The National tribune., 1910-10-13
Columbia Still Burning.

Editor National Tribune: When /
read in The National Tribune the ques-
tion. who did start the fire." cat Co.
lumbia), 1 feel that it is my turn to
write. 1 have Comrade Byers's (5th
1owa) DIARY of a Soldier Under Grant
and Sherman published by The Ma
tional Tribune some time ago, before
me. At this day many events that have
escaped our memory tends to revive
that spirit of patriotism that entered
into our lives when we We're called TO
defend our couptry's unity, and the
| feeling is just as strong now in our later
years as it was then. How much good
the incidents written by our comrades
at this late day do our old souls cannot
! be told. They revive us to younger
| life, and make us better G. A. r. COM
rades and better citizens We love to
read the columns of the soldiers friend,
| The National Tribune. Its weekly COM
ing is as precious as our pensions, and
| it gives food for the brain as our PEN
sion gives food for the body.
Comrade Byers says that Gen. Sher-
| man left with his army the day after
! the fire. That is not altogether correct.
/ know that our company q. 10th Ohio)
did not leave for several days. 1 speak
for only my company. l do not know
at this day how many others remained
| in the city. We of the First Brigade
First Division, Fifteenth Corps. entered
the city early in the afternoon. 1 do
not claim we were the first; we got
| there. all the same, and helped to put
out the fire. l remember waiting upon
the other side of the river while our
| batteries were shelling the city, and
could see the State House plainly be-
| fore we crossed. We entered the city
before night. We had the honor of
being placed at different buildings, do
| ing guard duty, as so many of our SOL
Il ,,,tD 81 hAFn
the fire reached them, taking whatever
they wanted, as the citizens seemed to
have deserted everything. 1 was guard
at bank, and during the night was
right in the midst of the fire. We sue
ceeded in getting an old hand engine
on a street, but we were unable to use
the hose and we abandoned it. / still
have a scar on my hand from a cut by
glass in the door. which fell out when /
closed it. After the building had burned
we hunted among the ruins in the cell
lar for what we could find. 1 got sew
eral chunks of melted silverware as
large as two fists. 1 carried il for some
time, but it became heavy, and 1 threw
it away to make more room for hard
tack. / got some other pieces of silver
ware that did not melt. I know Of a
certain regimental officer who carried
in the headquarters wagon silver plate
that was gotten from the same building
and it was sent to his home. l got an
opera glass. One of my company off,
GERS offered me $50 for it. 1 carried it
as far as Louisville, KY, when it was
stolen from me by a member of our
company and pawned.
We were camped in the yard at a
private house. There were no men
about, only two women, and they were
very thankful for the protection we
gave. as so many soldiers became drunk
and disorderly. I well remember the
night of the burning. Towards morning
most wierd and solemn sight present.
ed itself-the Catholic sisters tramping
alone in charge of many orphans driv-
en- from their home by the fire. After
the fire we moved to another part of
the city, and again camped in the yard
of private house. We got feather
beds out of the houses and used them.
We also took piano into the yard and
played upon it for awhile. then i'roke
it up to burn for cooking. Most of
those houses were deserted by their
owners, and, of course, what was there
belonged to US. 1t will never be known
how many of our soldiers were burned
with the buildings during the fire. 1
saw one body, all burned to cinders.
knew it was a soldier, for beside the
trunk was the barrel of his gun. Where
the fire started, or when, or by whom,
is question that no one can answer
correctly. We all have our surmises
But l guess the city did not get any
more than she was entitled Town. C.
Baugh, Sr, Corporal, Co. J.. 10th Ohio,
Wilmington. Del