“I have never seen Columbia look so bad”

“I have never seen Columbia look so bad”

Name: Pvt. J. B. Williams

Location: Winsboro, South Carolina

Date: February 25th, 1865

Unit: 5th South Carolina Cavalry

Winnsboro, So. Ca.

February 25, 1865

My dear Mother,

I have been intending to write to you before this time but have been marching every day and most every night, so you see that I have not had time to do so. We have been [in] 3 or 4 skirmishes since I left home. Our Brigade brought up their rear when we evacuated Columbia. We were in Columbia when the Yankees come in. They came in a yelling & we skirmished with them for 3 or 4 miles. I have been in some right tight places since I left. The Yankees had us cut off 2 or 3 times. We had not more than 200 & the Yankees had at least 5 or 10 thousands. They were in a quarter mile at one time but we out traveled them.

We came to this place at about 6 o'clock last night & I suppose if the enemy comes on we will give them a little fight here & then fall back. I never seen Columbia look so bad in my life as it did the morning we left. The streets were crowded with ladies crying & poor people were getting things that belong to the Government & could get as much tobacco as I wanted but I could not carry it. The night before we left the soldiers that were in the City broke open the stores and took what they wanted & whiskey. The people busted the heads out & told the soldiers to come up. Our Brigade was a [?]

not in the City. We were at King Street at the time so you see I did not get anything worth having. Wheeler's cav. was the worst men I ever saw. Most all of them are stragglers. They go in houses & take just whatever they want.

I must close as I expect we will leave soon. Give my best love to all.

Your affectionate son,

J. B. Williams

______________________________________

Biography:

J. B. Williams was born in South Carolina and enlisted in Co. K of the 5th South Carolina Cavalry on January 15th, 1863. South Carolina experienced many hardships throughout the war as the ports would be blockaded early in the war. The state would also be ravaged late in the war by Sherman’s March to the Sea.

Co. K of the 5th South Carolina spent much of the war in their home state. They were involved in a few major battles, such as Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Cold Harbor and suffered few casualties. Most of the fighting was in skirmishes that occurred along the way. One of the letters in this collection was written from Reames Station which is another battle that the 5th was more heavily involved in. The letter above was written in 1865 at the very end of the war.

South Carolina was in a chaotic state at this time and in widespread panic as the Union Army marched across it. Stories of past raidings and destruction haunted civilians in the South. These scars were left on the South for years to come, with some even visible to this day. This letter does a great job of capturing the emotions of the people crying in the streets and the Union soldiers pillaging when they came into town. I can only imagine the feelings that these soldiers felt knowing they were outnumbered 200 to 10,000. Knowing that there was not much they could do to stop this but continuing the fight to slow down the enemy. Truly a touching letter, just a short time later the war would end. J.B. Williams survived the war and traveled back to his home to try and rebuild his life that had been changed forever.