Alcala 1958

W ithInsults,I Remain ith lts, in

YourObedientServant By FR. ALFRED F. GEIMER, M.S . in L.S. Assi stant Libraria n Colle ge for Men r i nt t , .

S EARCHINGthr oug h some imprin ts from Col umbia ,S. C., in the Rar e Book room in the Lib rar y of Con gres s, I rec ent ly 1 came acr oss some or igi na lCiv ilWa r document sthat are ma ste rpi ece s of po lit e inv ect ive . Litt le known to the gene ra l public , the se docu ­ men ts als o she d lig ht on the bitt er contr o­ ver sy bet we en Ge n. Wi lliam Te cum seh She rma n of the Uni on Army and Gen . Wade Hamp ton of the Con fede rate Sta tes Arm y. Th edocum ent s inc lud ean ex chan ge of lett ers bet we en the two gen era lsconcern ­ ing the burn ing an d des tru ctio n of Columbi a in 18 65 . Col umbiawa s the hea rt of the Co nfe der acy an d it wa s Gen eral Hamp ton 'shome tow n. Eig ht yea rs aft er the sack of Col umb ia, Gene ral Hamp ton wrote a lett er to the edi tor of the Ba ltimo reEn qu ire r, in wh ich he sa id: 2 "A mi xe d com mi ssi on on Am eri can and Br itis h cla ims is now ho ldi ng its ses sions in Wa shi ng ton ,and bef ore the trib una l will soo n be bro ugh t cas es in­ vo lving the quest ion of the dest ruc tionof the ci ty of Co lumbia ,S . C., in Februa ry, 18 65 . . . "T his con tro ver sy ha s bee n for ced upon me for the sec ondtime, by Gene ral W. T. Sherm an 's rec kle ss disrega rd of truth in hi s ass aul tsupon me , bef ore 'the 1 Fa ther Geim er rece ived his Master 's degr ee in Library Sc ien cefrom the Cath olic Univ ersit yof Ame rica earl y this yea r.— Ed. 2 The lett er was ori gin allypublished in the Balti­ more En qui rer of Jun e 24, 1873. S I h ts bia, y ess, r c tly 1 i al il e ts t t rpieces l e tive. l al li , - t • e . eh n . ton rate t y. e ents e ge e ls • i ction ia . i eracy s l to 's to n. ia, l to lti re E quirer, i he said: 2 i ion ican iti h i s ng i ns ington, l t s • i tio bia, ry, . . i versy , l an's l rd t , a eimer received hi ]\·[aster's dep;ree in ce li hersity 0£ i .- Ed. 2 e t al - 17UJr re ,i

mixe dcom mi ssi on ;' and if the test imo ny wh ich will be produc ed shall prove how utte rly unworthy of cre dit hi s ass ert ion s are , he will have no one to blam e ex cep t him sel f. He sha ll be dea lt wit h in the ma nne r that all def amersdes erv e . . . "On the nig ht of the 17t h of Februa ry, 18 65 , Columbia wa s burned to the gro und, afte r it had been in ful l poss es­ sio n of the fed era l troops for ten hours . . . . No one ther e dou bted, or doubts, to whom the gui lt atta ches, and it was with sur pri se and ind ign ati onthat my fell ow- cit ize ns saw the cha rge in She rman' s report, pub lishedin April, 18 65 ,that the des truc tionhad been cau sedby my sel f. "I n this repo rt the fol low inglan gu ag e is use d (b y Gene ral Sh erman ): 'Ge ner al Wa de Hampton , who comma nde d the Con fede rate rear gua rd of cav alry , ha d in ant icip ati onof our cap tur e of Colum­ bia, ordered that all cot ton, pu bli c an d pr iva te, shou ld be mov ed int o the str eet s and fire d to prev ent our ma kin g use of it. Some of the piles of cott on wer e bur n­ in g (whe n the Fed eral troo ps ent ere dthe ci ty) esp eci ally one in the ver y hea rt of the cit y, nea r thecou rth ous e,but the fi re wa s par tial lysubdue dby the labor of our sol die rs. Bef ore one sin gle publi c bui ld­ in g had been fir ed by order, the smould­ er ingfire s, set by Ham pton'sord er, we re enk ind led by the win d and commu ni­ ca ted to the bu ild ing saro und. I dis cla im on my part any ag en cy in the fir e, bu t on the cont rary claim that we sav ed of is ion;' i ny i e l y tion , e t s lf. ll r ers e . ry, , i d, l • l . t , t , , rise i ation - s an's t, ublished il, , tion lf. ing age l an): ' al e t , nded rate , i ation o e - , lic i te, l i g ll - l ial y , e ou e, ti l y d rs. l lic l - l - i g t ' , indled by the wind and communi- i i a d. i y p cy , t

85