o his men, a barrel of kerosene
and matches were secured, and in less than twenty minutes the town was
fired in a dozen places, and they continued the incendiary work for about
one hour. I may here say, that most of the store-goods had been removed,
and a few prominent citizens had left, but that no families, women, or
children had departed. The burning was executed in a most ruthless and
unrelenting manner.[5]

"A squad of men would approach a house, break open the door, and kindle a
fire, with no other notice to the inmates, except to get out of it as soon
as they could. In many cases, five, ten, fifteen minutes were asked to
secure some clothing, which _were refused_. Many families escaped with
only the clothing they had on, and such as they could gather up in their
haste. In many cases they were _not allowed to take these_, but were
threatened with instant death if they did not cast them away and flee.
Sick and aged people had to be carried to the fields. The corpse of at
least one person who had recently died, was hastily interred in the
garden, and children, separated from their parents, ran wildly screaming
through the streets. Those whose stupor or eagerness to save something,
detained them, emerged with difficulty from the streets filled with the
sheeted flames of their burning homes. I should say here, that no
provocation had been given; not a shot was fired on them in entering the
town, and not until the full crisis was reached, did desperation, in a few
instances, lead to desperate acts.

"As to the result, I may say that the entire heart or body of the town is
burned. Not a house or building of any kind is left on a space of about an
average of two squares of streets, extending each way from the centre,
with some four or five exceptions, where the buildings were isolated. Only
the outskirts are left. The Court-house, Bank, Town Hall, German Reformed
Printing Establishment, every store and hotel in the town, and every mill
and factory in the space indicated, and two churches, were burnt. Between
three and four hundred dwellings were burned, leaving at least twenty-five
hundred persons without a home or a hearth. In value, three-fourths of the
town was destroyed. The scene of desolation must be seen to be
appreciated. Crumbling walls, stacks of chimneys, and smoking embers, are
all that remain of once elegant and happy homes.

"As to the scene itself, it beggars description. My own residence being in
the ou