The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-04-01

duced to ashes and salt sown upon the
ruins, Gen. Sherman in his Memoirs
{page 226), says he answered Halleck

duced to ashes and salt sown upon the
ruins, Gen. Sherman in his Memoirs
{pagc 226), says he answered ualleck
as follows:
This war differs from European
wars in this particular: We are not
only fighting hostile armies, but hos
tile people, and must make old and
young, rich and poor, feel the hard
hand of war, as well us their organized
armies.
L will bear in mind your hint as
| to Charleston, and do not think it will
be necessary. When l move, the Eff
teeEth corps will be on the right OF
the right wing, and their position
will bring them into Charleston first:
ana II you have watched the history
or the corps, you will nave remarked
that they generally do their work
pretty we'll. The truth is, the whole
army is burning with Unsuitable desire
to wreak vengeance upon South Caro-
lima. l almost ,rce.ble at her fate,
but feel that size deserves all that
seems in store for her,
He also stated i'll his deposition in
the case of Browne IS. United States,
to which reference has already been
made, that he and his army, both Of
ticers and men, thought that South
Carolina should be eXtirpated. which
meant utter destruction beyond the
nope OF reSurrection; and he also stat
ed In the same deposition that IL he
had thought it necessary he would
have destroyed Columbia as he would
prairie dog village.
In his Memoirs (page 2S7), Gen.
Sherman says that the tire that dc.
stroyed Columbia was accidental, and
on the same page he says
In my official report of this conf l.
grafton distinctly charged it to Gen.
Wade Hampton, and confess / did so
pointcdly, TO shake the faith of his
people in him, for he was, in my opin-
ion, Il braggart, and professed to be
the special champion OF South Caro-
lima" In the last conversation 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
Migrant injustice that could pcssib bly,
be perpetrated by any man who
claimed to DC a soldier and gentleman.
During the whole war" h, contin-
ucd, L never committed an act in
violation OF the rules Of civilized war
fare and never permitted my soldiers
to do so. | was second in command
when the cavalry raid was made into
Pennsylvania in 1862, and Col. Nc.
Clurc, 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 nv
men when we captured Chambers
burg. or course, we took such neces
sarios 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 go N
ment. ! never permitted rmy4s1.
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 returned home after
the war l found my residence burned,
which was two miles from Columbia,
and also Millwood, the home Of my
grandfather and father, around which
the most sacred memories OF
my life. | 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
with this, and has attempted
TO place upon me the terrible stigma
OF having burned the houses of nv
friends and ncighborS in Columbia. A
more cruel and false accusation was
never made, and though | shall not
make myself ridiculous By seeking any
per> onal satisfaction, hope that we
may never meet, for | diStrust my
own self-contrOl if face to face with a
man who has wrongcd me so foully."