:^2^t^i^^ M' C ^ W^^ ^^-""^^ dz^, ^zx^- be Destruction^^/* 3i «f Columbia, $. €. ^<^e^ <^ THE DESTRUCTION ^/COLUMBIA, S. C. A Translation from the German by WM. H. PLEASANTS of 19th, 20th, 2 1 St, and 2 2d Chapters of ** Lights and Shadows in American Life During the War of Secession," by August Conrad. :: lSr0:: ROANOKE, VA. The Stone Printing and Manufacturing Company 1902. Co^j 1. PREFACE. THE destruction of the City of Columbia, S. C, in February, 1865, by the United States troops under command of General Sher- man was an act of barbarity which surpasses all similar acts which are to be found in the long annals of the world's warfare. Its infamy is even greater than that of the sack of Magdeburg in the Thirty Years' War by the Imperialists under Tilley ; for Magdeburg was taken by storm by the Imperial troops after a most desperate defence ; while Columbia, entirely unfortified and undefended, its population con- sisting entirely of old men, women and children, was surrendered without a blow, under the promise given by the Commanding General of protec- tion to persons and property. The following description of the destruction of Columbia was writ- ten by an eye-witness of that deplorable event, — a German gentleman of intelligence and culture. This gentleman had been residing for some years in Charleston, in the capacity of a cotton buyer, and^ after the out- break of the Civil War and closing of the ports by blockade, was em- ployed as the secretary and treasurer of the largest company engaged in the business of blockade-running. If the question is asked : " Why, by publishing a detailed description of these horrors, do you revive memo- ries of scenes which we would all gladly forget ? " — the first answer is, that it is due to the truth of history. The Southern writers who have undertaken to write the history of our Civil conflict have not the ear of the world ; the Northern writers of history, not only for general reading, but especially of school-books, are notoriously unfair in regard to our internal strife. They write with a strong partisan and political bias — they misrepresent the motives and principles of action of the South, and they err, not simply by the siippressio vert, but also often by the stigges- tio falsi. Many books of this class had, by the carelessness or want of knowledge of the teachers, crept into our public schools. When the bat- tle-scarred Veterans of the South found out that their children and grandchildren were being taught some things that they knew to be false, every Grand Camp from Virginia to Texas demanded that the offending books be banished from our scliools ; and they were banished. A second reason why this description of the obliteration of Colum- bia is published is that very few, except the inhabitants of that ill-fated city, have any just conception of the horrors of that night of incendia- rism and robbery ; of unchecked license, of insult and every crime, men- tionable and unmentionable. In the histories above alluded to I doubt whether the destruction of Columbia is mentioned at all ; but if noticed. PREFACE. it is lauded as one of the heroic actions of their most admired general. Kut if heroic and splendid deeds deserve to be painted in glowing words for the admiration and improvement of mankind, surely shameful deeds lihould not be covered up, but displayed in their naked deformity to the candid judgment of an enlightened world. It is a deplorable sign of the political degeneracy which has ^nvaded the governments of the two nations that claim to be the most enlightened on the earth, when we see the atrocities of our Civil War pleaded as justification of what is now going on the Philippines and South Africa. The cruelties practised in the Philippine Islands have been defended upon the floor of the Ameri- can Congress by citing similar examples in American warfare, and in the English Parliament a member of the government has justified the treat- ment of the hapless and helpless Boer women and children by the e.\am- ple of the illustrious American, General Sherman. Who is responsible for the sack and destruction of Columbia is a mooted point in the history of our Civil War. General Sherman himself might have pleaded the orders of his superior officer, as we will presently show ; or he might more magnanimously have assumed the responsibility ; but he did neither: he charged that Columbia was fired by General Wade Hampton! This charge is one, which no one, who has any acquaintance with the characters of the men and the circumstances of the case, could for a moment credit. Notwithstanding the indignant denial of the charge by Cieneral Hampton, and the further fact that his sphere of duty at that time was five hundred miles away at the head of the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia, this absurd charge finds some believers. The truth is that Columbia was destroyed in obedience to orders from Washington, and the proof is found in the following letters, from General Halleck to tieneral Sherman, and the latter's reply. I will quote only the concluding sentences of General Halleck's letter, as that portion alone has any bearing upon the subject before us: Hkadquakteks ok THI-: Ak.mv, Washi.ncton, December i8th, 1S64. " Should you capture Charleston, I hope by some aai- dent the place may be destroyed ; and if a little salt should be sown on its site, it may prevent the growth of future crops of nullification and secession." (Signed) H. W. Hallfxk, Chief of Staff. And the answer to the above is in the following words: " I will bear in mind your hint as to Charleston, and I do not think 'salt' will be necessary. When I move, the Fifteenth Corps will be on the right of the right wing, and their position will naturally bring them into Charleston first. PREFACE. and if you have watched the history of that Corps, you will have remarked that they generally do their work pretty well. The truth is, the whole army is burning with insatiable desire to wreak vengeance on South Carolina. I almost tremble at her fate, but feel that she deserves all that seems in store for her. We must make old and young; rich and poor., feel the hard hand of war, as well as their organized armies." (Signed) W. T. Sherman, Major-General. Here we have under their own hands the proposition of General Halleck to utterly destroy Charleston, accepted with savage alacrity by General Sherman. Why it was, when Charleston was as defenseless on the land side, as Columbia, the route was changed from Charleston to Columbia, we will never know until the final day. But as Charleston was at this time nearly deserted by its inhabitants, and Columbia was crowded to overflowing with refugees from Charleston and the seacoast counties, it is possible that General Sherman considered Columbia to be the best place for carrying out his long-cherished hope of " wreaking vengeance upon South Carolina." In this change of movement the redoubtable Fifteenth Corps, noted for its fine work, must have been in the rear, and entered Columbia last; but the work of destruction, whether performed by the Fifteenth, or some other corps of his great army, was done, even in the estimation of General Sherman, a good judge in such matters, " pretty well." Wm. H. Pleasants. HoUins, June, 1902. Danger Threatening. THE condition of Charleston became more and more peril- ous by the bombardment, in which the enemy made progress by the use of guns, larger and of longer range, by renewed attacks with these from the points on the seacoast already won ; but particularly by the rapid approach of Sher- man's famous army, since it was believed to be their principal object to capture and punish the hated city — the "Cradle of Rebellion" — which had made so stubborn a resistance and prolonged the war by blockade-running. With the dreaded capture of the seaports, which was now considered only a question of time, the business (block- ade-running) must of itself come to an end, and it was now to be considered how to secure to the stockholders in the com- pany their property. Wl^en the catastrophe finally came, all the ships were lucky enough to be found in foreign ports, and after the ensu- ing peace, which was caused by the subjugation of the South, were then sold for the account of those interested. The ready money on deposit at the banks, and the considerable amount earned by the sale of cotton, which was deposited safe in Liverpool, must, so far as they had not yet been distributed, be paid to the stockholders, and now the duty lay before me, in consideration of that determination, to pay out the divi- dends by means of checks upon the aforesaid banks, and by drafts on our correspondents in England. For this purpose I took my position in Columbia. Mr. Bee (the president of the company) wished to hold his in Charleston as long as possible, and to leave Charleston only in the extremest necessity, when his person was in danger, after he had carried his family to a place of safety on one of his plantations in the country, and sent all the movable and 8 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, 8. C. indispensable objects of value belonging to his private estate, to his firm, and to the company to Columbia and various other places. On the 23rd of January, 1865, I left Charleston for the last time, filled, it is true, with anxiety and doubt for the future, but not imagining that I would never see the place again — that I had probably taken leave forever of the people and the place that had become endeared to me. In Columbia my two colleagues and I had plenty to do in bringing up the arrears of business resulting from my long absence, and in gratifying our stockholders with their divi- dends in Confederate money and sterling exchange. My busi- ness fully occupied my time, so that it was scarcely possible for me to visit the families that had shown me kindness. People had actually no fear at all about Columbia ; on the contrary, it was supposed that the property which had been sent there was safer than at any other place in the wide Con- federacy. But misfortune travels fast, and as a thunderbolt from the clear sky, at first incredible, but becoming every day more certain, came first the rumor and then the certainty that Sher- man had suddenly changed his course, and that the army was marching in the direction of Columbia. A feeling of horror seized upon the population on account of this news, which had been, until the attainn^.ent of cer- tainty, always doubted. If this news was really well-founded, the arrival of dreaded Northern troops could be delayed only a few days. Many private individuals, but particularly the banks and public officials, took flight with the property which had been placed under their protection, which was removed, so far as the railroads could accomplish it, farther into the interior. Madame Rutjes [his landlady] had also run away, and I had to seek another lodging. I rented a room and took my meals at one of the restaurants still left. However, by far the largest portion of the inhabitants could not and would not go away — people did not know where, if not here, they could be safe — where they could find a place of refuge. Besides, it was very (juestionable whether any great annoy- ances would be cau.sed to individuals by the impending capture of the place, if indeed that should take place. THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. I also wrapped myself in a feeling of security too great, and one which, as events proved, was misplaced. I thought to myself that the enemy was not my enemy, and that they would respect my ofl&ce, as well as the property found under the flag of Hanover. That would certainly have happened if the commanding officers had been able to hold the rabble of troops in subordination and discipline. But I was now con- vinced that they would bring no trouble upon me, and decided to remain calmly here to await the course of events. My col- leagues left me, and betook themselves farther into the interior to the places of refuge of their families. They took a great part of the books and papers with them, because their pres- ence would probably reveal my participation in a forbidden business and bring me annoyance. The enemy advanced in force, and his immediate arrival in Columbia removed all doubt. On the part of the Confeder- ates, there had been hastily assembled several thousand militia- men for the protection of the cit}'', and with the bales of cotton, at hand and admirably adapted to the purpose, they erected barricades. However useless and injurious the proceeding might be, it was determined to defend a city, open and approachable from every side. On the fifteenth of February, 1865, the stroke of fate descended. The launching of the thunderbolt caused no greater horror than the terrifying sultriness of the atmos- phere which preceded it, while fortunately we did not know what results would follow. Not even now was there any fore- boding of the utter destruction that was to follow, and in addi- tion to the anxiety of all, the sight, new and entirely strange to everybody, awakened a certain interest. For myself, par- ticularly, who had no fear for myself and the peaceful popula- tion, the warlike scene had a singular charm. I expected an easy, quick capture of the place, the establishment of a garri- son of United States troops, and a departure of the army, and accordingly a peaceful, well ordered carrying out of these movements. On the day above named the enemy appeared on the heights on the other side of the river, and the busy activity of an army of about sixty thousand men with their artillery, wagon-train, tents, etc., clearl}^ visible with the naked eye lO THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMIilA, H. V. from the city, presented a highly interesting sight. It seemed as if the troops had chosen this delightful spot, and wished to rest from their exhausting marches. The trees, which partly covered this plateau in every direction, were cut down, the ground leveled, tents were set up, and a bivouac established, in which there seemed to be ^s much activity as in an ant- hill, — out of which the flames and smoke of the camp-fires ascended — and out of which the drum and trumpet signals resounded. It seemed to be a holiday and restday for the troops, or, perhaps, a strengthening and preparation for hard work ; for they could not know what defensive works were opposed to them, after the surrender of the cit}', which had been demanded through a flag-of-truce, was declined. It was said that General Sherman, when he arrived at this point, in his humorous style, addressed his soldiers in about the lollowing words : " Boys, down there lies a pretty town ; we have, for a long time, had no good lodging ; there can we find it ; and it would be really a good thing, if we took a close look at this place, and if it pleases us, take possession of it. What say you to that ? ' ' The "boys" must have agreed to this, and expressed their approbation by a unanimous " Hip ! hip ! hurrah ! " The day passed entirely undisturbed ; the enemy was able to grant that boon in his certainty of victory. On our side the barricades were vigorously pushed forward, and time gained for removing a great deal of property. CAPTURE OK COLUMBIA. In the early morning of the following day the scene changed. In con.sequence of the refusal to surrender, the enemy began to bombard the city, without causing any con- siderable damage, it is true, but yet putting the population into new alarm. I just escaped death, or a severe injury from a fragment of bombshell about the size of a walnut, which exploded immediately before ii;>' feet, and l)uried itself .several THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. n inches in the ground, and which in spite of my terror, I dug up, and still have as a trophy of remembrance of that memor- able day, and the danger which I happily escaped. The prearranged resistance, the defence of the city by the small force was an absurd, nay frightful resolution on the part of the Commander of the Confederate forces, and, under the existing circumstances, met with no approval from the people of Columbia. Whether he had seen the entire futihty of such defeijce, or had assented to the desire of the worthy old Mayor, the handful of Confederates withdrew, the rail- roads carried away their last wagons and implements and the Mayor himself went to the enemy's camp, and announced the unconditional surrender of the city, requesting at the same time for it and its inhabitants respectful treatment and protec- tion. I had in the meanwhile arranged my affairs as well as was possible ; had secured the property belonging to the company, which was left behind in a fire-proof safe in the office, had packed my private property in a trunk, and committed it to the care of my landlord. The most important papers and objects of value belonging to myself, my brother, the company and the Consulate, I had placed, partly in a large tin box, and partly in my different satchels, and also filled a traveling bag with clothing and other indispensable articles, in order to keep it by me under all circumstances. I carried in a broad leather belt around my body under my clothing, the sum of about six hundred dollars in gold, which I had reserved for possible needs, besides the jewels that I had bought, representing a considerable value, and different interest coupons. Provided with these treasures and with the royal flag of Hanover, I betook myself to the residence of a German lady, whom I had known in Charleston, who had established herself here in her profession of teacher of music and singing, and who, in anticipation of coming events, in her anxiety about herself and several little children, had begged me, by virtue of my office or in person, to protect her. Accordingly I brought my baggage temporarily here, dis- plaj^ed the banner of Hanover from the window, and after I believed the office and the residence well protected, I awaited here the course of events. 12 THE DKSTRVCTION OF COLUMBIA. 8. C. Towards midday then tlie entrance of tlic enemy's troops began. First, there was a detachment of pioneers, which removed the obstructions that blocked the broad principal street, after the object of the barricades, a bloody street fight was happily avoided. All the obstructions in sight were thrown aside, and the carriage of the Mayor with him and several higher officers drove through the now unobstructed streets to the City Hall. The great army followed in seem- ingly endless columns, and at its head General Sherman, ener- getic and calmly gazing around, with his staff and all the blue- coated regiments from the Northwestern States of the Union, — infantry, cavalry, and artillery. The entire army marched into the city and distributed themselves in the differ- ent streets ; however, some of them marched through, and because the city did not furnish room enough for all, estab- lished themselves in the environs. I must declare I was delighted at the spectacle — the endless, heaving multitude, which had before and behind them so long and so difficult marches — the famous and dreaded leader with his brilliant staff — the streaming banners of the mighty, victorious Union. All this was to me new and highly interesting, and I do not regret to have experienced it, even tliough I would like to refuse to recall scenes of like nature. The troops were in the highest spirits, sang and were noisy by ranks and companies, cast longing and scornful looks at the hou.ses, and, doubtless, thought of the treasures ' therein hidden, which might fall to them as good booty. The inhabitants of Columbia were submissive in their calamity and hardly looked out of the windows at the entrance of the enemy. The capture of this city so peaceable — of this point so important for the Confederates, filled me with sor- row ; the thought of what might result therefrom to it filled me with anxiety ; but everybody must patiently submit to the inevitable. The streets were entirely deserted by civilians and the new masters bore themselves insolently in their brute force. I will for the honor of General Sherman, and the whole United States, a.ssume, that the troops were, in accordance with what is customary in all civilized nations and armies, ordered not to seize private property, nor destroy it — not to TEE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. 13 molest peaceful citizens, especially ladies, and that the com- manding officers really intended to extend to the city officials the promised defense — even protection of every person and of every private possession, and that, accordingly, the events which turned out to the contrary were to be ascribed only to the rough rabble as committed against all orders and against all decency. But, after all, the responsibility for the outrages committed by their underlings belongs to the leaders, and must sully their fame, either because Sherman's army was destitute of subordination and discipline, or, if these existed, that the officers permitted these shameful deeds, perhaps in secret took pleasure therein. After the formal entry into the city had come to an end, and the higher officers, i. e., only the generals and the colonels were quartered in some of the better class of houses which had been abandoned by their inhabitants, or which had been voluntarily vacated by them for this purpose, the rest of the crowd of soldiers seemed to be left entirely to themselves. The soldiers bivouaced in the streets, or took possession of the liouses left unoccupied, where they established themselves com- fortably ; but the inhabited houses too were not spared, and, next in order, they took lodging on the floors of the houses, in the front yards and galleries. So far this was all very well, and was rather respectful treatment, inasmuch as inhabited rooms vv'ere not invaded. In the house, too, in which I had taken up my abode, sol- diers swarmed, among them several officers, and these were somewhat polite, and respected the flag ; and the Captain in command gave the assurance that nothing should be taken from us and that we must remain quietly in our rooms. But the billeting of men in the house was by no means agreeable ; the jeering and coarse Janguage of the soldiers, their entire behavior, their insolent demands for food and drink to which they were not entitled, but in which they were satisfied as far as was possible, troubled us very much. Everywhere there were unruly, shabby fellows that could not fail to produce disgust and terror in everybody, collected from lowest orders of humanity, from every nation in the world, among whom, with the exception of the Americans from the interior, the Irish and Germans were most numerous. To the shame of the 14 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, 8. C. German nation must I with sorrow declare, that its sons that belonpjed to this ami}' were the foremost and most active in the shameful deeds which were afterwards done ; and of this fact I had, on many occasions, the opportunity to convince myself. We could from our windows, that opened on the princi- pal street, see the low, savage, and disgusting conduct of the troops, and I became immediately convinced that there was no good to be expected from them, (and) that the Confederate soldiers, nearly all sons of the Southland, were far superior, in manners, discipline, and courage, to this assemblage of hire- lings. I speak with entire impartiality, and I admit excep- tions the more willingly, since such exceptions afterwards became known to me from the statements of others and my own experience ; but in the main it was a band of thieves and robbers, the inferior officers included. The gangs of thieves soon, no longer contented with the occyjpation of streets and houses, and with the gifts voluntarily offered, or obtained by i>egging, began, as a preliminary, to break open and plunder the stores and warehouses which were all closed. Only the money which perhaps they found, and the articles of value in gold and silver were taken ; everything else was rummaged, torn to pieces, ruined and scattered around. It presented a sad appearance, when all conceivable objects, which the soldiers could not use, or carry off with them, disappeared from the different stores, lay scattered in the streets, and were here trodden under foot and destroyed. What could and should unlucky owners do against this rude violence ? Scorn and vile words were the least that the owners, when they arrived at the scene of their ruin, gained by protest, by entreatj', especially as an appeal to officers there present and co-operating had not the sliglitest effect. Seeing this open plundering, I naturally feared a similar fate for the property belonging to myself and the company at the places where I had left them. Anxiety and curiosity drove me out among the mad throng to inform myself in regard to their fate. The somewhat out-of-the-way office I found undis- turbed, and besides, the breaking open of a good safe was not to be considered an easy matter, which (safe) moreover con- tained nothing of special value, after the books and papers THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. 15 were removed, and my own valuable papers were placed under my own protection. Satisfied on this point, I betook myself to my lodgings, and afterwards emptied a closely packed traveling bag, in order to fill it, if it were yet possible, with a portion of the contents of my trunk, because it seemed to me that the things were safer in my immediate vicinity than in the unpro- tected room. I had moved only a few steps with the empty bag, when I was halted by a mounted soldier, or robber, with the order to hand it over to hnn. My remonstrance that it did not belong to him, but to me, that I would like myself to keep possession of my property, was not noticed by the hero, but he drew and brandished his sabre, with the remark that I must not take up his valuable time, but rather save my arm. I saw the justice of this good advice, and followed it by giving up the bag, now fortunately empty. That was the first high- way robbery that I experienced : Worse things were to happen to me. In my lodgings a new horror awaited me. On entering the yard I found the contents of my trunk, so far at least they still existed, were scattered around and mixed up with strange objects : little negro children were amusing themselves with the broken pictures of my relations, were playing with the objects which the thieves had thrown aside as useless to them. I,etters of my friends, which I had preserved so carefully, which contained such cheering words of love and consolation, were here in publicity thrown about soiled and torn. Many valuable and irreplaceable objects were entirely lost, and a feel- ing of sadness at this sudden loss of my property, mixed with rage and contempt towards the vile destroyers, took possession of me. I gathered the most valuable of the remnants, so much as I could take care of, and gave up all that was left to utter destruction. My landlady had fared as badly as I ; her per- sonal intervention had not availed to protect her own property and mine, and the loss of her silverware, which she previously had prudently buried in her garden, and which she believed to be safe, affected her far more seriouslj' than myself. I now hurried back to my temporary quarters and found here in the house of Mrs. Yolger as yet no trouble, while the store situated on the ground floor was already completely gutted. I do not know whether v/e had to attribute the pro- 1 6 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. tection up to this time, to the flag, or to good hick, or to the somewhat respectable garrison, of the house ; however that may be, we conceived the hope that we would not be exposed to any further danger. Madder and madder became the tumult in the streets — partly from exultation over the booty they had gotten, partly curses and abusive language on the part of those who had been deceived in their expectations. The commanding officers remained entirely passive amid these open robberies, although to some families, who had courage enough to make complaint at headquarters of the indignities which were becoming more and more outrageous, a guard was given for the protection of their houses. But o\\\y pro forma, and in every case without eflfect, because either sufficient authority was not given to these guards, or because they did not obey ; the most of the houses so guarded suffered the common fate. I had not been able to interest myself in behalf of the families with whom I was on friendly terms, on account of the remoteness of their residences : everybody had enough to do for himself, and I did not venture to go so far from my lodgings. Thus the day ended for the noble warriors in pleasant, profitable work ; but there was no holiday evening for them — the time was too valuable for that — the night was far better suited to black souls — it only afforded farther assistance to their dark doings. A NIGHT OF TERROR. Night fell upon the once peaceful city, in which to-day wild disorder and uproar reigned : upon the wicked enemy, who with so many thousand agents was employed in its utter extinction, upon the unfortunate human creatures, who in distress and anxiety were looking forward to the future. To whom could such a night as this yield rest and refreshment? As darkness set in, the soldiers bivouacing in the streets kindled fires to cook their suppers. I made to the captain at our house a plea in this regard, whether this lighting of fires THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. ij should not be forbidden, since cotton lying around in the immediate vicinity and various other inflammable materials scattered around might easily be set on fire, and a great disaster ensue. O sancta siinplicitas ! How could I expect any con- sideration from these men? The answer of the captain, ' ' What had I to do with the handling of the troops? — would I place a kitchen at their disposal for the preparation of their food?" threw me back into proper submissiveness. I dared not stir up to personal enmity the man who alone possessed one spark of dignity and authority. I invited him and his two lieutenants to partake of our frugal supper ; but before it was ready a new event arrested our attention : a mighty column of fire and smoke was rising at some distance from us: a railroad depot on the other side of the city was on fire, and the cotton stored there gave abundant nutriment to the flames. This calamity too! and just on this day! But in the excitement this occurrence made little impression, till in the opposite direction too, fire broke out, and when a few minutes later a house took fire and that too immediately behind the one inhabited by us, then the conviction dawned upon us, that it was a prearranged firing of the city of incalculable con- sequences, and this thought filled us with horror. The fact that the enemy lounging around the burning houses made not the smallest effort to extinguish the fire, but amused themselves with insulting remarks at the sight, con- firmed us in the belief that the city was intentionally fired, and from that time until the present day I do not know whether the firing done by the rabble was ordered by the higher powers or only permitted. Under such circumstances the farther spread of the fire was inevitable, and we were obliged to leave our dwelling. The poor widow to whom no possibility offered itself of saving her possessions was in despair. On her knees she besought the commander of the men quartered in the house to conduct herself and her little children to a place of safety, and through his men cause to be transported to a family of her acquaint- ance, with whom she wished to take refuge, at least a part of her property. In a certain way this man complied with this entreaty, which might have softened a stone. He escorted thev unfortunate lady and her children with a few articles of 1 8 THE DESTRUCTION OP COLUMBIA, 8. C. value, principally silverware, which they themselves could carry, but any farther assistance he could not and would not render. What we could hastily gather up and pack in bun- dles, trunks, and boxes, we then carried downstairs, in order to remove it either by ourselves, if possible, or relying upon the assistance of the captain and his men. But as .soon as a piece was brought down, the hungry pack seized upon it and carried it off, or divided its contents before our eyes, and every farther attempt ended with the same result. The captain declared that he could do nothing with this state of things, and .so we were compelled to resign ourselves to the inevitable. All that we asked was, that he would extend his personal protection to the lady now almost frightened to death. I loaded myself with my tin box and different bundles and packets, made up from the contents of my traveling-bag and from the articles previously brought here, and left the house already on fire, with the poor family, whom I had now to leave to their fate, and must think about my own security, if that were in any way possible. Loaded in this way, holding in my hands, under my arms, my own property and that entrusted to me, I was determined to seek shelter in the house of the family of McCully, friends of mine, though a long distance off, yet the nearest place at which I could find refuge. I avoided the direct cour.se over the principal streets, in which a great throng of noisy, exult- ing soldiers was moving, who were amusing themselves with setting bales of cotton on fire. I hoped to reach my destina- tion without danger on the streets that were more quiet. The city presented an inexpressibly horrible aspect. A large major- ity of the hou.ses in every direction were now burning, and the wind contributed to the rapid spread of the destroying ele- ment. In the houses, on the streets, the infamous rabble plundered, destroyed, and raged as the Wild Hunt, just as if hell had broken loose. In the midst of all this was heard the heart-rending cry of distress of human beings, stripped by the robl)ers, at times, of those personally assaulted or endangered by the fire. Here and there these hapless creatures, with little children in their arms or with their small possessions, were seen running from the devils and the fire, seeking pro- tection anywhere, but only to run in their supposed place of THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. 19 refuge upon new destruction. It was horrible ! and the con- viction of the poor, perplexed creatures that they could not save themselves made the situation only more frightful. But nobody could give them help — everybody must be thinking of his own fate, of securing his own safety if possi- ble ; and so I could not trouble myself about what was going on around me, but must seek to escape from this scene of horror — to follow up the slight beam of hope of perhaps accidental betterment. In mj^ course which I took by a wide circuit through back streets, I was at first fortunate enough to lose only the smaller packets carried under my arm, and Vv'hich I could not hold on to fast enough, inasmuch as they were snatched by some soldiers that I met. My hands grasped tightly their burden, and several attempts to take it from me were unsuccessful, and by rapid flight I escaped the cHfferent robbers who, strange to say, desisted from an energetic pur- suit, and waited for a more convenient opportunity of robbery. Such opportunities presented themselves in rich abundance. I had almost reached my destination, and found the neigh- borhood in which my place of refuge lay as yet entirely spared by the fire. A gleam of hope of relief from anxiety and dis- tress grew to a joyful anticipation, that I would at last find rest, and in my excited brain arose all the possible plans as to where and how I should conceal my property, perhaps bury it, in order to escape the search of the sleuth-hounds. Then a company of .soldiers in regular march under the command of a Captain, and which as I supposed was perform- ing patrol duty, suddenly crossed my path, and I was child- ishly simple enough to look upon them, not as a band of thieves, but as protectors of the persecuted. Therefore, I slackened my running, which had already exhausted me, and met this detachment' at a street corner, hoping to finish the rest of my journe}' under their protection, as they turned into my street. But I was halted and asked by the Captain what I was carrying there with me. I told that I was the Hanoverian Consul, and declared that my baggage consisted partly of my private property, and partly of papers belonging to the Con- sulate, saved with great difiQculty from the fire. By that I believed I had sufficiently established my character, and might 20 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, 8. C. venture to proceed oti my way. But the Captain was inquis- itive, and wished to convince himself of the truth of my state- ment. Then my baggage was taken away from me, I was made to open the l^ox — the whole company rummaged the satchels — threw the contents out, one took this, another that — and left only the empty box and satchels, the Consulate seal and several letters and worthless papers. All protests, all entreaties were in vain, and my exclamation of despair on account of the great loss, which at the moment of excitement I could not repress, was silenced by the threat to .shoot me dead, if I did not keep quiet. Not content with the result of this robbery, the Captain demanded also my /or/^»z^//«a/V' and watch, and submissive, as I was, in view of the violence threatening me, and in order thereby to escape a thorough search of my person, I gave him what he demanded. That, kind reader, was the function of a patrol of the famous army of Sherman, which army was attended with the general sympathy of the Germans (not of the English and French) in their war of devastation against the noble-minded, fair-dealing Southerners. That was a specimen of the robber- bands — the ofl&cers, who were led into the field against a spir- ited, but noble enemy, and displayed their bravery in base, da.stardly robbery, insult and injury of defenceless human beings, especially women and children. I refrain from all exaggeration in my description and I leave it to everybody to form his own opinion ; at the same time I am willing to declare, that not all, perhaps only the smaller part of the Northern troops was made up of such offscourings of humanity, because I later had the opportunity to become acquainted with brave, well-disciplined soldiers of the United States. I gathered up the box and the few remaining papers, and then gradually the full knowledge of my loss dawned upon me. The loss of the valuables entrusted to me by my brother, from whom nearly all that life had earned by long years of hard work was taken, and who in a foreign land was resting in full confidence in the safety of his possessions, affected me most. This would certainly be a severe blow to him. Furthermore, this loss consisted of a large part of the exchange on England, which I had made out for the stock- THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, 8. C. 2 1 holders of the Company, and which had not been called for by them, representing a very large sum. There was for a long time no possibility of stopping the payment of the drafts, and making them worthless for their unlawful possessors ; in the meantime these drafts might already have been paid in good faith to the thief and his accomplices. The loss of the papers belonging to the Consulate and the Company troubled me less ; that of my own, in comparison with these above-mentioned, not at all. But I was prostrated by the far-reaching loss, and by the impossibility of doing anything for the recovery of anything. I experienced this night, and once later, how much a man can endure, but also how much less frightful is the presence— the certainty of so hard a stroke of fate, than the apprehension of it, if one has reached the conclusion that he is not able to remedy it, and that he must be resigned. When I became clearly convinced of the fact, my despair changed to quiet resignation. A slight consolation lay in the thought that in this hour so many people were visited with far harder misfortune than I. In all that I had passed through, I could yet consider myself at least fortunate, in having saved my life, the valuables secreted about my person, and the papers still left in the satchels, for whose farther security I, of course, had reason to fear. With the little that was left me, I arrived safe at the house of the McCullys, but in an exhausted and depressed state. The poor family were, in view of the important events, of the danger in which they were involved, but which they had had so far escaped, in great alarm, and they greeted my ap- pearance with joy. The husband, disabled in body and mind, sat buried in silent brooding ; an aged grandmother lay sick in bed, and the recent frightful occurrences were very carefully concealed from her ; and with great difficulty I made them take measures for the collecting and temporarily securing their most valuable objects, in order that in the event of a sudden attack, or of the fire getting there, they might be ready for flight, and for taking with them the most valuable of their possessions. These good people bad had the good luck to find among the soldiers who had quartered themselves in the house a 22 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. brave, educated young man, who was not only entirely respectful and amiable towards the inmates, but defended them, as well as their property against the vile thieves who forced themselves in. As a matter of course the man stood quite alone among his comrades in the strength of his char- acter and virtue ; he defied them as well as his superior officers, in their repeated attempts to rob and set fire to the house, until his strength no longer held out against the rude violence. He denounced the conduct of his comrades as vile, shameful ; he deplored that so many good-for-nothing scoundrels, consist- ing mostly of Europeans (Irish and Dutch) were among them; he protested, however, that the horrible deeds were committed against the orders of the highest authorities. The flames were now raging in this part of the city, at first more protected, after the houses which promised to yield booty were robbed and destroyed. The rush of the valiant men became stronger and stronger, and in a short time our brave defender was unable to drive back the highway robbers storming the doors and windows. All obstacles were broken down : what was useful was carried off ; what was useless to them destroyed, and with a few possessions only was I able, in company with the poor unfortunate creatures, to get out of the house. Already the flames were pouring out of the win- dows. It was a matter of great difliculty to save the old gr.indmother, who escaped death by fire by a hair's breadth, and was carried out by two negroes who were kind enough to lend a helping hand. I caught one of the noble heroes by the throat at the moment when he was about to set fire to the bed on which the old lady lay, because I had run thither at her shriek of horror and .stopped, ju.st at the right time, this fear- ful murder. In the struggle, which in view of this incredible crime I did not fear, in the exchange of words which was inevitable, I found out, to my horror, that the beast was a German who could not even speak English. Such a son then has our good Fatherland sent for the extirpation of Slavery, but in realty for robbery and murder. And alas, he was not the only one of his race among them who practised such shameful deeds. It was the favorite plan of the scoundrels, when they had thoroughly plundered the house, to set fire to the beds. By THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. 23 that means their object was best accomplished ; the fire spread surely and quickly, and the rogues had no reason to fear that a single thing would be spared. And so again burnt out, again without shelter, I left with the family of the McCullys, whose house was now on fire too, in several places, lighting for its inhabitants of many years their sorrowful, homeless way. But whither should we betake ourselves ? There was no longer any great room for choice ; only comparatively few houses were left uninjured, and these too, in all probability, would be visited with the same horrible fate. I determined yet once more to seek safet}', and go to my friends, the Gronings, for shelter. The Arsenal Hill was as yet wrapped in deep darkness, and thither the band of incen- diaries had not yet forced their way, or had found the houses there, which were mostly small and unpretentious, unworthy of their attention. And so my friends had still a home. A part of my fugitive companions — the old grandmother — the invalid father (both of whom a short time after this horrible night died from the effects of it, perhaps too of hunger), and besides two daughters found shelter with relations, in the close vicinity to my destination ; — the mother with two other daughters accompanied me to Groning's house, which we fortunately reached, but not without having lost on the way the greatest part of the property taken with us. I was finall}^ stunned in the presence of repeated calami- ties, in the presence of the strokes of fate, which in the last hours, which seemed to me an eternity, had broken in upon me, and in the presence of the splendidly horrible sight of the sea of fire, which seen from the hill, spread out under me, out of which a wild confusion of voices arose. I thought now only of myself and the unfortunates committed to my protec- tion to whom, alas ! I had been able to afford so little help. And so one part of the family was temporarily sheltered, and I, with the others, was received at the house of our friends. They, in some unaccountable way, with the excep- tion of anxiety and terror, had received no injury — had been able to ward off the numerous visits of the intruders. In par- ticular, the energetic Mrs. Groning, a most amiable lady, knew how to repulse the cowardly rabble by her fearless deportment, by her severe reproof, and by word-pictures of 24 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. their damnable doings : she, herself a Northern woman, in the presence of the sleuth-hounds, renounced all connection with a people who employed such a rabble in their service, and her rapid, energetic way of talking produced a powerful effect upon those men, who had not expected such a reception, where in other cases the}' had met with only terror, trembling, and entreaty. These negotiations, carried on through closed doors and windows, always ended with the departure of the robbers, who sought an easier field for their industry. It was in the early hours of the morning, when I reached my new asylum completely exhausted, and with my unfortu- nate companions was bidden welcome. My overstrained nerves refused any farther service, and I could no longer stand upright. Stretched out on the carpet of my chamber, I found a little rest that I needed so much, and forgot, for a while, the trials I had passed through, and those now surrounding me, but continually being roused by new di.sturbers of my peace, and expecting to be driven away again. The uninvited visits were all the time slackening, and at daybreak they ceased altogetlier. The contemptible creatures seemed at last to be content with the result of their devilish work — or they were tired out with the exertions of the night — or they them.selves shuddered at the sight of the devastation they Lad made, which the daylight brought to their view, or perhaps they were called to other service. Suffice it to say, we were no longer disturbed, the streets were cleared, and we breathed again ! It .seemed really as if the kindly cottage had enjoyed singular good fortune to be preserved from the general destruction, and after all that had happened we were thankful for this favor of heaven, which had left to our good hosts their home and their property, and afforded to us a comfortable shelter at least, while .so many unfortunates were obliged to do without this shelter, and that too in the most inclement season of the year. After I had recovered from the first shock, I realized my whole loss, and notwithstanding the considerable amount of it, recognized how well I had fared in comparison with many others — e .g., the McCully family robbed of everything, (I had saved my money, jewels, etc.; I went out to look after the other portion of that family and Mrs. \'olger, who had TEE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. 25 been separated from me iu the early part of the night, and find out what fate had befallen them. I found her fortunately concealed in one of the places of refuge she had sought, and though she was hardly alive from terror, from the loss she had suffered, still a great blessing was vouchsafed to her too by an accident. These facts were, under the circumstances, almost tran- quilizing to myself and to the relations, and when I had brought them this news, I made an examination of the devas- tation of the last night. RESULTS OF THE DEVASTATION. The beautiful, peaceful city of Columbia was no more ! In one single night, yea, in a few hours, it had disappeared, and been converted into ruins ! Only a few houses on Arsenal Hill and in the farthest outskirts of the city remained stand- ing ; the whole of the interior portion was entirely destroyed. The spaces where yesterday streets intersected the city were no longer passable, and only in some places to be recognized by the walls still standing. Everything else was a great heap of ruins, out of which rose a smoke, poisoning the air. With renewed horror, with disgust and hate for the perpetrators and the permitters of these outrages, I gazed at ruins of the place which had become so dear to me, which now in its new and horrifying aspect was no longer recognizable. My office, too, with its contents, my dwelling place, and so many homes, at which I had spent many pleasant hours, lay buried under the ruins ! And the men who 3'esterday were without foreboding, and the inmates of these former houses ! A great many of them had been lost in the tempest of fire, and were now laying accusation against their murderers before the throne of the Most High. The bodies of those who had perished in the flames were some time afterwards found, removed from the mountains of rubbish and buried. And the survivors? Whither had terror and distress driven them ? Those who had not been so fortunate, as I had 26 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. been, to find shelter among friends (and comparatively few could be taken in by those whose houses were spared), had been driven by despair into the woods ; and now imagine such a situation — how many thousands of human beings, of all ages and conditions, white and black, wandering the forest in the dark night, seeing no possibility of protecting themselves against the cold wind, of feeding and clothing themselves, since they have saved nothing but their bare lives ! How families were separated, mothers and children calling for each other, neither knowing whether their loved ones were in safety, or had fallen a sacrifice to the dreadful fire ! Yes, dear reader, that is an awful picture — it sounds incredible, seems an exaggeration ; but so it was in reality, in our age of the world, in a civilized land ; and caused by those, who out of pure philanthropy (?) wished to procure for the slaves glorious freedom, and to that end employed such means as placed their wards themselves, along with their masters, who were hated by the so-called liberators, but loved by the slaves, in boundless misery. The fall of Columbia stands quite unique in the history of the American war, but it was sufficient to sully the principle, the conduct, and the results of it, and must for many genera- tions entail the hate of the South Carolinians towards their Northern brethren, who brouglit upon their forefathers such atrocious treatment. I give my opinion with entire impartiality, in accordance with my own experiences, and from personal observation of the frightful scenes and I doubt not, that any one who will calmly consider the matter, will agree with me in my judg- ment of the shameful conduct of the army of the United States, even though the foregoing description may have imperfectly pictured the horrifying experiences and boundless wretched- ness resulting therefrom. And the slaves for whose sakes this bloody war was waged, whom they wished to free from the intolerable yoke of their oppressors. Now the victors troubled themselves not a single moment about them ; they had endured the same fate as the whites, suffered like losses and privations. They remained faithful to their masters, who shared with them their last piece of bread, without being under the least obligation to THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. G. 27 do SO. How much assistance will, I am sure, at this time (1879) be granted to the negroes by their former masters, without which they must perish, and which was not extended to them at that time by their liberators, by the champions of a principle which was at least commendable. Accordingly these champions deliberately abandoned ihoir proteges to the misery, to which they had condemned them, left them to pine, as before, in the slavery from which they had come to save them. Their oppressors, on the contrary, from feelings of humanity, cared for them, that in their condition of freedom they might not starve to death. And the noble warriors for freedom and the rights of man — the robbers, thieves, and incendiaries ? They had to-day left the scene of their shameful conduct, and spread themselves for the most part over the surrounding country, there to seek booty in cattle and provisions, to lay waste the land, and above all to destroy the railroads for a distance of many miles. Only a comparatively few were left behind as a garrison for the place and guard of headquarters. The robbing and burn- ing of the few remaining houses had ceased, as I suppose, by the strict orders of the commanding officers, in whom, in view of the existing devastation, a little compassion might have been awakened, and who now were in a position to maintain discipline. There was, however, all the time a considerable number of disgusting figures, who still lingered in the place once called Columbia, who were busily engaged in rummaging the piles of debris, and seeking for the melted gold and silver ; likewise in digging up the ground in the gardens and yards of the few remaining houses, to find the treasures which were possibly there hidden. They were in this work amply reward- ed, and the booty, which was afterwards carried away by them, consisting principally of gold and silver, and objects of value requiring little room, must have been enormous, as an entire train of transport wagons was filled with them. I have thus attempted to describe how these men became possessed of the stolen property, how the city was destroyed contrary to the custom of all civilized nations, how the peace- ful inhabitants were robbed of their property, reduced to poverty and suffering, nay, even murdered, just as I was forced ^3 TUf^ DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. to live through these deeds and observe the consequences. But even more horrifying accounts of individual cases, which I did not see, afterwards came into publicity. It was not alone that the band of robbers demanded the surrender of money, watches, and valuables ; no, — ^hey did not take time for that ; in man}' instances they possessed themselves of such articles by force ; the breastpins were snatched from the breasts of ladies, the rings from their fingers, and the earrings from their ears ; they did not restrain themselves till the opening ol the jewel cases, but lacerated the ears and tore off the clothing from the bodies of the trembling women. I have myself seen a lady with the lobes of both ears torn asunder. What out- rages in word and deed the female sex in many cases had to suffer, I will here only hint. I draw a veil over the horrible past, which would seem to me a bad dream, if it had not wrought its lasting effect upon my future ; and if I am in the fortunate condition to be obliged only once, and for a short time, to lift the veil, in order to impress those moments on my remembrance in my description, the greatest part of my fellow sufferers were not, and perhaps not even now are, in the condition to cover up with other thoughts that night of horror, or to escape its consequences. After the first excitement had somewhat subsided, and there w^s calmness enough to reflect upon the state of affairs, anxiety for the future began to press upon me and to put me in embarrassment in regard to taking the necessary steps. It seemed, in the first place, incumbent upon me to give my chief information of the disaster, and get from him new instructions ; then also to inform our correspondent in Liver- pool of the robbery of the drafts drawn upon him, and stop the payment of them ; furthermore, I wished to gain certain knowledge of the place of retreat of our bookkeeper with the books of the company, and finally to leave a place in which I was now only a burden. I had no idea how an escape from the place, or inter- course with the outside world might be effected, or whether the Unionists would establi.sh a post here ; and on that point I desired first to inform myself of their intentions. I went to the headquarters, which were established in one of the remain- ing hou.ses, partly to get information about the future of the THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. 29 ruined city, partly to lay complaint about the treatment to which I had been subjected, and perhaps be indemnified for my losses. I did not dare, of course, to let the Union officers know of my participation in the business of blockade-running, because I would have been regarded and treated as an open enemy of the United States ; I could appear only as the Consul of Hanover, if I wished to accomplish anything. I was politely received by General Howard, the next in command under Sherman, who had formerly been a clergy- man, had in the Mexican war lost an arm, and who subse- quently farther distinguished himself in the Indian war ; and my complaint as to the treatment which I had received, as the Consul of a neutral nation, as to the losses, and the robbery of the papers belonging to the Consulate and all of my private property was patiently listened to. The General expressed his regret at the occurrences of the night before and at my passive participation therein, and declared to me, that if I would point out the regiment to which the Captain who had robbed me belonged, he would find him out and have him shot before my eyes. Unfortunately I could not comply with his request, and perhaps the scoundrel enjoys even at this moment his miser- able existence. What indeed was the guilt of one single indi- vidual in comparison with the innumerable and far greater crimes of many thorsands? I do not know whether the expressed sympathy of the General was only pretended, or really sincere ; it made, how- ever, an agreeable impression upon me, and though I could secure no indemnification for, or replacement of my losses — a result which from the very beginning I had not ventured to hope for — yet one proposition of the General seemed to me acceptable. He informed me frankly that the army would leave its present position in a few days, and that no garrison would be left behind ; that it would march forward in a north- easterly direction, and would probably, in from eight to four- teen days arrive at a seaport ; that, if I wished to avail mj'self of the opportunity of reaching that point in safety, in order from there to embark for the North or Europe, I might partake of all the comforts and privations of himself and his staff, which I was invited to join ; in return for which I would » perhaps, be expected to do .some clerical work. 30 THE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. This invitation was by no means to be rejected, and while I cherished an unextingnishable hate towards the band of robbers, yet I would not be disturbed by, had nothing to fear from them, on account of my belonging to the staff, which was, doubtless, composed of Respectable men. I, therefore, accepted the proposal provisionally, and had nie a pass made out to that effect. Upon closer consideration, however, I renounced this alluring opportunity. If by this means I should reach North- ern territory, I would be able, undoubtedly, to send to England by the quickest, most convenient, and safest waj-, the informa- tion which seemed to me very neces.sary to be sent or even to reach my home, for I had also formed this plan, because the business was broken up and no longer needed me. But on the other hand, by this course the Confederate territory would be closed to me, and if Charleston still belonged to it, it would be impossible for me to get to that city or to my chief, who I suppo.sed was there, to give him information of my misfortunes. I felt it to be needful for rae before everything else, to speak with him, to lay before him a full account of my last experi- ences and of the loss sustained. I would not have liked, for any consideration, to have been brought before him in sus- picion that I had only pretended a robbery — that I, perhaps, had embezzled something, or, generally speaking, that I had neglected my duty in any respect. This explanation would not be at all difficult in a personal description of the events ; afterwards, I could, with his con.sent, with a clear conscience pursue ray design of seeking my dear home, to which I was now drawn with redoubled longing. Therefore, I determined to remain here and wait for a suitable opportunity by which the accomplishment of my desire might be effected. On the 20th of February Sherman's army left Columbia, if one will apply that term to ihe heap of ruins, after having the day before, by order of the commanding general, blown up the arsenal which had been up to this time spared. In that act there was no cruelty, inasmuch as that building was public property, for the destruction of which the right belonged to the victorious enemy. The .soldiers continued to be well- behaved, and made no further attacks upon persons and upon TEE DESTRUCTION OF COLUMBIA, S. C. 31 the property that was still left, but confined themselves to the before-mentioned digging in the ground. The departure of the troops attracted little attention, and made little impression upon those who were left behind them. After the entire deliverance from them, the people could for the first time clearly think about their real needs, and devise possibly new measures for their removal. I saw the heroes march away, who had in this campaign gathered withered, malodorous laurels — the victorious army which had certainly contributed very much to the subjugation of the South, to the finishing of the war, and to the accomplishment of an object noble in principle. But without considering the great blood- shed, the utter misery in which the land was placed, from which it can not even to-day revive, the means employed were in the highest degree objectionable. " Hail ! Columbia, Happy Land," the national hymn of the United States, sounded like mockery from the departing troops to the city of Columbia, totally destroyed by them, and it was a relief to every spirit, however depressed, when the blue forms and their endless train of wagons disappeared in the distance, although they had now nothing more to fear from them. As for me, let them go on farther in their victorious march, in which I came near taking a passive part, and would have been by that means probably saved much trouble. After some time the news reached us that the army, without having met with any resistance, had subdued the whole region through which they passed, Wilmington, and the seacoast of North Carolina, and thereby, with similar success on the part of the other Northern armies, subjugated the South and again incor- porated the Confederate States in the Union. LIBRpRY 013 701 842 i