| Headquarters Fifteenth Army Corps |
| Columbia, S. C., February 20, 1865 |
| |
| Maj. Gen. John A. Logan |
| Commanding Fifteenth Army Corps |
| |
| General, |
| I have the honor to make the following
report of the destruction of property in and about Columbia, S. C.,
done in compliance with written instructions from Lieut. Col.
William E. Strong *****. owing to the great variety of articles and
property destroyed and the general confusion they were in, it has
been impossible to make actual inventories. The following are
estimates, and I believe them to be in most cases rather under than
above the actual amount: 1,000 bales of cotton, 19 locomotives
(these comprised all the locomotives in and about the city, they
were destroyed by burning the wood work and breaking everything
breakable about their machinery and punching holes in their boilers
and tenders); 20 box cars (all that were left of a large number
destroyed by the incendiary fires of the 17th instant); all the
buildings not previously burned belonging to the South Carolina
Railroad and depot, 2 large freight sheds being included; in these
freight sheds were destroyed 60 sets complete of six-mule team
harness, 1,000 pounds of trace chains, 40 kegs of nails, 25 kegs of
railroad iron spikes, 5 tons of railroad machinery of various kinds,
and a large miscellaneous collections of articles valuable to the
enemy, which it was impracticable under the circumstances to
classify and make an inventory of; 650 car wheels
{enough for 81 cars} (destroyed by
sledging off the flanges); ***** |
| I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your
obedient servant |
| L. E. Yorke |
| Lieut. Col. and Asst. Inspector General, Fifteenth
Army Corps |
|