From the February 1, 2015, Chicago Tribune Travel Section "S.C. town looks back at horrific end to Civil War" by Terry Gardner.
Most people know about Union General Sherman's troops burning Atlanta and the path of destruction they leveled across Georgia during their March to the Sea. But fewer still know that Sherman also burned Columbia, S.C..
At least some think so, but their is also the possibility that drunken Confederates set fire to the first cotton bale as they retreated from the town.
Columbia will be commemorating the 150th anniversary of its burning this month and the question of who did it remains.
It is generally agreed that Columbia surrendered on the morning of Feb. 17, 1865. Huge bales of cotton lined many streets and the fires began that night. But why the cotton was there and who lit the first bale is still open for discussion.
--Old Secesh
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