The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-03-09
ANNIVERSARY OF THE
BURNING OF COLUMBIA
February IL, 1866 Sherman and His Army Set Fire te
Columbia a--- TDo Eyewitnesses Tell of Happenings
of That Neper-to-be Forgotten Day.

! Columbia by Frank F. Whilden fol-
lows:
"On the evening of February II,
1865, the city of Columbia was filled
with the blue coats of Sherman S
army; they were coming in all day.
1T was Friday, in the afternoon,
just after we had taken our dinner.
Hampton calvary, or what was left
of it, passed our door, going out
through Laurel street to the east,
where they met number of soldiers
of the Union army, and a skirmish
occurred between the two just at the
point where Laurel street turns north,
going toward Camden. 9.
LAS this body of men were passing
our house, our cousin, then Capt.
John F. Lanneau, chief of engineers
on Hampton's staff, rode on his horse
up to the pavement alongside our
piazza, and saluting the gathered fam
ily who had assembled to see our
men go out from the city, said to my
grandfather, Fleetwood Lanneau:
Uncle Fleetwood, come along with
US, do not remain a moment longer,
as the Yankees are coming into the
city, and will take you prisoner, and
no telling what will come of you So
hailing one of their wagons of the
engineering troop which was then
passing, he ordered it to halt, and
my grandfather, an elderly gentle
man, ran ont from the house with
only what he stood in, and a few
things he could gather up in the
moment, climbed up over the back
wheel and into the wagon, and
grandfather and Uncle John Lanneau
waved goodbye, as we saw them dis
appearing down Laurel street going
east.
eve did not hear from grandfather
for a long while, and he had to en-
dure many hardships, as we did also
before we came together again.
This Captain Lanneau was after
wards Prof. John F. Lanneau, OF
Wake Forest college. He was gradu-
ate of the Citadel, in Charleston, and
as brave a soldier as ever drew a
sword.
while the calvalry was passing
our house at full gallop, one of the
soldiers had the leather strap to his
canteen break. He tried to regain
it by drawing his sword, and fishing
it up, but failing in this he gave it up,
The foot. of some horse struck it and
threw outside the line of march, and
as soon as the cavalry passed l ran
out and picked up the canteen, and
found it to be full of molasses. We
did not get the benefit of this find as
it was destroyed that night in the
burning of our home. e..
Il quote from my Mothers Recol-
lections of War (page 81: Our
soldiers had meantime left the city,
feeling that resistance against such
odds was useless. Never shall for
get the detected look of the calvalry
as they rode past my door on Laurel
street, near Sumter. Quite number
halted to say Goodbye, and God help
you
"'As the last of our little band dis
appeared, I felt for the first time my
courage fail, and realized that we
were an unprotected community OF
women and children in the hands of a
merciless foe. 1t was moment to try
the souls of the most gorgeous but
the best must be made of the emer-
gency.'
"I have often had the question
asked me: Did our ladies suffer any
indignation at the hands Of the Unit
ed States soldiers?' l can answer
this by relating true incident: That
evening about s p. m. we had a
United States soldier stationed at the
front door as a guard to our home.
There entered by the back door a
drunken soldier. My mother was in
the bedroom at the rear of the house.
He walked in unannounced into the
presence of mother, in the privacy of
her room. She of course demanded
of him what he wanted. He replied
he would go where he pleased, and
do as he pleased, and was otherwise
insulting, as the city belonged to
them. Mother called the guard, who
at once responded with fixed bayonet,
and the intruder retired at once. OF
course in the great excitement that
surrounded us nothing more was
thought of the incident.
"The next morning on visiting the