The Burning of Columbia: The History of the Controversial Destruction of South Carolina’s Capital Near the End of the Civil War

William Tecumseh Sherman holds a unique position in American history. Synonymous with barbarity in the South, Sherman is lauded as a war hero in the North, and modern historians consider him the harbinger of total war. As a Union general, Sherman was recognized for his outstanding command of military strategy but criticized for the harshness of the 'scorched earth' policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States, especially in 1864 and 1865. Military historian B. H. Liddell Hart famously declared that Sherman was 'the first modern general.'

Thanks to Sherman’s campaigns in Georgia, it is often forgotten that his army was involved in another controversial incident that happened near the end of the Civil War in South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union. On the night of February 17, 1865, Columbia went up in flames shortly after it had surrendered to Sherman, and whereas Atlanta’s losses were planned and premeditated, focusing primarily on the industrial buildings and railyards, Columbia’s burning was largely uncontrolled, with residential neighborhoods suffering greatly and the commercial district being entirely wiped out. The fire was also accompanied by a riot carried out by drunken and disorderly mobs of Union troops looting the city and assaulting residents. After this chaos gutted Columbia, there came a more regulated incineration of the capital’s industrial district. Sherman’s army then left the city in ruins and its citizens struggling to process what had just happened.

For generations, Columbians have cursed Sherman’s name and the Union troops for torching their city. Some suggest Sherman sanctioned all the fires, while others believe he may have instigated arson among his men with a proverbial wink and a nudge. More moderate accusers believe he simply turned a blind eye to the chaos and destruction. However, Sherman cast accusations back at the Confederates, who had left the city in hazardous condition.