♪ [acoustic guitar music] ♪ (Dan Harman singing) ♪ We waited by the river, rifles in our hands, ♪ ♪ a handful of the South's best re ady to make a stand.

♪ ♪ I turned to Billy Bratton, "Jesus, look at 'em come!"

♪ ♪ A long blue line with sabers drawn, ♪ ♪ a glitterin' in the sun.

♪ ♪ Billy spat and smiled, "Johnny, I tell you true, ♪ ♪ "afore this day's gone, there'll be hell to pay ♪ ♪ at the hands of them boys in blue."

♪ ♪ And all the tears wept through the years ♪ ♪ by the dyin' Rebel lads ♪ ♪ couldn't quench the fire of hate in the heart ♪ ♪ of that single Yankee man.

♪ ♪ Demons danced, Satan pranced.

♪ ♪ They say Sherman was his name.

♪ ♪ The night the devil fiddled in South Carolina ♪ ♪ while Columbia went up in flames.

♪♪ ♪ (Mary Long) After burning Atlanta on November 14, 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman moved boldly through Georgia with little resistance and completed his march to the sea.

Capturing Savannah in late December, he sent this letter to Abraham Lincoln.

"I present you as a Christmas gift "the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns "and plenty of ammunition & also 25,000 bales of cotton.

W. T. Sherman, Major General."

He then turned his attention to South Carolina, an action his undisciplined soldiers had been awaiting.

(Harman singing) ♪ And all the tears wept through the years ♪ ♪ by the dyin' Rebel lads ♪ ♪ couldn't quench the fire of hate in the heart ♪ ♪ of that single Yankee man.

♪ ♪ Demons danced, Satan pranced.

♪ ♪ They say Sherman was his name.

♪ ♪ The night the devil fiddled in South Carolina ♪ ♪ while Columbia went up in flames.

♪♪ ♪ (Mary) William Tecumseh Sherman... a name that for 120 years has been spoken with bitterness in South Carolina, a name we associate with wanton destruction and unnecessary cruelty.

What were his motives for his rampages through Georgia and the Carolinas?

Was it because he wanted a quick end to the War Between the States?

Did he have personal vengeance against the people whom he blamed for starting that war?

Perhaps we'll never know.

As we begin in Beaufort and follow in his footsteps, perhaps you will be able to draw conclusions of your own.

[no dialogue] William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio, on February 8, 1820.

His father, who died when Sherman was nine, was a state Supreme Court judge.

He was raised by a neighbor, Thomas Ewing, a respected United States senator, and later married Ewing's daughter Ellen.

He graduated from West Point in 1840, and for 13 years served in the United States Army.

He resigned and accepted a post as superintendent of Louisiana Military Academy.

While living in the South, it's said he loved the South, its people, its customs, and during the controversies which arose over states' rights, he was a Southern sympathizer.

[no dialogue] Sherman left the academy when Louisiana seceded from the Union.

In April 1861, when the War Between the States began, Sherman offered his services to President Abraham Lincoln.

His desire to serve had nothing to do with his feelings about slavery, because Sherman did not oppose the institution of slavery.

He said he would neither abolish nor modify slavery, even if the opportunity presented itself.

(male voice) "All congresses on Earth can't make the Negro anything than what he is."

His opposition to the Southern cause lay with Secession, which he thought was a stupid alternative to more reasonable solutions.

When the war began, he accepted a position as colonel of the infantry in the Northern Army because, (male voice) "I will do no act, think no thought hostile to the government."

(Mary) Though he proved an able commander, Sherman consistently had difficulty maintaining discipline with his troops.

His men were constantly accused of looting, pillaging, and unnecessary destruction.

His control over his unruly troops caused him to issue a proclamation on March 13, 1862, to the effect that anyone caught pillaging would be executed.

(male voice) "The laws of Congress "make plunder punishable by death.

"The disgrace which attends the practice "prevents the respect which should be our aim "to impress our enemies, who must become our friends be fore peace can be hoped for."

(Mary) It 's felt that although Sherman op posed the actions of his men, he lacked either the will or the desire to enforce his proclamations.

And so the plundering continued.

When Ulysses S. Grant was made commander-in-chief of the Union Army in Virginia, Sherman was given the Western Army.

In May 1864, he began his "March to the Sea."

He felt the only way to end the war quickly was to make the South suffer agony and anguish.

His treatment of the Southern people is one of the most cruel acts of the War Between the States.

When criticized for his tactics, he said: (male voice) "War is cruelty... "you cannot refine it.

"If people raise a howl against my barbarity, I will answer that war is war and not popularity-seeking."

Following the same vein, he wrote to his daughter: (male voice) "How cruel men become in war.

"Your papa has to do such acts.

"Pray that the war may end.

"Hundreds of children are daily ta ught to curse my name, "and every night thousands kneel and beseech the Almighty to consign me to perdition."

(Mary) It's important to remember that Sherman's poorly-disciplined troops bore little resemblance to the blue-clad ranks of the Union Army in Virginia.

Most were from the Middle West and bore hatred and prejudice for Southerners and blacks.

Many were hard and fierce plainsmen or mountain men of a fierce and independent nature with little respect for rights of others.

Thousands of the troops were under 18.

Sherman called them his "little devils."

Most had little regard for the Union cause but had joined for the plunder to be found in the South.

Instead of exacting discipline and controlling his men, Sherman capitalized upon fierceness and ruthlessness.

They became a devastating fighting force, cutting a 60-mile-wide path of destruction across the Southern states.

Although atrocities had been committed in Georgia, the soldiers seem to have saved their fury for South Carolina.

In January of 1865, Sherman divided his army.

The right flank under General Oliver Howard crossed the Savannah River and landed here in Beaufort.

The rest of the army under Henry Slocum crossed the Savannah 30 miles upriver.

For the first time since the beginning of the War Between the States, a force of 60,000 men had landed in South Carolina.

The invasion of our state had begun.

(Harman singing) ♪ And all the tears wept through the years ♪ ♪ by the dyin' Rebel lads ♪ ♪ couldn't quench the fire of hate in the heart ♪ ♪ of that single Yankee man.

♪ ♪ Demons danced, Satan pranced.

♪ ♪ They say Sherman was his name.

♪ ♪ The night the devil fiddled in South Carolina ♪ ♪ while Columbia went up in flames.

♪♪ (Mary) Although he had been aware of Sherman's campaign in Georgia, Andrew Magrath, the governor of South Carolina, had done little to prepare his state's defenses.

He sought aid from everywhere.

When he wired Georgia, Governor Brown said he would do what he could.

He might have been more enthusiastic had South Carolina come to his aid earlier.

In Magrath's defense, it must be said that South Carolina law forbad him from sending troops to Georgia.

Magrath wired Robert E. Lee, who was having his own problems trying to save Richmond from the forces under Ulysses Grant.

Lee sent a detachment of cavalry under Wade Hampton.

When Magrath wired that this wasn't enough, he needed more men, Lee responded, "I am aware of your plight.

"Can His Excellency think that it would help the Confederacy to have both Sherman and Grant in South Carolina?"

As Sherman entered the state, the Confederate forces opposing him numbered about 20,000 men.

General William J. Hardee's infantry division was described as being either very old or very young.

General Hardee was assigned to defend Charleston, which everyone assumed would be Sherman's goal.

Other Confederate forces in the field were commanded by Generals Pierre Beauregard, Joseph Wheeler, and Matthew Butler.

Wade Hampton's cavalry division wa s assigned to Columbia.

Immediately after entering the state, federal troops began a rampage of looting and burning, which left a wake of total destruction and near starvation for the inhabitants.

One of the first towns they hit was here in Barnwell.

The only buildings that they spared from burning and looting were the slave quarters.

When questioned, Sherman said he did not order any burning and that he had cautioned his men against pillaging.

That may be true, but as historians say, he did nothing to prevent it.

Later, some of Sherman's men said that they released their fury on South Carolina because they knew it would please their general.

If he hadn't ordered this wholesale destruction, how did they know that this was his desire?

Perhaps the answer can be found in Sherman's letters and in his general attitude.

In a letter written to him by General Halleck, the Union chief of staff, Halleck said, "Should you capture Charleston, "I hope that by some accident the place may be destroyed, "and if a little salt be sown upon the site, "it may prevent the growth of future crops of Nullification and Secession."

Sherman replied, (male voice) "I will bear in mind "your hint as to Charleston, "but don't think salt necessary.

"The truth is, the army is burning "to wreak vengeance upon South Carolina.

"I tremble at her fate, "but feel she deserves all in store for her.

I'll look upon Columbia as bad as Charleston."

(Mary) Sherman placed the blame for the war on South Carolina because the state had been a leader in Nullification and Secession and had been the first to secede.

He didn't hesitate in transmitting his feelings to his undisciplined troops who, as one observer said, "behaved more like enraged tigers than human beings, "running all over the town, kicking down fences, "breaking in doors, and smashing glasses, also stealing and tearing up clothing."

Everything of any value was stolen.

Food was taken to feed the ravenous Union soldiers.

Livestock was slaughtered.

The town of Barnwell was almost burned to the ground.

The same fate awaited other Southern towns and homes in the path of the invaders.

Houses were burnt to the ground.

Churches were desecrated, looted, and burned.

The few Southern forces available tried desperately to stop the invasion, but to little avail.

As he entered the state, Sherman veered right toward Charleston and left toward Augusta.

Confederate commanders had no idea where he intended to go.

They spread what troops they had thinly across the Lowcountry, deciding that, obviously, his goal must be Charleston.

People, fearing the attack, left the Lowcountry.

Valuables, such as the bells of St. Michael's Church, were sent to Columbia for safekeeping.

Refugees crowded the roads from Charleston to Columbia, trying to escape the wrath of Sherman's troops.

When he cleared the swamps, his destination became evident.

General William Sherman turned his troops northwest and headed for the very heart of South Carolina.

The city of Columbia lay defenseless.

(Harman singing) ♪ Rifle balls came buzzin' hot ♪ ♪ through the bushes and tall pine trees, ♪ ♪ thick as 'skeeters on a hot summer night ♪ ♪ when there ain't no trace of a breeze.

♪ ♪ Back and forth brave Hampton rode, saying, ♪ ♪ "Boys, you gotta hold them lines!"

♪ ♪ "You mean ours or theirs?"

♪ ♪ Billy grinned as we fell back th rough the pines.

♪ ♪ I heard a Rebel yell become a brave lad's dyin' screams.

♪ ♪ Billy clutched his chest, grabbed my arm, ♪ ♪ and fell down on his knees.

♪♪ (Mary) Although feeble resistance along the line of march resulted in the deaths of many Union and Confederate soldiers, General Sherman entered the city on February 17, 1865, unopposed.

As the long, blue lines of the Union troops entered the city, and as cannonballs from the federal artillery crashed into the city, General Wade Hampton, realizing that resistance was useless, moved his troops to a hill overlooking Columbia and watched helplessly as the capital of South Carolina fell.

General Sherman entered Columbia between 11:00 and noon and assured the mayor that the city would be safe and not destroyed.

Be that as it may, during the afternoon, federal soldiers began looting stores and homes throughout Columbia in search of plunder.

It's said that valuables from other areas of the state had been sent to Columbia for safekeeping.

The soldiers also broke into a distillery.

Whiskey by the bucketsful was being distributed throughout the streets.

As one private of the Union forces from Iowa said, "Within a short time, 10,000 drunken soldiers were scattered throughout the streets of Columbia."

[no dialogue] A number of Sherman's officers were appalled by the actions of the troops.

They told him that the men must be controlled.

They were ignored.

In their defense, officers patrolled the streets looking for Union soldiers committing grievous offenses against the citizens of Columbia.

Many of the soldiers were shot on sight.

It's recorded that vicious attacks were made against black and white women by bands of drunken soldiers, and many died as a result.

In one instance, a Colonel Dayton found a Union soldier beating and assaulting a woman, and he shot him dead on sight.

Sherman sent men to locate and destroy property belonging to prominent South Carolinians.

One of these was Millwood, the home of Wade Hampton.

Today these stately columns are all that remain, silent testimonials to the wrath of Sherman's troops.

♪ [fiddle slowly playing "Dixie"] At dusk on February 17, while Sherman was asleep in his headquarters, fire broke out in the city.

Though many historians have described the events, the story is best told by those who were present.

(female speaker) "Imagine night turning into noonday, "with a blazing, scorching glare that was horrible.

"A copper-colored sky, across which swept columns of black, rolling smoke, glittering...." (Sherman) "I woke to an orange glare "on my chamber wall and sent to inquire the cause.

"The block of buildings opposite the burning cotton "was on fire, and it was spreading.

"The air was full of sparks and flying masses of cotton.

It was accidental, and in my judgment..." (male speaker) "Hundreds of houses were on fire.

"Women and children screamed and cried with terror.

Drunken soldiers ran about the streets."

(Sherman) "If I had made up my mind to burn Columbia, "I would've burned it with no more feeling "than I would have a prairie village.

God started winds to carry cotton wherever He would."

(male speaker) "Burning cotton filled the air and sky.

"The library building opposite us seemed framed by the gushing flames and smoke."

(Sherman) "I could've had soldiers stay in their ranks.

"I would not have done it "under any circumstances to save Columbia.

I would not have done su ch harshness to my soldiers!"

(female speaker) "A palpitating blaze walled the streets, "filling the air with its roar.

Every instant came the crashing...." (Sherman) "We looked upon South Carolina as the cause of our woe."

(male speaker) "...wild blasphemy, assailing the justice of heaven, "invoking with lifted and clenched hands "the fiery wrath of the avengers.

"But the soldiers plundered and drank.

The fiery work waged, and the moon...." (Sherman) "Though I never ordered it and never wished it, "I have never shed many tears over the event.

It hastened what we fought for."

(female speaker) "The sun rose, "dim and red through the thick atmosphere.

"It set last night on a beautiful town "full of women and children.

It shown dully this morning on smoking ruins and misery."

♪ (Mary) Who burned Columbia?

For over a hundred years, controversy has raged on that subject.

Sherman said he did not order the city to be burned.

He blamed it on stores of cotton which Hampton had burned before he left Columbia.

Hampton said he burned no cotton.

A Union soldier said bales of cotton had been set afire, but the fire was extinguished before Hampton left the city.

Besides, they were so water-soaked that they wouldn't have burned anyway.

As General Sherman later admitted, (male voice) "In my official report, "I charged it to General Wade Hampton "to shake the faith of his people in him, "for he was a braggart and professed to be the champion of South Carolina."

A reporter traveling with Sherman's troops since the fall of Atlanta, provided what could be a more accurate description.

(male speaker) "I shall never witness such a scene again.

"Drunken soldiers rushing house to house, "emptying them of valuables and firing them.

"Men reveling on liquors "until the burning houses buried them "in their drunken orgies.

"Cavalry were left to patrol the streets.

"I did not see them interfering with the groups that rushed to pillage the houses."

Sherman disagreed with the account.

But like many modern politicians and military figures, he had trouble with them and disliked reporters intensely.

In Savannah, just before he entered South Carolina, a member of his staff told him that four reporters had been captured by rebels and executed.

"Good!"

he said.

"We'll have news from hell before breakfast."

These stars on the South Carolina Statehouse mark the spots hit by cannon fire during Sherman's assault on the city of Columbia, an assault which ended with the total destruction of over three-fourths of the city.

Who burned Columbia?

For years scholars have debated the point, and perhaps we'll never know.

Was Sherman right in his campaign against the South?

Did he really shorten a war which ended less than two months later with the fall of Richmond?

One thing is certain, even though people suffered as Sherman moved northward, no one suffered more from Atlanta to Raleigh than did the people of Columbia.

Whether you approve or disapprove of Sherman's methods, there is one statement by General William Tecumseh Sherman with which we can all agree... (male voice) "We understand what military fame is... "to be killed on the field of battle "and have our name spelled wrong in the newspapers.

"Only those who have never fired a shot, "never heard the groans of the wounded, "cry aloud for blood, more vengeance.

War is hell."

(Harman singing) ♪ ...faces lit by a bright orange glow ♪ ♪ that filled the empty sky.

♪ ♪ That night I held poor Billy close.

♪ ♪ He whispered as he died, ♪ ♪ "We was with Longstreet at Antietam Creek, ♪ ♪ "road to hell and back with Hood.

♪ ♪ "Never dreamed I'd see the Congaree ♪ ♪ "run red with Bratton blood.

♪ ♪ Thirty miles away in Camden my Lucy waits alone."

♪ ♪ As he died, he chewed and spat and smiled ♪ ♪ and said, "Lord, I was almost home."

♪ ♪ And all the tears wept through the years ♪ ♪ by the dyin' Rebel lads ♪ ♪ couldn't quench the fire of hate in the heart ♪ ♪ of that single Yankee man.

♪ ♪ Demons danced, Satan pranced.

♪ ♪ They say Sherman was his name.

♪ ♪ The night the devil fiddled in South Carolina ♪ ♪ while Columbia went up in flames.

♪♪ ♪ ♪ Program captioned by: CompuScripts Captioning, Inc. 803.988.8438 ♪ ♪