“It was the most monstrous barbarity of the barbarous march.”—Whitelaw Reid, 1868

 They say that history is written by the victors.  This is one small, yet significant, piece of Civil War history that the victors would have preferred not to have been told.  Many historians mention it only briefly and sometimes not accurately.  In his epic film documentary, “The Civil War”, Ken Burns does not mention it at all.  It is not a story of glorious battles and thousands of dead and wounded on bloody fields of valor.  It is the story of how in times of war horrendous and militarily-unjustified things can happen to defenseless civilians and private property.   

 February 17, 1865, is singularly the most important day in the history of South Carolina and Columbia, the state’s capital.  On this day everything changed for the Palmetto State.  Politically, economically, socially…nothing would ever be the same.  It was the day the wealthy became poor and a beautiful city was destroyed.  It was the real emancipation day for slaves in a powerful Southern state so closely associated with that now universally repudiated institution.  No one was spared hardship and loss…neither the rich, the free blacks nor the slaves. 

 Accusations of responsibility were made and denied immediately after this dreadful day.  A government hearing was held.  However, the first hand accounts of soldiers and civilians, who were part of this tragedy, paint a clear picture of events and motivations unfettered by historical interpretation and explanations.   This is the true story of  “the most monstrous barbarity of the barbarous march”