314:, "the destruction of Columbia was not the result of a single act or events of a single day. Neither was it the work of an individual or a group. Instead it was the culmination of eight days of riots, robbery, pillage, confusion and fires, all of which were the byproducts of war. The event was surrounded by coincidence, misjudgment, and accident. It is impossible, he maintains, to determine with certainty the origin of the fire. The most probable explanation was that it began from the burning cotton on Richardson street. Columbia at this time was a virtual firetrap because of the hundreds of cotton bales in her streets. Some of these had been ignited before Sherman arrived and a high wind spread the flammable substance over the city."
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of
Columbia has engendered controversy ever since, with some claiming the fires were accidental, a deliberate act of vengeance, or perhaps set by retreating Confederate soldiers who lit cotton bales while leaving town. On that same day, the Confederates evacuated Charleston. On February 18, Sherman's forces destroyed virtually anything of military value in Columbia, including
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in the city and began to drink. Fires began in the city, and high winds spread the flames across a wide area. Most of the central city was destroyed, and municipal fire companies found it difficult to operate in conjunction with the invading army, many of whom were also fighting the fire. The burning
460:
William
Augustus Reckling (1850–1913) was a noted SC Photographer operating in Columbia 1870–1910 at times with his 2 sons as "Reckling & Sons Photographers" on Senate St now part of the USC campus. The latter has a collection of Reckling's photos of notable South Carolinians of the era as well
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Controversy surrounding the burning of the city began before the war had ended. Shortly afterwards, Southern publications alleged that the burning had been a deliberate
Northern atrocity. General Sherman blamed the high winds and retreating Confederate soldiers for firing bales of cotton, which had
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established in 1864 west of
Columbia. It consisted of a 5-acre (20,000 m) tract of open field, without walls, fences, buildings or any other facilities. A "deadline" was established by laying wood planks 10 feet (3.0 m) inside the camp's boundaries. The rations consisted of
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whose members included ex-slaves. The city also made somewhat of a rebound following the devastating fire of 1865; a mild construction boom took place within the first few years of
Reconstruction, and repair of railroad tracks in outlying areas created jobs for area citizens.
178:". Due to the lack of security features, escapes were common. Conditions were terrible, with little food, clothing, or medicine, and disease claimed a number of lives among both the prisoners and their guards.
473:, part of the S.C. Budget and Control Board, showcases an artifact collection from the Colonial period to the space age. The museum houses a collection of South Carolina artifacts from the Confederate period.
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bales, not passengers. Cotton was the lifeblood of the
Columbia community, as before the Civil War, directly or indirectly, virtually all of the city's commercial and economic activity was related to cotton.
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transportation served as a significant cause of population expansion in
Columbia during this time. Rail lines that reached the city in the 1840s were first and foremost interested in transporting
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Today, tourists can follow the path
General Sherman's army took to enter the city and see structures or remnants of structures that survived the fire. A Civil War walking tour is available.
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in the last months of the war. Sherman was accused of having deliberately and needlessly burned the city, which he denied. Modern historians say that multiple causes were responsible.
17:
488:
Magrath, Andrew. "From The
Governor of the State, to the People of South Carolina." Legislative System, Messages, 1860–1865. South Carolina Archives, Columbia, South Carolina.
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been stacked in the streets. Sherman denied ordering the burning, though he did order militarily significant structures, such as the
Confederate Printing Plant, destroyed.
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retreated from the city. Union forces were overwhelmed by throngs of liberated Federal prisoners and emancipated slaves. Many soldiers took advantage of ample supplies of
158:. During the ensuing Civil War, bankers, railroad executives, teachers, and theologians from several states met in the city from time to time to discuss certain matters.
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418:, Columbia became the focus of considerable attention. Reporters, journalists, travelers, and tourists flocked to South Carolina's capital city to witness a Southern
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Burton, Elijah P. Diary of E.P. Burton, Surgeon, Seventh Regiment Illinois, Third Brigade, Second Division, Sixteenth Army Corps, II, 63. Des Moines, 1939
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Columbia became chartered as a city in 1786 and soon grew at a rapid pace, and throughout the 1850s and 1860s it was the largest inland city in the
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The six impacts from Sherman's cannonballs to the granite exterior of the State House were never repaired, and are today marked by bronze stars.
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Campbell, Jacqueline G. "'The Most Diabolical Act of all The Barbarous War': Soldiers, Civilians, and the Burning of Columbia, February, 1865."
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Campbell, "'The Most Diabolical Act of all The Barbarous War': Soldiers, Civilians, and the Burning of Columbia, February, 1865."
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786:"Partners With the Sun, South Carolina Photographers, 1840-1940." Harvey S. Teal, University of South Carolina Press (2001).
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Teal, Harvey S. "Partners with the Sun, South Carolina Photographers, 1840-1940" University of South Carolina Press (2001).
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hosted the South Carolina Secession Convention on December 17, 1860, with delegates selected a month earlier at
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Elmore, Tom, "A Carnival of Destruction-Sherman's Invasion of South Carolina." Jogglingboard Press, 2012.
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by the right wing of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Union army. The Union division under Maj. Gen.
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Marching With Sherman: A Review of the Letters and Campaign Diaries of Henry Hitchcock
154:. Columbia's location made it an ideal spot for other conventions and meetings within
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Magrath, "From The Governor of the State, to the People of South Carolina."
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Elmore, Tom, "Columbia's Civil War Landmarks" The History Press, 2011.
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Autobiography of Oliver Otis Howard, Major General, United States Army
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First Baptist Church was saved by an African-American caretaker.
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as the main staple in the diet; thus the camp became known as "
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was also burned; the only surviving building is today the
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and the interior of the incomplete new State House. The
593:. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1976
91:, was an important political and supply center for the
605:
The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War
99:. Much of the town was destroyed during occupation by
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of the 1st South Carolina Cavalry, led a Confederate
220:, causing only one day's delay in the Union advance.
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identified "5 myths about the Burning of Columbia":
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Citizen Sherman: A Life Of William Tecumseh Sherman
501:McCarter, James. "The Burning of Columbia, Again."
18:Columbia, South Carolina in the American Civil War
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493:Sack and Destruction of the City of Columbia S.C.
150:without dissent, 159–0, creating the short-lived
146:. The delegates drafted a resolution in favor of
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336:Union soldiers burned the Congaree River bridge.
584:When The World Ended: The Diary of Emma LeConte
737:"Sherman and the Burning of Columbia (review)"
723:Was the Burning of Columbia, S.C. a War Crime?
495:Columbia: Power Press of Daily Phoenix, 1865.
1125:
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427:Notable Civil War personalities from Columbia
382:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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471:Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum
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461:as a series of stereographs of Columbia.
402:Learn how and when to remove this message
204:attempted to prevent the crossing of the
80:Ruins, as seen from the State House, 1865
1340:South Carolina in the American Civil War
842:South Carolina in the American Civil War
691:National Park Service battle description
327:Sherman ordered the burning of Columbia.
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279:Among the buildings burned were the old
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768:"5 myths about the Burning of Columbia"
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228:The Burning of Columbia, South Carolina
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1345:U.S. cities in the American Civil War
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766:Wilkinson, Jeff (February 13, 2015).
310:According to Marion Lucas, author of
196:on February 3, 1865, the Confederate
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380:adding citations to reliable sources
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28:
1335:History of Columbia, South Carolina
659:Sherman and the Burning of Columbia
623:American Nineteenth Century History
591:Sherman and the Burning of Columbia
510:Recollections of the War, 1861-1865
312:Sherman and the Burning of Columbia
24:
933:Second Battle of Charleston Harbor
333:There was a "battle" for Columbia.
25:
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913:First Battle of Charleston Harbor
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289:South Carolina Governor's Mansion
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725:, New York Times, March 10, 2015
512:, 1887. Reprint: Columbia, 1911.
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302:, indicating an artillery strike
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577:The General Who Marched To Hell
243:On February 17, 1865, Columbia
161:Camp Sorghum was a Confederate
735:Barrett, John G. (June 1977).
728:
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607:, Simon & Schuster, 2001,
59:and remove irrelevant content.
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57:relocate relevant information
1025:Union forces occupy Columbia
938:Second Battle of Fort Sumter
928:Second Battle of Fort Wagner
923:Battle of Grimball's Landing
533:Georgia Historical Quarterly
52:on an aspect of the subject.
7:
918:First Battle of Fort Wagner
897:Second Battle of Pocotaligo
10:
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1020:Skirmish at Congaree Creek
882:First Battle of Pocotaligo
625:, Vol. 3, No. 3, Fall 2002
281:South Carolina State House
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152:Republic of South Carolina
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995:Campaign of the Carolinas
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1010:Skirmish at James Island
1005:Battle of Broxton Bridge
1000:Action at Rivers' Bridge
892:Battle of Simmon's Bluff
887:Battle of Secessionville
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515:Gibbes, James Guignard.
446:Alexander Cheves Haskell
441:Battle of Fredericksburg
439:mortally wounded at the
194:Battle of Rivers' Bridge
1140:U.S. Cities during the
589:Lucas, Marion Brunson.
525:Sosnowski, Sophia Wentz
330:All of Columbia burned.
118:Early Civil War history
93:Confederate States Army
303:
240:
87:, the capital city of
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1221:Romney, West Virginia
866:Port Royal Experiment
856:Battle of Fort Sumter
753:10.1353/cwh.1977.0019
582:Miers, Earl Schenck.
575:Miers, Earl Schenck.
558:Howard, Oliver Otis.
529:"Burning of Columbia"
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974:Battle of Honey Hill
861:Battle of Port Royal
680:Camp Sorghum website
435:— Confederate
376:improve this section
163:prisoner-of-war camp
140:First Baptist Church
979:Battle of Tulifinny
712:Who Burnt Columbia?
517:Who Burnt Columbia?
298:Bronze star on the
188:Capture of Columbia
46:a different subject
1142:American Civil War
801:2007-10-16 at the
603:Eicher, David J.,
596:Fellman, Michael.
527:(September 1924).
523:Hargrett, Lester;
519:Newberry, SC, 1902
505:33, October, 1866.
491:Simms, William G.
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206:Salkehatchie River
112:Carolinas Campaign
108:William T. Sherman
97:American Civil War
82:
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741:Civil War History
600:. New York, 1995.
508:Whilden, Mary S.
503:Harper's Magazine
465:Civil War tourism
437:brigadier general
420:state legislature
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586:. New York, 1957
579:. New York,1951.
569:. Columbia, 1929
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562:. New York, 1907
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172:sorghum molasses
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548:. Retrieved
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374:Please help
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249:Wade Hampton
242:
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232:William Waud
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176:Camp Sorghum
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55:Please help
50:undue weight
43:
26:
1279:New Orleans
1259:Chattanooga
1241:Confederacy
1043:Confederate
433:Maxcy Gregg
300:State House
245:surrendered
218:Branchville
138:Columbia's
110:during the
95:during the
1329:Categories
1314:Wilmington
1309:Winchester
1284:Petersburg
1254:Charleston
1216:Louisville
1188:Pittsburgh
1168:Harrisburg
1158:Cincinnati
1064:Charleston
964:Housatonic
747:(2): 183.
483:References
266:warehouses
230:(1865) by
1304:Vicksburg
1274:Nashville
1226:St. Louis
1211:Lexington
1206:Baltimore
1163:Cleveland
773:The State
363:does not
320:The State
317:In 2015,
148:secession
124:Carolinas
1289:Richmond
1264:Columbia
1087:Category
1069:Columbia
799:Archived
710:Gibbes,
545:40575788
448:—
270:arsenals
198:division
168:cornmeal
128:Railroad
85:Columbia
1249:Atlanta
1098:Commons
657:Lucas,
454:brigade
450:Colonel
414:During
384:removed
369:sources
253:cavalry
48:or has
1269:Mobile
1057:Places
968:Hunley
611:
550:4 July
543:
497:online
272:, and
257:liquor
214:Howard
132:cotton
1299:Selma
1150:Union
1048:Union
1036:Units
636:Notes
541:JSTOR
101:Union
988:1865
955:1864
906:1863
875:1862
849:1861
609:ISBN
552:2022
469:The
367:any
365:cite
234:for
170:and
966:by
749:doi
378:by
1331::
770:.
745:23
743:.
739:.
535:.
531:.
291:.
276:.
268:,
264:,
126:.
1133:e
1126:t
1119:v
834:e
827:t
820:v
776:.
755:.
751::
661:.
615:.
554:.
537:8
405:)
399:(
394:)
390:(
386:.
372:.
212:(
67:)
63:(
20:)
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