t. One place after another caught, and big flakes
of fire were bursting up and flying through the air, and falling on
other buildings. (illustrating with his arms, hands, and whole body) The
first church that burned was the Circular Church on Meeting Street; then
Broad street and the Roman Catholic Church, and St. Andrews Hall. Yes,
Ma'am, 'course I remember St. Andrews Hall, right next to the Roman
Catholic Cathedral on Broad Street! That was 1861, before I went to
Virginia with Dr. H. E. Bissel. That balloon went on down to Beaufort, I
s'pose. Yes Ma'am, =I saw it= drop that fire on Russell's Mill.

"I went to Virginia with Dr. H.E. Bissell in the Army; he was a surgeon.
A camp of Negroes went ahead to prepare the roads; pioneers, they called
them. I remember Capt. Colcock, (he mentioned several other officers,)
Honey Hill--terrible fighting--fight and fight! had to 'platoon' it. I
was behind the fighting with Dr. Bissell. I held arms and legs while he
cut them off, till after a while I didn't mind it. Hard times came to
the Army; only corn to eat. When the bombardment came to Charleston the
family moved to Greenville; I was in Virginia with the Doctor. The
railroad bridge across the Ashley River was burned to prevent the
Yankees from coming into Charleston; the ferry boat 'Fannie' crossed the
river to make connections with the Savannah Railroad. The 54th
Massachusetts Regiment was coming down to Charleston; they destroyed
railroads as they came. Sherman set fire everywhere he went--didn't do
much fighting, just wanted to destroy as he went.

"After Freedom, we went back to the Plantation; lived catch as catch
can. The smoke house had been emptied by the Yankees, and no money.
Lieutenant Duffy, at the Citadel, fell in love with me and offered me a
place to work with him for money. I took it and worked for him til he
left--but I didn't give up the family. I work for Mas. Titus now;
haven't stopped calling Mr. Orvel Bissell 'Mas' today; I raised him but
I still call him Mas. Orvel. My young Missus was the one who taught me;
she kept a school for us; we took it for a play school; when I was a
little boy I knew the alphabet.

"We buried our valuables in sacks in holes, then put plants over the
hiding places. The silver was buried by Cypress Pond; and we saved all
buried valuables.

"To show how Mas. Titus (Bissell) will look out for me--a man I rented
from wanted to put some 'coon' in my room. I had paid him the rent,