The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-04
EetterS tc tbe Gdftcr
RHODEs,S HISTORY.

l The New York Sun, of December 4, 1904; contains signed review of James Ford Rhodes's History of the United States. From the Compromise of 1S50." 700 pages. the MacMillan's Press. Like all other literature ot the sub- ject. issued from the more responsible publishers in New York and other places. one side of the facts only of the situation of the period is taken if the reviewer is candid with the author. l attach the extract from the reviewer: Tt will be remembered that in the course of Shermans march northeast wardly from Savannah through South Carolina, the capital of that State, Co., iumbia, was partially destroyed by torian may be tested by his comments on this incident. The Confederate General, Wade Hampton, made haste at the time to accuse sherman of having permitted the burning of Columbia. if he did not order 1t directly; and this charge has since been reiterated by many Southern writer's. sherman's words, in a letter to Halleck-the whole army Is burning with an insa- tiable desire to wreak vengeance upon South Carolina with the addition, .'i look upon Columbia as quite as bad as Charleston'-have been quoted to show that the destruction of the city was premeditated. On the other hand, 1t is pointed out that. before his troops made their entrance into the town, sherman issued this order: General Howard will occupy Columbia, destroy the public buildings, railroad property, manufacturing and machine shops, but will spare libraries, asylums and pri- vate dwellings, That Sherman was entirely sincere when he gave this or der, and that his general officers en- deavored to carry 1t out, cannot, in MT. Rhodes's judgment, be questioned A statement which Sherman made un- der oath in 1872 affords further evf dence that he did not connive at the | IAa AfNra ~R HAIva Ill e-. A,A made up my mind to burn Columbia, would have burnt 1t with no more feel ing than would common prairie dog village; but l did not do it.
 | After recognizing that historical and legal canons for weighing evidence are not identical, Mir. Rhodes regards 1t as especially gratifying to find them in this case leading to the same decision. We are reminded that the members of the British and American Mixed Com mission Gan Englishman, an American and the Italian Minister at Washington l having to adjudicate on claims for property alleged to have been destroy ed by the burning of Columbia, on the allegation that that city was wantonly | fired by the army of General Sherman. either under his orders or with his con- sent and permission disallowed all the claims, "all the commissioners agree ing While they were not called upon to deliver a formal opinion on the | point, the American agent was advised that the Commissioners were unani- nous in the conclusion that the con fagration which destroyed Columbia was not to be ascribed to either the in tention or default of either the Fed eral or Confederate officers. Our au- thor's conclusion is that although Co., | lumbia, as almost simultaneously at Charleston. much private property was destroyed, 1t was Confederate soldiers who, through accident or design. were the primary and principal agents of
 Residence in Columbia made me en- tirely familiar with the town and su- burbs as 1t stood when General Sher- man found it. will correct S71s In1s by that great soldier, the facts going to show that he did 'connive at the de- struction of Columbia" I might add that sherman had orders direct from 1S65," to march through South Caroli- ma and Hay waste the country" (See official documents.) These orders were pleasing to him and the execution was so faithfully performed that above all other distinction of his military pro wess. obedience to them secures to him the highest claim upon history.
 The private residence of Dr. John Wallace was situated in grove near the Camden road. mile or better from the capitol in Columbia, and there 1t from fire. While the town was 1 on fire soldiers from General Sher- mans army appeared at the door to inform the lady of the house of their 1 the Confederate army. His wife and three children were the sole occupants of the premises, except the usual corps of negro servants. The incendiaries ordered the wife to leave the residence with her children. or at least offered her that privilege, but also informed remove any of the furniture. books or valuables of any kind. overhearlng this rude talk to her mistress. the fam lily mama" full-blood negro. slipped threw it over her shoulder and in mak- ing her escape from the doomed home was discerned by the soldiers. They seized her roughly. forced her back into the hall and there she was rcquir- ed to drop her sack and it's contents. the soldiers exclaiming that they al- ready had as much silver plate as died on the floor, combustible mate rials. bed sheets etc, heaped on 1t and the pile of ashes and the destitute. to mark the ruin of a beautiful and ! happy home.
 mile yet farther. on the Camden road. sat the residence of General ceedrd thither and burned 1t with its matchless library. Four miles from i Columbia was the residence of Colonel Wade Hampton, father of the Confede- rate cavalry chieftain. That house ! was also burned.
 Before General Sherman's eyes while he rode complacentlv smoking his ci- gar amidst the burning of the town proper, sat upon an erainence nearly Q. mile in a Southern direction. the Con vent where the sisters lived and missions of love. The convent shared the fate of the houses just described.
 The old Hampton residence. built Wade Hampton, of the Revolutionary army, occupied an entire square in the | heart of Columbia It was noble and wide waills making of it a home