The Washington herald., 1915-02-07
SHERMAN STARTS MARCH
THROUGH cAR0LINAS.
February 1.

that was to desolate the country with
fire and sword and outrival the previous
raid across Georgia in the destruction of
private and public property.
All who participated in the march
agree that the everyday scenes on the
roadsides were such as to awaken pity
in the hardest heart. The whole land
was swept barren: mansions and negro
cabins alike suffered at the hands of the
invaders; aged persons and young chill
dren were turned out Of their homes, in
suited, jeered and often maltreated. and
left alone to watch the smOldering en-
bers Of the roofs that had sheltered
them and the corncribs and smoke
houses that had provided them with food.
Sixty thousand Federal troops-among
them, unfortunately, some Of the scum
of the Northern cities, drafted men and
bounty jumpers-were turned upon the
country and allowed to act almost as
they pleased. so long as semblance OF
order was maintained in the marching
columns Thousands and thousands of
''bummers,'' a class of men that had
first come into being in some of Sher-
mans early raids in Mississippi, but
which had become more prominent and
active in the march to the sea, now took
matters into their own hands and ran
Wild over the countryside. They were
far ahead and out on the tanks of the
main columns, and, while they rendered
valuable service in supplying the army
with food they instituted a reign Of ter
ror among civilians wherever they went
There are hundreds of these mounted
men with the column, and they go every
where" wrote an officer. Some OF them
are loaded down with silverware, gold
coin and other valuables. 1 hazard moth
ing in saying that three-fifths Gin valued
of the personal property of the counties
we have passed through were taken by
Sherman's army"
Railroad First Objective.
The FederaIs marched in two main COL
umns, the right wing under Gen. o. o.
Howard, which Sherman accompanied,
comprising the Fifteenth Army Corps un-
der Gen. John A. Logan and. the Sew
enteenth, under Gen. F. P. Blair, jr., and
the left wing. under Gen. Henry W. Slo-
cum. comprising the Fourteenth Corps,
under Gen. Jeff c. Davis, and the Twen-
tieth Corps, under Gen. A. S. Williams.
The cavalry, under Gen. Judson XII
patrick, accompanied the left wing.
This great host numbered 6O,079 men, OF
which 4.45S were cavalry and LIS artil-
lery. The trains comprised $500 six
horse wagons and 600 two-horse ambu-
lances. THE contents of the wagons" ="
wrote Sherman, embraced an ample
supply of ammunition for a great battle,
forage for about seven days, and provi-
sions for twenty days, mostly Of bread,
sugar, coffee, and salt depending largely
for fresh meat on beeves driven along on
the hoof and such cattle. hogs and poul-
try as We expected TO gather along our
line of march"
Sherman had previously distributed his
troops from Savannah, and Howard's
wing set out fifty years ago today from
the vicinity Of Pocotaligo. S. c., on the
Savannah and Charleston Railroad.
about forty miles from the former and
fifty miles from the latter city. SIocum.
with his troops and the cavalry, who
had crossed the Savannah River at Sis
ters Ferry. forty miles upstream from
Savannah, headed north to form a juno
tion with Howard on the South Carolina
Railroad, which connected Augusta, Ga,
with Charleston.
The concentration of the two bodies of
troops at different points kept the Con-
federates in doubt as to whether Au-
Eusta or Charleston was to be attacked.
They divided their scanty forces-scarce-
Iy 2OOOO men-between the two places.
sherman did not plan 10 attack either
OF them. He proposed seizing the South
Carolina Railroad. about midway be-
ing as much of 1t as possible, and then
moving inland upon Columbia, the State
capital.
Though the weather in the first few
days of the march was not bad-there
was a little rain-the country under foot
was in terrible condition. January had
been a rainy month. Rivers had over
flown their banks, creeks had risen to
the size of rivers, the swamps were like
glue. and the country roads like bogs.
Added, the wear and tear upon the high
ways as a result of marching armies
he
country through which Sherman's men
moved became a veritable morass.
Yet the condition of the country did
not prevent the men from working their
VIII upon the people. The army, almost
as a whole, held the people Of South
Carolina responsible for the war and an
its attendant sins Consequently the
men were determined to take 1t out Of
their hides
The well-known sight OF columns Of
black smoke meets our gaze again; this
time houses are burning, and South Car
oftna has commenced to pay an INSTALL
ment, long overdue, on her debt to JUS
tice and humanity" So noted Brvt. Mai.
George W. Nichols OF Sherman's staff
in his diary for February J.
with the help Of God, we will have
principal and interest before We leave
her borders. There is a terrible gladness
in the realization Of so many hopes and
, wishes"
Another of Shermsn's staff, Capt. D. p.
Conynghan, afterward wrote a notable
account of the campaign. Threatening
words were heard from soldiers who
prided themselves on conservatism in
houseburning' while in Georgia" he
wrote, ''and officers openly confessed
their fears that the coming campaign
would be a wicked one.
Few Houses Escaped Flames.
Il first saw its fruits at Rarysburg
where two or three piles of blackenedl
brick and an acre or so of dying embers
marked the site of an old Revolutionary
town; and this before the column had
fairly got its hand in
IA McBride's plantation (Pocotaligo),
where Gen. Sherman had his headquar-
tiers. the out-ofhceS, shanties and sur
roundings were all set on fire before he
left. / think the fire approaching the
dwelling hastsned his departure.
III a house was empty, this was
prima fseie evidence that the owners
were Confedsrates. and all was sure to
be oonsigned to the flames. II they re-
,mained at home, II was taken for grant,
ed that every one in South Carolina was
a Confederate, and the chances were the
place was consumed.
In Georgia few houses were burned;
here few escaped, and the country was
converted into one vast bonfire. The
pine forests were fired, the resin fac
tories were fired, the public buildings and
lEnk .7s-Ea1 nr-rv Ara