo l3;h Of February tho corps Of Gen.
Bls'r reached Kingvillo and drove our
| p okets away from the bridge over tho
u nga 90.
On tho 10Th Of February the advance
ooluma Of tho TweDtioth corps oamo in
sighttf Columbia. All tho bridges lead !.
irg thereto wcro burned and tho south.
elm troors withdrawn to the eastern
side. Frank Blair corps left tho road
leading to Columbia at Hopkins, and
kept direct limo for Camden. An
other corps, tho Fifteenth, crossed the
Broad at Columbia, whilo the -Four.
,ccpth and Twentieth were to GROSS at
Fresbley's and Alston. Orders had
boon given to evacuato, Charleston, and
IL tho troops under Gen, MoLsws,
at -Four Hole S~aup and along the
coast were Is srendea avt W at ST.. Stoph-
on's on tho San.ee, and either make a
junction with the western army at
Chester, 8. O., or ifnot possible, to con.
siLue to Cheste1fi.ld or Cheraw Tho
plan Of Il Q oa.npaign was now to con
oont,ato all the forces Of Hoods State
lrool 8 and Hsrdte's at somo point in
upp,r South Carolina GRIN North Car
olina, and mako ono moro desperate
stand. ard BY united action crush aud
| overthrow Sherman s army, the roby
,rtlieving Loe.
On tho morning of February ho l6 .h
The otomy, without any warning VIA
over, be1aa sbelling tho oity Of l'olum
bia. filled wi,h-women aid otildren.
Now it must bo remembered that this
VAS not Tor tho purnoso Of crossing the
river, for ono Of Shermau's corps had
a'rtady crossed below the city andStWo
others above. Ono shell passod through
tho hotel in n nhioh .Gs3e Baaufegard
was at tho time, othors struck Che
State hcuae, while many fell5throu sh-
cut the oty, Con. Hampton wi, hdrew
his snall foroe Of cavalry carly onthe
morning Of the 17th, and the may or Of
Tho city met an ofiocr of the federal
army under q flag of truce and ton.
| dored him tho surrender Of the ;oity.
and o!aimtd protection for its inhabi
tants. This was promised. !.
All during the day thousands Of tho
| enemy poured int0.the city, Gen, Sher
uau entering about midday. Gens.
Davis and Williams corps crossed the
Salula and continued up on the wost.
orn bank Of Broad river, one crossing
10, the other 25 miles above Columbia
The people of Q. lumbia had hopes of
a peaceful 0, ,cupation Of tho oity, bnt
during tho day and along towards
nigh,f fall, the II reatonir & attitude OF
tie soldiers, their Uminous words,
hfea's tf vel gcaIoe, wcle TOO portion.
ttu, Tor the peol IL to misunderstand
or 10 cxptot mercy. These signs,
threats and mutterings were but the
prelude to that which was to follow.
FIRE ALARM.
About 8, O'Clock tho alarm Of fire was
civ, aud tho dread sound Of the fire
| be 'ls, mingled with tho lun and roar
Of ten thousand voices and the ,road Of
as many troops lurryipg to and fro on
their cursed mission, could be hoard
by the, now thoroughly frightened pop.
ulsce. Tho pee tple, with blanehed
oountc nanees, sot features, looked in
| nutc silence into tho fso % Of oach 9th.
er All knew and felt, but dared not
even to themselves to whisper, the u 4.
mis,akable truth. Nos another alarm,
another fro bell ming los its sound with
tho g moral chorus Of discord, shouts
Of tho soldiory, The frightened ories
Of tho Leople--yells OF the drunken
ROOFS all q seething, maddening tur.
bulenoe in the orowded streots. Aldrid
glaro shoots up above tho house.
tops, then the oIaokling and roaring
Of tho dread olemonts told but too
plainly that the bo,unful city was soon
to be wrapped in flapcs. The sack and
pillago ha begunlS
| THE LOOT OF THE YANKEES.
Few mon being in the oity, the wo.
men, with rare heroism, sought to save
some little necessity Of life, only to
Iseo it struck to tho floor or Bnatohed
from their hands and scattered in the
stroots. Hero would bo o lone woman
huggipg an infant to her broaat, with q