Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/217

Rh Mayor and aldermen to the first general officer of the hostile army whom they met, and that officer promised protection to the town and its inhabitants until communication could be had with General Sherman and the terms of surrender arranged. By 11 o'clock A. M. the town was in possession of the Federal forces, the first detachment entering being the command of the officers who had received the surrender. They had scarcely marched into the town, however, before they began to break into the stores of the merchants, appropriating the contents or throwing them into the streets and destroying them. As other bodies of troops came in, the pillage grew more general, and soon the sack of the town was universal. Guards were in general sent to those of the citizens who applied for them, but in numerous instances they proved to be unable or unwilling to perform the duty assigned them. Scarcely a single household or family escaped altogether from being plundered. The streets of the town were densely filled with thousands of Federal soldiers drinking, shouting, carousing and robbing the defenceless inhabitants without reprimand or check from their officers, and this state of things continued until night. In some instances guards were refused. Papers and property of great value were in the vaults of the city banks, while the apartments above and in the rear were occupied by women and children, with their food and clothing. For a guard to protect them application was made by one of our worthiest and most respectable citizens, Edwin J. Scott, Esq., first to the general officer who had received the surrender of the town, Colonel Stone, and then to the Provost-Marshal, Major Jenkins. The response made to the applicant by the former officer, though standing idly in the crowd, was that he "had no time to attend to him," and the answer of the latter was, "I cannot undertake to protect private property." Between 2 and 3 o'clock P. M. General Sherman in person rode into Columbia, informed the Mayor that his letter had been received and promised protection to the town. Extraordinary license was allowed to the soldiers by General Sherman.

On the afternoon of the 17th of February, and shortly after his arrival in Columbia, the Mayor of the town, at the request of General Sherman, accompanied him on a visit to a lady of his acquaintance. While proceeding to her residence, General Sherman began to express his opinion very freely upon the subject of our institution of slavery. In the midst of his remarks he was interrupted by the sudden and near report of a musket; immediately before them, in