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The capture of Columbia occurred February 17–18, 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. The state capital of Columbia, South Carolina, was captured by Union forces under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman. Much of the city was burned, although it is not clear which side caused the fires.
On February 17, Sherman captured Columbia, SC and Hampton's cavalry retreated from the city. Union forces were overwhelmed by throngs of liberated Federal prisoners and emancipated slaves . Many soldiers took advantage of ample supplies of liquor in the city and began to drink.
Columbia at this time was a virtual firetrap because of the hundreds of cotton bales in her streets. Some of these had been ignited before Sherman arrived and a high wind spread the flammable substance over the city." [9] In 2015, The State identified "5 myths about the Burning of Columbia": [10] Sherman ordered the burning of Columbia.
William Tecumseh Sherman (/ t ɪ ˈ k ʌ m s ə / tih-KUM-sə; [4] [5] February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognition for his command of military strategy but criticism for the harshness of his scorched-earth policies, which he ...
From Savannah, after a month-long delay for rest, Sherman marched north in the spring in the Carolinas Campaign, intending to complete his turning movement and combine his armies with Grant's against Robert E. Lee. Sherman's next major action was the capture of Columbia, the strategically important capital of South Carolina. [30]
On February 17, Columbia surrendered to Sherman. Fires began in the city, and most of the central city was destroyed. The burning of Columbia has engendered controversy ever since, with some claiming the fires were accidental, others a deliberate act of vengeance. On that same day, the Confederates evacuated Charleston.
Raising the Stars and Stipes, Columbia, SC. On the 16th of February, 1865, the army, under General Sherman, came in sight of Columbia, South Carolina. Between the 17th corps and the city flowed the swift current of the Congaree River, with a rocky and dangerous channel. The sight of the capital of the state, where secession was cradled, and the ...
That building was destroyed by fire on February 17–18, 1865, when the troops of General William T. Sherman captured and burned Columbia. According to legend, the Union troops were looking for the First Baptist Church , original site of the secession convention, and were directed to Washington Street Church by the Baptist sexton.