The
Burning Of Columbia
May 6, 7, 2006
by Azzit Mightabin
Mayhle
As I watch another
southern city burn, I am struck with the inhumanity of the
humans. How far they have come from the great idealism of our
founding fathers where we wailed in anguish as the barbarian English
burned our fair capitol. How can we now burn our own and call
ourselves righteous? Can the total destruction of mankind be far
behind when the old, the women and infants are turned out into the cold
night by howling savages dressed in blue uniforms and led by "Father
Lincoln" hisself? It is true that a few of Sherman's men did try
to help quell the hellish flames but they were few and sadly
outnumbered by the thousands who laughed and plundered. Drunken
and dirty Yankee's staggering through, led by the Devil - Gen.
Be'aylzebub Sherman. I will tread slowly towards my home and
leave the reporting of the aftermath to those who can stomach it better
than can I.
-Azzit Mightabin-
Five days before Christmas in 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union. S. Carolina unionist James L. Petigrue allegedly commented at this time that his state was too small to be a nation and too large to be an insane asylum. Within days, a side-wheel merchant steamer Star of the West was secretly chartered by the U.S for $1250/day and loaded with supplies for Ft. Sumter. After moving out of her port, she was also loaded at night with U.S. troops. On Jan 9th, 1861 as she approached Ft. Sumter she was fired on by South Carolina batteries onshore. Receiving no assistance from the fort, she withdrew to New York with minor damage. This all happened before A. Lincoln was sworn in as President. What happened for the next 4 years was so terrible, so moving, it has been immortalized by thousands of books, movies, articles, magazines, websites, and reenactments. Late in the war, Sherman's March to the Sea is legendary for its destruction and its success. But his army did not stop at the Atlantic Ocean. After a brief stop, he began to move slowly north through the Carolinas to be closer to Gen. Grant's forces; if needed, and to further strangle Gen. Lee's supply lines. Sherman and his men, having seen their fill of war held great hatred for S. Carolina as the "birthplace of the revolution". One of the stops along the way for Sherman's army was Columbia, S. Carolina. This event commemorates that history and is called "The Burning of Columbia". Literature from the event pointed out that this event was a "Living History" and not a reenactment. This was their third year to put on the event. There is room for the event to grow and it seems to have plenty of interest and backing from the local and reenacting communities. This event is held in a rural location 1 mile from the interstate and about 15 miles south of Columbia. Over 300 soldiers were on the battlefield along with nine artillery pieces and 16 cavalry. The battlefield is large and surrounded by trees. Large logs laying on their sides along half of the field serve as natural seating for spectators. At one end of the field sits a few small structures behind hastily erected field fortifications - this is named Ft. Mick. The fortifications, complete with trenches and abatis are the best I have seen at an annual reenactment. Spectators on both days watch the Union forces attacking the fort. On Saturday the Union is defeated and captured but on Sunday they charge and over-run the fort. One of the Confederate reenactor units defending the fort use an original 12 pound 1860's Napoleon cannon. On it is stamped the name "Satan". It was one of four cast together - the other three are stamped "Lucifer", "Baal", and "Beelzebub". Historians state that the four cannon were sent to, but refused by, Gen. Jackson who had named his existing pieces Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. "Satan" was found in the surf in the 1930's near Ft. Fisher where the other three cannon were on display. Park Rangers built a carriage for the tube in the early 1950's and it eventually found its way into the hands of a reenactor. It must be an honor to reenact with a piece of true history.
Five days before Christmas in 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union. S. Carolina unionist James L. Petigrue allegedly commented at this time that his state was too small to be a nation and too large to be an insane asylum. Within days, a side-wheel merchant steamer Star of the West was secretly chartered by the U.S for $1250/day and loaded with supplies for Ft. Sumter. After moving out of her port, she was also loaded at night with U.S. troops. On Jan 9th, 1861 as she approached Ft. Sumter she was fired on by South Carolina batteries onshore. Receiving no assistance from the fort, she withdrew to New York with minor damage. This all happened before A. Lincoln was sworn in as President. What happened for the next 4 years was so terrible, so moving, it has been immortalized by thousands of books, movies, articles, magazines, websites, and reenactments. Late in the war, Sherman's March to the Sea is legendary for its destruction and its success. But his army did not stop at the Atlantic Ocean. After a brief stop, he began to move slowly north through the Carolinas to be closer to Gen. Grant's forces; if needed, and to further strangle Gen. Lee's supply lines. Sherman and his men, having seen their fill of war held great hatred for S. Carolina as the "birthplace of the revolution". One of the stops along the way for Sherman's army was Columbia, S. Carolina. This event commemorates that history and is called "The Burning of Columbia". Literature from the event pointed out that this event was a "Living History" and not a reenactment. This was their third year to put on the event. There is room for the event to grow and it seems to have plenty of interest and backing from the local and reenacting communities. This event is held in a rural location 1 mile from the interstate and about 15 miles south of Columbia. Over 300 soldiers were on the battlefield along with nine artillery pieces and 16 cavalry. The battlefield is large and surrounded by trees. Large logs laying on their sides along half of the field serve as natural seating for spectators. At one end of the field sits a few small structures behind hastily erected field fortifications - this is named Ft. Mick. The fortifications, complete with trenches and abatis are the best I have seen at an annual reenactment. Spectators on both days watch the Union forces attacking the fort. On Saturday the Union is defeated and captured but on Sunday they charge and over-run the fort. One of the Confederate reenactor units defending the fort use an original 12 pound 1860's Napoleon cannon. On it is stamped the name "Satan". It was one of four cast together - the other three are stamped "Lucifer", "Baal", and "Beelzebub". Historians state that the four cannon were sent to, but refused by, Gen. Jackson who had named his existing pieces Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. "Satan" was found in the surf in the 1930's near Ft. Fisher where the other three cannon were on display. Park Rangers built a carriage for the tube in the early 1950's and it eventually found its way into the hands of a reenactor. It must be an honor to reenact with a piece of true history.
On Saturday evening at
dusk, spectators were allowed to stay and watch, alongside the
reenactors, a fiery spectacle taking place on the battlefield.
Chris Forbes had erected four buildings to burn down for scenes he
was shooting in his film "FireTrail". It is based on a book by
Lydia Hawke with the same title. Against the night backdrop of
the forest surrounding the field, the flames shot high into the air and
the Union soldier characters fired their rifles at the stars and unseen
"Columbian citizens" who presumably were running away. You can
see photos and mpgs of the event, including "Satan" and the night
burning, at www.instydigipics.com
PART TWO
Additional Resources
In their own words:
"General Sherman's army passed through this place. We will fight until every rebel is slain unless they will lay down their arms and come back in to the Union under the old Constitution. South Carolina was the root of Secession. The south are to blame for this war and none others. Why did not the Southern States wait and see whether A. Lincoln would interfere with slavery before they seceded." A federal Soldier's words left in a court clerk's office in Bennetsville, SC.
"South Carolina cried out the first for war and
she shall have it to her heart's content. She sowed the wind and she
shall reap the whirlwind." An Iowa soldier at Savannah.
"One thing for certain S Carolina is about to feel the Iron Hand of War placed on her and it will be no gentle manner, all soldiers know that it was the birth place of dark treason and we will make it the death place of some Traitors." Illinois Cavalry trooper.
"I have never burnt a house down yet, but if we go into South Carolina I will burn som down if I can get the chance." Federal soldier
"The thousands of homes she has filled with mourning, the unnumbered hearts she has wrung with anguish, are all witnesses of the justice of her punishment. Let her drink the cup she has brewed, and lie on the bed she has made." A federal Chaplain regarding South Carolina.
"I suppose; in fact I know, that in the course of this army in South Carolina will be severely condemned by many in the North. If you hear any condemning us for what we have done, tell them for me and for Sherman's army, that 'we found here the authors of all the calamities that have befallen this nation and the men and women whos hands are red with all the innocent blood that has been shed in this war, and that their punishment is light when compared with what justice demanded."
PART TWO
Additional Resources
In their own words:
"General Sherman's army passed through this place. We will fight until every rebel is slain unless they will lay down their arms and come back in to the Union under the old Constitution. South Carolina was the root of Secession. The south are to blame for this war and none others. Why did not the Southern States wait and see whether A. Lincoln would interfere with slavery before they seceded." A federal Soldier's words left in a court clerk's office in Bennetsville, SC.
"South Carolina cried out the first for war and
she shall have it to her heart's content. She sowed the wind and she
shall reap the whirlwind." An Iowa soldier at Savannah."One thing for certain S Carolina is about to feel the Iron Hand of War placed on her and it will be no gentle manner, all soldiers know that it was the birth place of dark treason and we will make it the death place of some Traitors." Illinois Cavalry trooper.
"I have never burnt a house down yet, but if we go into South Carolina I will burn som down if I can get the chance." Federal soldier
"The thousands of homes she has filled with mourning, the unnumbered hearts she has wrung with anguish, are all witnesses of the justice of her punishment. Let her drink the cup she has brewed, and lie on the bed she has made." A federal Chaplain regarding South Carolina.
"I suppose; in fact I know, that in the course of this army in South Carolina will be severely condemned by many in the North. If you hear any condemning us for what we have done, tell them for me and for Sherman's army, that 'we found here the authors of all the calamities that have befallen this nation and the men and women whos hands are red with all the innocent blood that has been shed in this war, and that their punishment is light when compared with what justice demanded."
Ohio Officer in Sherman's
army
"Today commences the destruction of SC and we gave her a good initiation."
"Today commences the destruction of SC and we gave her a good initiation."
Wisconsin officer
from The Report on the Campaign of the Carolinas
by General William T. Sherman April 4, 1865
...In anticipation of the occupation of the city, I had made written orders to General Howard touching the conduct of the troops. These were to destroy, absolutely, all arsenals and public property not needed for our own use, as well as all railroads, depots, and machinery useful in war to an enemy, but to spare all dwellings, colleges, schools, asylums, and harmless private property. I was the first to cross the pontoon bridge, and in company with General Howard rode into the city. The day was clear, but a perfect tempest of wind was raging. The brigade of Colonel Stone was already in the city, and was properly posted. Citizens and soldiers were on the streets, and general good order prevailed. General Wade Hampton, who commanded the Confederate rear guard of cavalry, had, in anticipation of our capture of Columbia, ordered that all cotton, public and private, should be moved into the streets and fired, to prevent our making use of it. Bales were piled everywhere, the
rope and bagging cut, and tufts of
cotton were blown about in the wind, lodged in the trees and against
houses, so as to resemble a snow storm. Some of these piles of cotton
were burning, especially one in the very heart of the city, near the
courthouse, but the fire was partially subdued by the labor of our
soldiers.
During the day the Fifteenth corps passed through Columbia and out on the Camden road. The Seventeenth did not enter the town at all; and, as I have before stated, the left wing and cavalry did not come within two miles of the town.
Before one single public building had been fired by order, the smoldering fires, set by Hampton's order, were rekindled by the wind, and communicated to the buildings around. About dark they began to spread, and got beyond the control of the brigade on duty within the city. The whole of Wood's division was brought in, but it was found impossible to check the flames, which, by midnight, had become unmanageable, and raged until about four a.m., when the wind subsiding, they were got under control. I was up nearly all night, and saw Generals Howard, Logan, Woods, and others, laboring to save houses and protect families thus suddenly deprived of shelter, and of bedding and wearing apparel. I disclaim on the part of my army any agency in this fire, but on the contrary, claim that we saved what of Columbia remains unconsumed. And without hesitation, I charge General Wade Hampton with having burned his own city of Columbia, not with a malicious intent, or as the manifestations of a silly "Roman stoicism," but from folly and want of sense, in filling it with lint, cotton, and tinder. Our officers and men on duty worked well to extinguish the flames; but others not on duty, including the officers who had long been imprisoned there, rescued by us, may have assisted in spreading the fire after it had once begun, and may have indulged in unconcealed joy to see the ruin of the capital of South Carolina. During the eighteenth and nineteenth, the arsenal, railroad depots, machine shops, foundries, and other buildings were properly destroyed by detailed working parties, and the railroad track torn up and destroyed.
from the WadeHamptonCamp SCV website
The responsibility for the burning of Columbia rests on the shoulders of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, commander of the Federal forces.
First, Sherman's official report on the burning placed the blame on Lt. Gen, Wade Hampton III, who Sherman said
had
ordered the burning of cotton in the streets. Sherman later recanted
this allegation and admitted lying in his Memoirs, Volume 11 page 287.
He said, "In my official report of this conflagration I distinctly
charged it to General Wade Hampton, and confess I did so pointedly to
shake the faith of his people in him, for he was in my opinion a
braggart and professed to be the special champion of South Carolina."
Secondly, in 1867 a chance meeting of former combatants occurred in Federal Governor Orr's office in Columbia. Gen. Howard, commander of the US 15th Corps of Sherman's army during the burning, was to be introduced to Gen. Hampton in the presence of many dignitaries. Gen. Hampton said, "Before I take your hand General Howard, tell me who burnt Columbia?" Gen. Howard replied, "It is useless to deny that our troops burnt Columbia, for I saw them in the act." (See Edwin J. Scott, Random Recollections of a Long Life. page 185; The Burning of Columbia, Charleston, SC, 1888, page 11.)
As to the case for the burning of Columbia, South Carolina on February 17, 1865, the responsibility lies totally and completely with General William Tecumseh Sherman ... PERIOD!
In the centennial edition of The State Newspaper Feb. 17th, 1965, The State newspaper knew who burned Columbia as the headline on page 53 clearly states, "Orders or not, Columbia was burned." "Responsibility rested upon Sherman and his men." And on page 58 the headline read, "Drunken troops were out of control." "Federal officers, with few exceptions, admit rioting."
from The Report on the Campaign of the Carolinas
by General William T. Sherman April 4, 1865
...In anticipation of the occupation of the city, I had made written orders to General Howard touching the conduct of the troops. These were to destroy, absolutely, all arsenals and public property not needed for our own use, as well as all railroads, depots, and machinery useful in war to an enemy, but to spare all dwellings, colleges, schools, asylums, and harmless private property. I was the first to cross the pontoon bridge, and in company with General Howard rode into the city. The day was clear, but a perfect tempest of wind was raging. The brigade of Colonel Stone was already in the city, and was properly posted. Citizens and soldiers were on the streets, and general good order prevailed. General Wade Hampton, who commanded the Confederate rear guard of cavalry, had, in anticipation of our capture of Columbia, ordered that all cotton, public and private, should be moved into the streets and fired, to prevent our making use of it. Bales were piled everywhere, the
rope and bagging cut, and tufts of
cotton were blown about in the wind, lodged in the trees and against
houses, so as to resemble a snow storm. Some of these piles of cotton
were burning, especially one in the very heart of the city, near the
courthouse, but the fire was partially subdued by the labor of our
soldiers.During the day the Fifteenth corps passed through Columbia and out on the Camden road. The Seventeenth did not enter the town at all; and, as I have before stated, the left wing and cavalry did not come within two miles of the town.
Before one single public building had been fired by order, the smoldering fires, set by Hampton's order, were rekindled by the wind, and communicated to the buildings around. About dark they began to spread, and got beyond the control of the brigade on duty within the city. The whole of Wood's division was brought in, but it was found impossible to check the flames, which, by midnight, had become unmanageable, and raged until about four a.m., when the wind subsiding, they were got under control. I was up nearly all night, and saw Generals Howard, Logan, Woods, and others, laboring to save houses and protect families thus suddenly deprived of shelter, and of bedding and wearing apparel. I disclaim on the part of my army any agency in this fire, but on the contrary, claim that we saved what of Columbia remains unconsumed. And without hesitation, I charge General Wade Hampton with having burned his own city of Columbia, not with a malicious intent, or as the manifestations of a silly "Roman stoicism," but from folly and want of sense, in filling it with lint, cotton, and tinder. Our officers and men on duty worked well to extinguish the flames; but others not on duty, including the officers who had long been imprisoned there, rescued by us, may have assisted in spreading the fire after it had once begun, and may have indulged in unconcealed joy to see the ruin of the capital of South Carolina. During the eighteenth and nineteenth, the arsenal, railroad depots, machine shops, foundries, and other buildings were properly destroyed by detailed working parties, and the railroad track torn up and destroyed.
from the WadeHamptonCamp SCV website
The responsibility for the burning of Columbia rests on the shoulders of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, commander of the Federal forces.
First, Sherman's official report on the burning placed the blame on Lt. Gen, Wade Hampton III, who Sherman said
had
ordered the burning of cotton in the streets. Sherman later recanted
this allegation and admitted lying in his Memoirs, Volume 11 page 287.
He said, "In my official report of this conflagration I distinctly
charged it to General Wade Hampton, and confess I did so pointedly to
shake the faith of his people in him, for he was in my opinion a
braggart and professed to be the special champion of South Carolina."Secondly, in 1867 a chance meeting of former combatants occurred in Federal Governor Orr's office in Columbia. Gen. Howard, commander of the US 15th Corps of Sherman's army during the burning, was to be introduced to Gen. Hampton in the presence of many dignitaries. Gen. Hampton said, "Before I take your hand General Howard, tell me who burnt Columbia?" Gen. Howard replied, "It is useless to deny that our troops burnt Columbia, for I saw them in the act." (See Edwin J. Scott, Random Recollections of a Long Life. page 185; The Burning of Columbia, Charleston, SC, 1888, page 11.)
As to the case for the burning of Columbia, South Carolina on February 17, 1865, the responsibility lies totally and completely with General William Tecumseh Sherman ... PERIOD!
In the centennial edition of The State Newspaper Feb. 17th, 1965, The State newspaper knew who burned Columbia as the headline on page 53 clearly states, "Orders or not, Columbia was burned." "Responsibility rested upon Sherman and his men." And on page 58 the headline read, "Drunken troops were out of control." "Federal officers, with few exceptions, admit rioting."
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