Alfred Roman, The military operations of General Beauregard in the war between the states, 1861 to 1865

We do not deny that some of the cotton piled in the streets of Columbia was set on fire and actually burned on the 17th of February; but what we assert is, that it was after—hours after— the city had been evacuated by the Confederate troops; and that it was the work of General Sherman's own men. They could not carry the cotton with them or use it; and whether on their march through the streets into which the cotton-bales had been rolled, or while reclining against them during their halts, with lighted cigars and pipes, unintentionally or by design, unquestionably they caused the cotton to ignite. This was easily effected, because the cotton was badly packed, and protruded from the bales in many places. The citizens, unhindered by the soldiery, quickly extinguished this fire. The general conflagration of the buildings, shown to have been the premeditated work of the Federal troops, was, by understanding, begun at dark; and, fanned by a sharp wind blowing from the west, soon reached the cotton, setting it in a blaze, thus increasing the conflagration in that part of the city. The Appendix to this chapter contains the proof of what is here alleged. So does the following letter, written, in 1866, by General Wade Hampton to the Hon. Reverdy Johnson, then a Senator in the United States Congress:

wild woods, Mississippi, April 21st, 1866.
To Hon. Reverdy Johnson, United States Senate:

Sir,—A few days ago I saw in the published proceedings of Congress that a petition from Benjamin Kawles, of Columbia, S. C., asking for compensation for the destruction of his house by the Federal army, in February, 1865, had been presented to the Senate, accompanied by a letter from Major-General Sherman. In this letter General Sherman uses the following language: “The citizens of Columbia set fire to thousands of bales of cotton rolled out in the streets, and which were burning before we entered Columbia. I myself was in the city as early as nine o'clock,¹ and saw these fires, and knew what efforts were made to ”