Columbia , South Carolina in the American Civil War The Southern United States city of Columbia , South Carolina , was an important political and supply center for the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War . Much of the town was destroyed during occupation by Union forces under Major General William T . Sherman during the Carolinas Campaign in the last months of the war , although who caused the destructive fire is controversial . Early Civil War history . Columbia became chartered as a city in 1786 and soon grew at a rapid pace , and throughout the 1850s and 1860s it was the largest inland city in the Carolinas . Railroad transportation served as a significant cause of population expansion in Columbia during this time . Rail lines that reached the city in the 1840s were first and foremost interested in transporting cotton bales , not passengers . Cotton was the lifeblood of the Columbia community , as before the Civil War , directly or indirectly , virtually all of the city ' s commercial and economic activity was related to cotton . Columbia ' s First Baptist Church hosted the South Carolina Secession Convention on December 17 , 1860 , with delegates selected a month earlier at Secession Hill . The delegates drafted a resolution in favor of secession without dissent , 159 - 0 , creating the short - lived Republic of South Carolina . Columbia ' s location made it an ideal spot for other conventions and meetings within the Confederacy . During the ensuing Civil War , bankers , railroad executives , teachers , and theologians from several states met in the city from time to time to discuss certain matters . Castle Sorghum was a Confederate prisoner - of - war camp established in 1862 in Columbia . It consisted of a tract of open field , without walls , fences , buildings or any other facilities . A " deadline " was established by laying wood planks inside the camp ' s boundaries . The rations consisted of cornmeal and sorghum molasses as the main staple in the diet , thus the camp became known as " Camp Sorghum . " Due to the lack of any security features , escapes were common . Conditions were terrible , with little food , clothing or medicine , and disease claimed a number of lives among both the prisoners and their guards . The burning of Columbia . Following the Battle of Rivers ' Bridge on February 3 , 1865 , the Confederate division of Maj . Gen . Lafayette McLaws attempted to prevent the crossing of the Salkehatchie River by the right wing of Maj . Gen . William T . Sherman ' s Union army . The Union division under Maj . Gen . Francis P . Blair ( Howard ' s army ) crossed the river and assaulted McLaws ' s flank . McLaws withdrew to Branchville , causing only one day ' s delay in the Union advance . On February 17 , 1865 , Columbia surrendered to Sherman , and Wade Hampton ' s Confederate cavalry retreated from the city . Union forces were overwhelmed by throngs of liberated Federal prisoners and emancipated African Americans . Many soldiers took advantage of ample supplies of liquor in the city and began to drink . Fires began in the city , and high winds spread the flames across a wide area . Most of the central city was destroyed , and municipal fire companies found it difficult to operate in conjunction with the invading army , many of whom were also fighting the fire . The burning of Columbia has engendered controversy ever since , with some claiming the fires were accidental , a deliberate act of vengeance , or perhaps set by retreating Confederate soldiers who lit cotton bales while leaving town . On that same day , the Confederates evacuated Charleston . On February 18 , Sherman ' s forces destroyed virtually anything of military value in Columbia , including railroad depot s , warehouses , arsenal s , and machine shop s . In his book The Burning of Columbia , S . C . , Dr . Daniel Trezevant holds Governor Magrath and General Wade Hampton partly accountable for the burning . While others wanted to send out a delegation to surrender the city far from a safe distance , the Governor vetoed the idea , while General Hampton vowed to defend the city “ from house to house . ” Among the buildings burned were the old South Carolina State House and the interior of the incomplete new State House . The old State House was constructed between 1786 and 1790 . James Hoban , a young Irishman who emigrated to Charleston shortly after the Revolution , was the architect . Upon the recommendation of Henry Laurens , President Washington engaged him to design the executive mansion in Washington . Old pictures of the two buildings show architectural similarities . Legend has it that Columbia ' s First Baptist Church narrowly missed being torched by Sherman ' s troops . As the story goes , the soldiers marched to the church and asked the groundskeeper if he could direct them to the location of the church where the declaration of secession was signed . The loyal groundskeeper directed the men to another church , a Methodist church located nearby ; thus , the historic landmark avoided being destroyed by Union soldiers . Among the buildings destroyed was " Millwood , " a large mansion owned by Confederate general Wade Hampton . His late father ' s home , the Hampton - Preston House , in downtown Columbia was spared as it was being used as the headquarters for Union Maj . Gen . John A . Logan . Controversy surrounding the burning of the city started soon after the war ended . General Sherman blamed the high winds and retreating Confederate soldiers for firing bales of cotton , which had been stacked in the streets . Sherman denied ordering the burning , though he did order militarily significant structures , such as the Confederate Printing Plant , destroyed . Firsthand accounts by local residents , Union soldiers , and a newspaper reporter offer a tale of revenge by Union troops for Columbia ' s and South Carolina ' s pivotal role in leading Southern states to secede from the Union , whereas other accounts ( as documented in , for example , James W . Loewen ' s " Lies Across America : What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong " ) portray it as mostly the fault of the Confederacy . During Reconstruction , Columbia became the focus of considerable attention . Reporters , journalists , travelers , and tourists flocked to South Carolina ' s capital city to witness a Southern $ 3 whose members included ex - slaves . The city also made somewhat of a rebound following the devastating fire of 1865 ; a mild construction boom took place within the first few years of Reconstruction , and repair of railroad tracks in outlying areas created jobs for area citizens . Civil War tourism . The Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum , part of the S . C . Budget and Control Board , showcases an artifact collection from the Colonial period to the space age . The museum houses a collection of artifacts from the South Carolina Confederate period . The impacts from Sherman ' s cannonballs to the granite exterior of the State House were never repaired and are marked by six bronze stars . Today , tourists can follow the path General Sherman ' s army took to enter the city and see structures or remnants of structures that survived the fire . A Civil War walking tour is available . Notes . < br >