ISBN:  Unavailable

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Page count: 582

"The burning of Columbia was not a single act nor the events of a single day, but the culmination of eight days of riots, robbery, pillage, and confusion, all of which are the by-products of war. The incident was surrounded by coincidence, misjudgments, and accident. It was the fault of no one person nor one group of persons ... There was no one fire that burned Columbia. At least fifteen different fires were reported seen during February 16 and 17. All but one of these fires were started by unknown causes ... For many South Carolinians and Southerners the burning of Columbia has been a traumatic experience around which a legend has bloomed to completely obscured the actual events. The legend had been propagated by memoirs, histories, newspapers, and by word of mouth"--Conclusion