The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-03-30

duced to ashes and salt soWn upon tn
ruins. Gen. Sherman ia his Memoir
(page 226) says he answered Hallecl
as follows:
This war differs from European
wars in this particular: We are no
only fighting hostile armies, but hos
tile people, and must make old ant
young, rich and poor, feel the hare
hand Of war, as well as their organized
armies
4 will bear in mind your hint a
to Charleston, and do not think it will
be necessary. When | move, the Fif
teerth corps will be on the right O
the right wing, aud their position
will bring them into Charleston first
and if you have watched the histor.
Of the corps, yoG will nave remarked
that they generally do their worl
pretty well. TIE truth is, the whole
army is burning with Unsuitable desire
to wreak vengeance Uoon South Caro-
lima. / almost !relnb!e at her fate
but feel that she deserves all thai
seems II SCOEe lot EPE.
He also stated in his deposition ir
the case of Browne KS. United States
to which reference has already beer
made, that lie and his army, both Of
fcerS and men, thought that South
Carolina should be extirpated, which
meant utter destruction beyond the
hope Of resurrection; and be also stat.
ed in the same deposition that if he
had thought it necessary he would
have destroyed Columbia as he would
a prairie-dog village.
In bis Memoirs (page 2SO, Gen.
Sherman says shat the fire that de.
stroyed Columbia was accidental, and
on the same page be says:
In my official report Of this confla-
grafton l distinctly charged it to Gen.
Wade Hampton, and confess I did so
pointedly, to shake the faith Of his
people in him, for be was, in my opin-
ion, a braggart, and professed to be
the special champion of South Caro-
lima" In the last conversation I ever
had with him on the subject, Gen.
Hampton said that the charge of
Sherman made against him as to the
burning Of Columbia was the most
fragrant injustice that could possibly
be perpetrated by any man who
claimed to be a soldier and gentleman.
During the whole war," he contin-
ued, Il never committed an act in
violation of the rules Of civilized war
fare and never permitted my soldiers
to do so. I was second in command
when the cavalry raid was made into
Pennsylvania in 1862, and Col. Nc
Clure, the well known editor Of The
Philadelphia Times, has testified in
his memoirs how scrupulously caused
the rights of private citizens and non
combatants to be respected by my
men when we captured Chambers
burg. OF course, we took such neces-
saries belonging to private citizens as
we were compelled to have, but in
every instance the owners were given
vouchers upon which they could
collect-the value of the property so
taken from the United States govern
ment. l never permitted my soldiers
to enter an orchard or to draw water
from private well or cistern without
first obtaining the permission Of the
owner. No outrage or violence was
committed by them in any instance,
and yet when I returned home after
the war found my residence burned,
which was two miles from Columbia
and also Wildwood, the home Of my
grandfather and father, around which
clustered the most sacred memories OF
my life. l had lost in the war all my
estate and had seen my brother and
Youngest son shot down upon the
battlefield: but Gen. Sherman was not
satisfied with this, and has attempted
to place upon me the terrible stigma
of having burned the houses Of my
friends and neighoors in Columbia. A
more cruel and false accusation was
never made, and though [ shall not
make myself ridiculous by seeking any
personal satisfaction, l hope that we
may never meet, for | distruSt my
own selfc control if face to face with a
man who has wronged me so foully."