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BY ?TO THINE OWN SELF BK TUUE, AND IT MUST FOLLOW, AS THE IIOB'T. A. THOMPSON & CO. iummMmnmt?i?fm*?m)?mm i m j '-_ ^ M I I - - rn Milli II I I I I i i n II irn?ri?. m.mi mniii PICKENS COURT HOUSE, S. C. SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1801. NIGHT THE DAY, THOU NO. 5& MISCELLANY. Letter from General Wade Hampton. COLUMBIA, S. C., Juno 19,1865. To thc Editors ?f thc. New York Doy Booh : Gents-In your paper of the Oth of May, 1 have just seen General Sherman's official re port of his march through thc two Carolinas. As this report misrepresents mo in the gross est and falsest manner, I trust you will not de ny mo the right to vindicate myself. It is duo to history, if not to mc, that thc falsehoods of General Sherman in reference to tho de struction of this city should be exposed. This gHtijl ho done in the briefest possible manner: Thc reports s:iy, " General Wade Hampton, .who commanded thc Confederate rearguard of cavalry, had, in anticipation of our capture of Columbia, ordered that all cotton, public nuflf 'private, should bc moved into thc street and fired to prevent our making use of it. * * Some nf these piles of cotton were burning, especially one in thc very heart of thc city, near thc court house, but thc lire was partially subdued hy thc labor of our soldiers. * * Before ono single public building had been fired by order, thc smouldering fires set by Hampton's order were rekindled by thc wind, and communicated to the buildings around. About darli they began to spread ami got be yond tho control of the brigade on duty within the city. The whole of Woods' division was brought io, but it was impossible to check thc flames, which, by midnight, had become un inaiuttrCrthlo, and raged until about 4 o'clock, A. M., when thc wind subsiding,, they were g..t under control. * . * I disclaim, mi dat part of? iMy-avMiyr-ouy ?ffpn^y ii> -tb}?"? fire, but. on thc contrary, claim that we saved what of Columbia remains unconsumed. And, without hesitation, charge (Jen. Warle Hamp t in with having burned his own edy of Co lumbia, n?t with malicious intent, as the iiian i ost.ition of a silly ' Unman stoicism,' but from folly ?nfl want nf sense in filling it with Tint.'edltoU and tinder. Our officers and men on duty work Jti well to extinguish the flames." It would bc difficult, if not impossible, to express hi an equal number of paragraphs, a greater number of falsehoods than arc con tained in the above extracts. There is not one word of truth in all that has hoeu quoted, except thc statement that " General Hampton commanded thc roar giiiird of cavalry. He did not order any cotton " moved into the street and fired." On the contrary, my first act on taking command of the cavalry-to which I was assigned only the night before the evacuation of Columbia-was to represent to/jenorul Beauregard thc danger to thc towri of firing thc cotton in the streets. Upon this representation, he authorized mc to give or ders that no cotton in thc town should bc burned, which order was strictly carried out. J loft thc city after the head of Sherman's column had entered it, and I assert, what can ho proved by thousands, that not a bale of cot ton was on fire when ho took possession of thc city. His assertion to the contrary is false, and he knows it to be so. A distinguished citizen of this State-whose name, were I at liberty to give it, would be a sufficiont vouch er, even at the North, for the truth of ?ny statement made by him-has given to the public a minute history of thc destruction of thc city. ? Piont this document, which is too long for Lnu'tioii in your paper, I will make a few ex- j tracts, which will show how true is General Sherman's solemn disclaimer'of 44 any agency in tjiis fire." and his claim to have "saved .what pf Columbia reniai nod unconsumed." The Mayor had been informed that ho would be notified whon to surrender the city, know ing that ineffectual resistance on, our part would furnish tho ready excuse for all lawless ness ou the part of thc enemy. I would not allow my troops to become ongiigod in the city, and they wore withdrawn on the morning of tho 17th of February. At niue O'clock-, A. M., on fcltot day, thc Mayor, afc t(ie bend of tho deputation from tho City Council, went out to meet G euer? I S h or num for the purpose of surrendering the city, whiou bc did iii the following letter r OobtJMnrA, S. C., Feb. 17, f?65, ? To Maj. Omu Sherman : "The Confederate forces having evacuated' Columbia, I deem it my duty, as Mayor and Representative of the city, to ask for its citi zens the treatment, accorded to the usage of oiviluud warf ire. I therefore refpcctfully.ro quest that you Will send a sufticicut guard in advance of thc army, to maintain order in the oity, and to prdtcct the persons and property of citizens. Very respectfully, Your obqdient servant, [Signed] T. J. GOODWIN, Mayor. Thc deputation met thc advance guard of, thc enemy, under Col. ?Stone-Fifteenth Corps j -outside thc city, and Col. Stone returned with them to thc town in their carriage. 1 Thc Mayor reports that on surrendering the city to Col. Stone, thc latter assured him of thc safety of thc citizens, and the protection of their property while under his command, j ile co.uld not answer for Gonorul Sherman, i who was in the roar, but he expressed the con viction that he would fully confirm thc assu rances which he (Col. Stone) had given. Sub sequently (Jen. Sherman did confirm them, ?nd that night, seeing that thc Mayor was ex hausted by the labors of thc day, he counselled him to retire to rest, saying : " Not a finger's ? breadth, Mr. Mayor, of your city shall bc 1 harmed. You may lie down to sleep, satisfied that your town shall be as safe in my hands as if wholly in your own. * * * " At about eleven o'clock the head of the column reached Market Hall. Hardly had the troops roached thc head of Main-street when thc work of pillage was begun. Stores ,'wcrc broken open in the presence of thous ands within thc first hour after their arrival-. No attempt was made to arrest thc burglars.. Tho authorities, officers, and soldiers, nil ? seemed to consider it a matter of courso. And woe to him who carried a watch with gold chain pondant, or who woro a choice hat, or \ overcoat, or boots or shoes. He wits stripped by ready experts in the twinkling of an oye." * * * ?< About twelve o'clock thc jail was discovered tobe on fire from with in. This building was immediately in thc rear of thc market or Cit y Hall, and in a dense ly built portion of tho city. * * * Tho tire in thc jail had boon proceded by that of some cotton piled in the streets. , Doth fires were soon subdued by our firemen. At about ?i o'clock, P. M., that*of the jail was rekindled and waH again extinguished." * * " Thc experience, of thc firemen'putting out the fire in the cotton in thc jail WHS of a sort to diseouiagc their further efforts. They were thwarted and embarrassed by thc continued interference of thc soldiery. Finally, their hose was chopped with swords and axes, and pierced with bayonets so as to bo rendered useless. The engines wer-., in sonic cases de molished also. And so the miserable day wore on in pillage, insult, and constant confu sion and alarm. We have shown that thc robbery of the persons of citizens and the plun der of their houses commenced within one hour after they had reached the Market Hall. It continued without intermission througlumt tho day. Sherman traversed tho streets eve rywhere, so did his officers, yet they SM w uoth- j ing to rebuke or restrain." * * * Robbery was going on at every corner, in every house, yet there was no censure, no punishment." * * * "Among thc first fires at evening was one iibout dark, which broke out in a filthy portion of low houses, occupied mostly as brothels* There wore then sonic twenty fires in full blast in ns many different quarters, nt nearly thc same moment, and while thu alafm sounded from these quarters, a similar alarm was sent up al most simultaneously from Cotton Town, the farthermost limit of tho city, and fr?m Main street in its very centre." * * * " Tho wretches engaged in this appointed in-, cendiarism were well prepared with all thc ap pliances essential to their work. Thoy carried with them from house to house, pots and ves sels containing combustible liquids, nud with balls of fire saturated in this liquid, they con voyed thc flames with wonderful rapidity from dwelling to dwelling." * * * " What remained from tho morning of tho engines and hose weroN brought out by thc tire mou, but thoy were soon driven from their la bors by thc pertinacious hostility of thc incen diaries. Knginos wore tumbled over ?nd dis abled, the hose was hewn to pieces, and' thc ft wm en dreading worso usage to tita rusel ves, left thc fiele) in despair." * * * " Old men mid women and children wore to be scon, often while thc Atunes were miling and raging around them while walls -wt: crocking and rafter*-tottering and tumbling, jju the endeavor to save thoir clothing and Borne of their mare valuable ef fects. 1 hey wore driven out headlong, pistols clopped Io their heads, violent hand laid on thront nnd collar, and the minans seemed to make but little distinction in their treatment of man and womal). Ladies were hustled from their'chambers under thc strong arm or with their menacing pistol at their Ivearts. Their ornaments plucked from their breasts-their bundles taken from their hands." , * * * 14 A lady undergoing pains of labor had to bo borno out on a mattress into thc opeu air to | escape the fire. It was iii vain that her situa- j tion was described to thc incendiaries, as they applied the torch wi'bin and without the house. They beheld the. situation of. thc Butterer and i laughed to scorn the prayer for her aafoty.- i Another lady >Vas but recently confined. Her lifo hung upon a hair. The demons were ap prised of the facts in thc case. They burst into her chamber-took/rings from the lady's finger, plucked the watch from beneath her pillow, shrieked offensive language in her ears, and so overwhelmed her with terror that she sunk under the treatment, surviving but a day or two." * * * "The church es were nt first, sought'W many streams of population. Thither the h h perseverance of the fiends followed them, a nd the churches of God were set on flame. Again driven forth, numbers made their way into thc recesses of Sydney'Park, and here fancied to find securi ty. Hut the ingenuity of hate und malice was not to he baffled, and firebrands thrown from the height into the deepest hollows of thc Park taught the wretched fugitives to despair of any escape from energies of such unwearied and unremitting rage." But enough of this atrocity, thc baie recital of which lushes humanity shudder, thc heart grow siok. Surely enough has been quoted from-tli^-'vi-ftrrntivo of fchuise horrors-to prove' that General Sherman alone is responsible for the destruction of Columbia, and for thc many other atrocities committed by his army. He declares that the fire set by my order consumed tho city. 1 have shown how false is this state ment; but even if it wore true, how does he clear himself of thc guilt of burning private dwellings outside of the city limits? ilarly in thc afternoon of thc day he entered Colum bia, my house which was two miles frona the city, was fired j soon after thc houses of Mr. Trenholm, Gen. Lovell* M,rs. Stark, Dr. Wal lace, Mr. Arthur, Mr. Latta, and Mrs. Eng lish) all in the same vicinity, shared the same fate. General Sherman cannot deny that these houses were burned by his men, nor can he deny that he destroyed, in part, or in whole, thc villages of Barnwell, Blackville, Graham, Hamburg, Buford's Bridge, Oraugeburg, Lex ington, Alston, Pomario, Winsborough, Black stocks, Society Hill, Camden and Chernw; Does not the fate of these unoffending towns give the lie to his disclaimer of any agency in burning this city ? Along thc linc of march followed by him there is scarcely one house left standing, from tho Savannah River to the Pee Dec, and yet he dared to declare solemnly that he did not burn Columbia ! 1 do not wonder that ho should strive to escape thc infamy which, like tho leprosy of Gchazi, shall cleave unto him and his MI ed forever, for tho commission of this dark deed, Nor am I surprised that he should naturally seek to escape by taking ref uge behind a falsehood. But he shall not with impunity make me tho scapegoat for his sins. Wherever he has taken his army in, thfa State, women hove been insulted or outraged, old men have been hung to extort from them hid den treasure. Thc fruits of thc earth have been dostrojed, leaving starvation where plcn t}f once reigned, and the dwellings of rich and poor alike have been laid in ashes. Por these deeds history will brand him ns a robber and incendiary, and will deservedly " damn him to everlasting fame." <. I am your obedient servant, WAUK HAMPTON,. Lieut-General. RKMKDV FOI? SM Abb Pox.-A gentleman of veracity, ono who has had Small pox in his family, and in his neighborhood, has placed in our prisnssion for publication, thc following recipe for thc cure of tho Small pox, which ho assures tts him been successfully nsed in several cases that havo como under his obser vation t Make a te?r from tho common elder roi* bark ; and also a tea from tho sassafras burk -let thom cool, and pour equal quantities into a jug/ to a gallon of which, add1 front one quart to throe pints good whiskey- Drink frequently, but not morn than a small wine glass full at oo? time.- Edgefidd Advcr.ti?cr. A Readable Debate in Congress. On Tuesday, when Mr. Morrill lind olfr-rcd: a resolution to appropriate $25,000 to thc des titute negroes in thc District of Columbia, Mr. Saulsbury offered an amendment appro priating a lilfcsum for the relief of thc desti tute white people of the District, to bc appro priated under thc direction of thc Mayor of Washington. Mr. Morrill said rrrr appeal had been made to thc committee in behalf of thc poor white people of ,the District, and he thought thc Senator wr.s paying ? very poor compliment to them to ask for snob an appropriation. The poverty and helplessness of these; poor colored , people was well known, lie would suggest to the Senator to withdraw his amendment. Mr. Saulsbury said that he had no doubt that there wore hundreds nod thousands of ? poor colored people in the District, but ho i never walked Pennsylvania Avenue that he was not solicited by poor little white girls and boys for alms. There were thousands of whites j in thc District to day who were just as hclp I loss as the blacks. Wo were told that when slavery was abolished in this District it was I to bc converted into a paradise. A very graph' ! ic picture of that paradise has just been drawn by thc Senator from MaineYMr. Morrill), lie I did not see so much destitution among thc negroes of t?iis District. Day after day, when ' he looked up into these galleries, he saw hale, ?? hearty,- young colored men, viewing the pro pecdings. And how few poor young white men arc able to do that! All he asked was that thc aamc feeling of humanity should be displayed towards our own race as towards the negro. f .. f --.Mr. Willey suggested to the Senator ffon\ Delaware that it would meet his views., to' strike out the word colored, so as to leave the (.appropriation to bc divided amongst all des tit- . tute people, Mr. Sainsbury declined to withdraw his amendment. If thc money was to-be expend ed under the direction of the Mayor of Wash ington, bc would have no objection ; but every one knew that if thc Commissioner of tho Freedmen's Bureau had thc disposa'! of it, none but negroes would receive any portion of it. Thc amendment was lost. Mr. "Willey moved to amend by striking out thc wod " colored " from the resolution ; which was agreed to. Mr. Davis of?ered an amendment, asan ad ditional section, that thc corporate authorities of the District, be authorized to lind jSropcr employment for thc able-bodied colored and black persons, and that $o,0(J0 bc appropria t?t! for such purpose. * Mr. Kirkwood moved to strike out the word u black." He did not sc? w hy white people should not work as well as black. [Laughter.] Adopted. Mr. Nesnnth moved an nmendmentso ns to> .exclude members of Congress from those fon whom thc city authorities shall find employ ment. [Laughter.] . ' Mr. Nesnrith's and Mr. Davis* amendments* were lost.' After which, thc appropriation was passed? &sT Im tho " Memphis Bulletin" we find' the following : " Some time ago a? man was murdered in South Memphis under circum stances which lo/! to unjust suspicious direct ed against many persons doubtless innocent. In fact, thc conclusions gc ?oral ly reached was that tho utffortuutite de.seodent put a period, to his own existence. Two photographists of this city-Day, whose gallery is at tito intoiv section of Union and Maine, and Armstrong?, 'of tlic Clay building-undertook tho task of applying thc art, to.tho purpose of detecting the murder. On the day of the murder, with thc aid of thc microscope, images left on? tho : retina pf tho oyo of the dead were transferred . to p:iper, ?nd curious facts were developed.- . ' A pistol, the hand, arm and a part, of the face of the mai? who committed the crime ate pcr : fleetly delineated. Wc have boon tol'd that a ? shrewd detective, with tho aid thus furnished, j has gather?? other faets tbsft will ?uroly load tb tho identification ano? punishment of ?he j murdcrcr.'r , j WK arc apt to believe iii Providence so ?Vmg as wc have our way ; hut if things go awry, , then wo think, if there is a God, ho ia in l?av j cn, and not on earth. Tho cricket itt? tho I Spriog builds bis house in tho meadow,, and I chirps for joy, because ail is going4 so well. . . .' 'Hy1 ? ?-. ? 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