Posted on 11/27/2012 2:16:28 PM PST by BigReb555
No, I am an old movie snob. My students go nuts when I bring in a black and white until the end of the class period when I can’t drag them away.
We studied “Spotted Horses” A masterpiece of situational humor and imagery. Sigh. Faulkener, Welty, O’connor, better stop, I’ll leave someone out. Wonderful for teaching elements of literature to high schoolers- they were masters.
Like a lot of things you have to catch it at the right point in life. When I was a kid I couldn’t believe how glued to the TV my mom was when GWTW came on. I might feel the same way now, but I did watch it and enjoy it at one time. It helps if you’re really interested in the Civil War or in film history.
Columbia was burned by the rebs, who as a nice touch, also slashed the fire hoses.
Cotton burns, and its little wisps of buring bolls went all over the town.
Rather, the rebs stacked cotton in the streets, and the fires set to continue the evil confederate practice of wantonly destroying cotton, got out of hand.
Beauregard and Hampton were responsible for burning the cotton, and gave orders to that effect. Howard and Sherman gave no orders for general destruction of the city. To the contrary, Howard ordered, and his men made great efforts in cooperation with the local fire departments to put fires out.
The Carroll commission after the war found exactly 1 witness who claimed to have seen a Union soldier setting fire to a private structure. There were many pretended witnesses ready to testify to what they could never have seen: “The Yankee soldiers looted every store and building in the whole city!”
Actually the city was looted pretty well by the withdrawing confederate soldiers. Wheeler’s cavalry in particular was not shy about cleaning out stores, and what little the confederate soldiers left the local people who did not evacuate took. By the time the Union got into town the city was already sacked.
Rather, the rebs stacked cotton in the streets, and the fires set to continue the evil confederate practice of wantonly destroying cotton, got out of hand.
Beauregard and Hampton were responsible for burning the cotton, and gave orders to that effect. Howard and Sherman gave no orders for general destruction of the city. To the contrary, Howard ordered, and his men made great efforts in cooperation with the local fire departments to put fires out.
The Carroll commission after the war found exactly 1 witness who claimed to have seen a Union soldier setting fire to a private structure. There were many pretended witnesses ready to testify to what they could never have seen: “The Yankee soldiers looted every store and building in the whole city!”
Actually the city was looted pretty well by the withdrawing confederate soldiers. Wheeler’s cavalry in particular was not shy about cleaning out stores, and what little the confederate soldiers left the local people who did not evacuate took. By the time the Union got into town the city was already sacked.
I will also correct you on the extent of the burning. Only about a third of the city burned, mostly the business and government sections. Those just happen to be where the confederates had stacked cotton for burning.
Hey, don, all you have to do is google the burning of Columbia and the first thing you read on effing Wikipedia, no less, is that Sherman was responsible...
You know, stick your head up some where dark and look at the reality you want...there’s no arguing with stupid.
Good idea. Let's see what happens...
The burning 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 railroad depots, warehouses, arsenals, and machine shops.[7]
Looks like effing wackypedia doesn't necessarily agree with you.
You know, stick your head up some where dark and look at the reality you want...there’s no arguing with stupid.
That was uncalled for.
You are absolutely right...it WAS uncalled for...and reading further in the references posted by google...your view of what happened seems to be refuted, even by Sherman himself. He later recanted his statement that Hampton fired the city as did Howard. There is NO disputing that Sherman fired “Millwood”, the home of Hampton were his spinster sisters lived...definitely a civilian target, wouldn’t you agree?....go ahead, stick to the Yankee line...stupid was too harsh...misguided and biased more appropriate.
“Yankee line” to point out that it wasn’t a clear-cut as you described? If you say so.
Yes Annie, I do know margaret Mitchell’s biography. My ancestors are from SE Georgia and my g-g-grandfather served as a volunteer to the 54th Georgia, Co. K Army of Tennessee, CSA. I think I first read GWTW at the age of 10 and many times after that.
After researching the War Between the States, one realizes that GWTW is actually a pretty accurate of the American Gotterdamarung — as Ashley Wilkes put it.
Googling my Ggrandfather Dr. one day, up popped a website, a man (distant cousin) in SC had found my Ggrandfathers Medical saddlebags, complete with all the family history, wow. I googled his name & called him immediately.
As it turned out he and wife were going to TX., and said they would stop by and let me see the BAGS. They did, and they brought a Belle Dress for me to put on and he in his CSA uniform for pictures. WHAT A THRILL. They are very active in some CSA group in SC.
Strange for me, I invited complete strangers to come stay with me, lol. Now, he has told me he has WILLED those Saddlebags to me.
How we know they are OUR family Dr's. bags? There was an old piece of paper inside, with name, dates of death. A perfect match. He found them in some store that deals in Confederate relics up in NC.
He put the picture of the bags and the family story on the web in order to attract someone who knew where my Dr. Ggrandfather was buried, as he wanted to get the special grave marker for the grave.
I was able to tell him, he could not get over this One in a Million chance of finding someone who knew. We are still in contact every week now. I was able to give him the whole family genealogy, what a thrill for him and me.
You just don't get it do you? If you lived a 150 years ago you could have been General Sherman's butt boy.
Interesting point since GWTW was the very first movie to use the word "damn" in it. And I understand that was pretty scandalous in 1940.
With all due respect to the people and history of Columbia, that burned city was but one of dozens that received the revenge of Sherman.
It is correct to point out that what began as a military campaign in Northern Georgia eventually became a murderous rampage of pillage, theft, fire terror, assault, rape and murder. Nothing in the law, military codes, history of war, or rational thinking before the war in any way justifies this kind of psychopathic behavior.
This was accurately depicted in the movie, but seems to be lost on a number of posters here.
Documentation (from Rustbucket post of 8/29/09):
Indignities and outrages were perpetrated upon the persons of the inhabitants (of the people in South Carolina); the implements of agriculture were broken;
dwellings, barns, mills, ginhouses were consumed; provisions of every description appropriated or destroyed; horses and mules were carried away, and sheep, cattle, and hogs were either taken for actual use or shot down and left behind.
Here is information from other sites on the web about the burning and destruction of those listed SC towns and villages.
Hardeeville: "[sHERMAN'S MARCH THROUGH THE CAROLIINAS] Confederates skirmish at Hardeeville and federals burn the town all night/1865" Link
Barnwell: "The town of Barnwell was burned as was part of Orangeburg and Winnsboro." Link
Grahamville: "Most of the buildings in the town were burned by Gen. Sherman’s troops in 1865." Link
Gallisonville: "burned and left in ruin" Link
McPhersonville: General Logan (Union) to General Howard (Union), January 7 - March 31, 1865 report: "In accordance with your Field Order, Numbers 29, I moved the corps from McPhersonville to Hickory Hill, breaking camp at 7 a.m. Before the rear of my column passed through McPhersonville I regret to inform you that the village was in flames. This was doubtlessly induced by the desertion of their houses by the entire population, for on our entrance into the village not a human being was to be found." Link
Barnwell: "The town of Barnwell was burned as was part of Orangeburg and Winnsboro." Link
Blackville: "On February 12th the army marched out of Blackville, leaving a trail of smoke behind them. A few homes and other buildings survived due to the vigilance and fast work of the villagers." Link
Orangeburg: "Sherman's men push back the Confederate forces at Orangeburg and begin to destroy the railway there and set fire to the town. By the end of the day nearly half the town is destroyed by the fire." Link
Lexington: "The town suffered tremendous loss of buildings in 1865 under the occupation of forces under the command of Gen. Sherman (Lexington was under control of the army guarding the Western Flank of Shermans troops.) Most businesses and homes, the county jail and courthouse and St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church were all burned." Link
Columbia: "The city of Columbia surrenders to Sherman. Union troops occupy the city. A fire breaks out, and by the next day, nearly two-thirds of the city has been destroyed." Link. And: Union Captain George Whitfield Pepper reported in his 1866 book that he met crowds of soldiers returning from Columbia "waving gold watches, handfuls of gold, jewelry, and rebel shinplasters [rb: paper money] in the air, and boasting of having burned the town."
Winnsboro: "During the Civil War, it was looted and partially burned by Union troops in 1865, but many older structures remain." Link. And: "On his march north from the capital city of Columbia in February 1865, General William Tecumseh Sherman had stopped just long enough to burn most of the town, an act that was not soon forgotten." Link. And: ""There were about thirty buildings burned, including dwellings and stores. The Yankees did not seem to care whether a building was occupied or not, but picked out-houses where, in their burning, they would communicate the flames to other premises. Every particle of property burned belonged to private individuals. No public property was destroyed. ... The Yankees also set fire to, and destroyed, the Episcopal Church, situated in the northwestern portion of the town; and while it was burning they took the organ, played upon it, and sang blasphemous songs. Many of the citizens were plundered; wedding rings and mementoes of deceased husbands or parents were stolen as ruthlessly as gold coin would have been. Watches and jewelry were cut from the persons of ladies, and, in some instances, their shoes removed on the pretence of searching for rings." Link
Camden: "Ultimately, like so many other towns in South Carolina, Camden did not escape the wrath of Sherman's men. In February 1865, many of its buildings were once again burned." Link. And: “Most of Camden escaped the torch …” Link. And: "On the 24th of February 1865, during the Civil War, a part of Gen. W. T.Sherman's. army entered Camden and burned stores of tobacco and cotton, and several buildings." Link. And: "In Camden, the Federals burned the railroad depots, a bridge, two thousand bales of cotton, food warehouses, and a flour mill." Link
Cheraw: "Outlying plantations and summer homes are burned, but no in town dwellings or churches are destroyed. Valuables are stolen and there is much vandalism. The official headquarters is the Matheson House. Sherman himself stays on McIver Street. When they leave the town will be destitute, and without food for more than a day or two. Almost the entire business district is destroyed by an accidental Yankee explosion." Link
Williston The Union forces then tore up railroad tracks and burned many of Williston’s homes." Link
Nothing in what you posted disclaims or rebuts what I said (but thanks for trying).
Again (and now even more than before), nothing in what you posted disclaims or rebuts what I said.
Annie, what a wonderful, fastastic story! So happy you found those saddlebags and made new southern friends. I do a lot of genealogy and it’s always such a thrill to find ancestral stories. My Southern roots are deep in Appling/Emanuel counties, Georgia, starting in the 1700s by settlers from the Carolinas.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.