every direction, and the reeling incendiaries dashed, torch in hand, from street to street, spreading dismay wherever they went. General Woods used every exertion to quell to riot, and his troops aided him in fighting the conflagration, and to their exertions is due the preservation of such portion of the city as escaped the fire. Toward morning General Oliver's brigade, of Hazen's division, was ordered into the city, and this force, in addition to that from the First Division, restored order. The next morning the provost system was more thoroughly organized, and, under command of Brevet Brigadier-General Woods, the city was perfectly quiet.

On the 18th ultimo the Second and Fourth Division were ordered to destroy fifteen miles of the Columbia Branch of the South Carolina Railroad, and leaving a strong camp guard moved from the city. During the course of the day instructions were issued that the divisions should bivouac on the road in the event of not accomplishing the destruction of the same before night-fall. Details were furnished from this corps while in Columbia to destroy certain Government stores that could not be used by our army, and during the destruction of some ammunition and sad explosion took place, killing and wounding 1 officer and 23 men. Upon investigation it was found to have occurred from purely accidental causes, and that no one was chargeable with undue carelessness. The troops remained in and around Columbia during the 18th and 19th, the work of destroying railroad and public stores in the city being continued. My mounted infantry was in the meanwhile dispatched to destroy the railroad bridge across the Wateree River, and accomplished their work thoroughly and successfully, burning on their return all bridges and trestling up to the point where General Corse was working.

During the night of the 19th General Hazen's division returned to camp near the city, but the Fourth Division remained in camp on the railroad, with orders to move on the next morning to a junction with the other divisions of the corps to the north of the city, in the direction of Muddy Springs. During the 19th ultimo a refugee train was organized, consisting of those of the inhabitants of Columbia and of the neighboring country who desired to go north with our army, and an equal distribution was made of the same among the several divisions. To this train accessions were made daily during our march through the country, and with the negroes who abandoned their homes at different places along our line of march the trains grew to great size. The corps broke camp from around Columbia the morning of the 20th of February, and moved north in the direction of Winnsborough, leaving the South Carolina Railroad and line of march of the Seventeenth Corps far to the left. Owing to the scarcity of water in the neighborhood of Muddy Springs the troops were moved several miles farther in advance than was intended, and encamped on Rice Creek, the Third, Second, and Fourth Divisions reaching that point, with the First Division a little in advance of Muddy Springs. The rear guard of the army had been drawn from this division, and before leaving Columbia Brevet Brigadier-General Woods had driven all stragglers and camp followers before him and moved his command from the city in good order. The movement was continued on the morning of the 21st. The character of the country was hilly and barren, and but little forage for man or animal could be procured, the corps encamping three divisions on Dutchman's Creek, with General Woods' division at Logtown, on the direct Winnsborough and Camden road. The next day the corps moved to the Wateree, the left column, via Poplar Springs, to Peay's