It is said that he would only accept gold coins as payment for the ground corn and flour that he sold. After the War Between the States,many not only spent time rememberingthe "Lost Cause," they also stayed busy searching for its lost gold. The Confederate president and other government officials were urged to leave Richmond immediately to avoid being captured by Union troops. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. With both her husband and her mother deceased, Julia was alone on Staten Island with the children, surrounded by Yankees unhappy with a Southern sympathizer in their midst, even though she had been a First Lady. Even today, rumors persist about the fate of different parts of the missing Confederate treasure, fueling tales of discovery ranging from rural Georgia to Muskegon, Michigan. That was some years ago but since then the guy has found out from several old timers that the story they heard about this boat was that it was a grain or cotton barge that began taking on water and was beached. One day a rebel soldier came by and Hansen decided to lead him to the lost treasure so they could possibly retrieve it. Semple was drawn to Julia, and she to him, by circumstances of war and the aftermath. First published on January 6, 2022 / 11:11 AM. So I can't totally discount the story. Check it out today its available on Amazon! Sharps bought a mill there called Whites Mill in 1897. In North Carolina, some say gold was secretly hidden because they couldn't get the heavy treasure through a swamp north of Greensboro. In 1872,The Chronicle put that question to the man in charge Col. Raphael J. Moses, the former Confederate quartermaster. Rawlings himself has seen evidence of what appeared to be part of that buried Confederate loot. I am sure some of your readers are from that area and are familiar with the Prattville, Montgomery area and of course, the Alabama River. The actual value of the treasury was probably not much more than $500,000. It happened between the Confederate Armory which was not over run during the war and present day, Wall Street . Hardy Clemens died in 1863 leaving no trace of where he hid his treasure. The legend of the Confederate gold is referenced in many films. Davis was on the run for much of April 1865. When he is not sitting in front of a laptop, Todd enjoys soaking up everything the Jersey Shore has to offer with his wife, two sons and American Foxhound, Wally. Sharps ended up falling off the mills roof when he was doing repairs in June of 1899. On April 2, 1865, an urgent telegram came for Davis from General Robert E. Lee. The total amount of money and gold that left Richmond with Davis is unknown. The Confederacys capital city was initially located in Montgomery, Alabama, but soon changed to Richmond, Virginia. The war, and its various aspects, continues to capture the interest and imagination of many Americans who are fascinated by the battles, leaders, and strategy displayed during that conflict. Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting! He was specific about the state, but Bellview and Booneville are marked as being in Tennessee. Demopolis is an abandoned town on the Tombigbee River, near the intersection of rout 43, and 80. So many of them buried their gold and silver for safekeeping. Supposedly, Nunez buried a treasure of approximately $200,000 somewhere Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads. The story of this lost treasure dates back to 1540 when the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was in this part of the New World. General Dukes Brigade. Wesley Millett and Gerald White are the authors of The Rebel and the Rose. She questioned whether the agency is "acting in good faith.". (Published 1865)", Last Sighting of the Lost Confederate Gold in Georgia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Confederate_gold&oldid=1130607928, A series of western adventure novels written by, This page was last edited on 31 December 2022, at 01:37. The trek south of the Confederate government has been well documented in a number of first hand accounts written several years after the war. Finders Keepers asked the Justice Department for expedited processing, which can be granted in cases where there is widespread media interest involving questions about the government's integrity. He sketched the symbols . Back in the 1800s that made for a huge town. After the decision was made to disband the Confederate government on May 4, 1865, Davis entrusted $86,000 to two Confederate navy officials, whom he tasked with smuggling the money to England. Visit here for more information on State laws regarding relic hunting, treasure hunting, and artifacts. It is said that John Buried $100,000 worth of gold there. In the other were cash and gold reserves and jewelry, estimated to be worth around $1 million. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Mysteries endure, too, including the ultimate disposition of the Confederate treasury. All the merchandise including the gold and silver bullion and coins sank with the ship. One of his readers showed him a Mexican silver coin dating to the 1850s, which he said was uncovered by a logging crew in the 1940s near a Georgia spot where Davis party is known to have camped. The first carried Davis and other Confederate officials, along with the governments most important documents and other archived materials. His train, however, encountered some expenses. Today the town has only two homes standing that are in use. "There's been a pattern of behavior by the FBI that's been very troubling," said Anne Weismann, who represents Finders Keepers. Every legend that has any long-term staying power has a modicum of truth in it, and certainly this one does, says William Rawlings, an author of numerous nonfiction books and novels about Southern history. The treasure may be The Outlaw PresidentJefferson Davis was an unlikely traitor to the United States. Semple apparently never attempted to recover the Mexican silver dollars in Danville, for various reasons. In the movie, the characters are hunting for $200,000 worth of gold that is rumored to be hidden in a cemetery. Whatever they had started off with, travel expenses had steadily depleted their coffers by that time. The question is, what happened? A Colorado company, hired by a private individual, performed a geophysical survey and employed pulse induction instruments to identify the locations of the silver (and a small amount of gold). Also, keep in mind whenever you want to go metal detecting make sure you know the laws of the state in which you are digging in and always ask permission before metal detecting on any private property. The troops were trying to keep the gold and silver away from Union soldiers. ANCIENT VOICES: Ditlihi's Journey Into The Truth Of Ancient Treasure In The Southwest. Jefferson Davis with members of his cabinet, 1865, By early May, both Davis party and the remaining fortune had reached Washington, Georgia. Those products, whether pictures of a service or a product contain links to the seller.What companies do I work with and promote?I work with Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Clickbank, and MyTopo, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to these websites.I also promote Solo Build It Site Built It, because it's the product I used to build this website. They never made it. The evidence is strong that no one else managed to dig up the silver either, quite possibly because of where it was buried in a cemetery area. In his 1938 book Flight Into Oblivion, the historian A.J. They also covered the boxes with straw and fertilizer to conceal the treasure within. Those two boxes of gold could still be buried deep in that bog near Athens, Alabama. Almost half a million dollars in reserve gold was also gathered from a bank in Richmond. It definitely would be worth taking a metal detector to the beach. Some think its on the Alabama side while others say its on the Florida side. Davis had nothing on him when he was captured in the end on May 10 in Irwinville, Georgia. Stories of lost buried treasure hoards capture the imagination and spark the hidden treasure hunter within all of us, who learn about these Legends of Lore. Hansen ended up killing one of the Union scouts. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. He put the wagons back up to make it appear that confederate troops had come by and took the contents of the wagons with them. They left Richmond with a bunch of money, and when [Davis group] was captured six weeks later, they didnt have it. Still, over the years I've met people in North and South Carolina, Georgia, and even Alabama and Kentucky, who genuinely believe the "treasure" is hidden there and who've spent decades trying to find it. Millions of dollars' worth of gold was lost or unaccounted for after the war, and its possible location has been the source of speculation of many historians and treasure hunters. The question is, what happened? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Davis and His Gold. In Washington, Georgia, a small town untouched by the war, he was entrusted with $86,000 in gold coin and bullion (about $1 million in today's money) and disappeared into the night. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. In the 1938 book, Flight Into Oblivion, by A.J. Union soldiers were invading the countryside around Sherwood Forest, the Tyler plantation, and the safety of her young children was paramount. He would then bury the wine casks in various areas around his homestead. If you are venturing on to State or Federal lands you should know the laws of that State. JavaScript is disabled. The gold and silver coins are said to be buried east of his old homestead. The gold became a lost legend. Jefferson Davis fled Richmond with multiple wagons filled with gold and silver. You see people didnt trust the banks back then because they were often robbed and the insurance programs of the Federal Government were not that good. Here is an OP that I posted on it a couple of months ago, to include sharing a couple of photos of one of the coins that he was paid on 4 May 1865, once they crossed the Savannah River and Breckinridge was more . Is There Treasure Waiting For You In Alabama? If its there Im all for digging it up. He ended up in prison until the end of the war. Many posses were formed looking for Railroad Bill. Some people speculate that the valuables and money that railroad Bill stole during those 6 years of robbing trains could still be hiding in the caves between Atmore and Bay Minette Alabama! The whereabouts of his home are under debate. He came to Alabama in 1815 and set up a ferry for crossing the Perdido River that has banks of the Alabama and Florida side. When he was captured, he had his wifes shawl over his shoulders. Confederate Pots of Gold . From Harper's Weekly The federal Branch Mint at Dahlonega had $23,716 in gold and silver when it was taken over by the Confederate States of America in 1861. If you ever get out to Dauphin Island speak with the natives there and they will tell you about all the history and treasure stories that went on on the island. The travels of James Semple and his infatuation with the widow of the president, Julia Gardiner Tyler, were mentioned in the book and provided evidence of Semples activities on behalf of Davis and the South, even after the surrender of Confederate forces. Over the course of the next two years, he traveled between the U. S. and Canada in clandestine activities, often using the alias Allen S. James, his travels financed with the Confederate gold. You must log in or register to reply here. On one was Davis, officials and important documents. His wife sold the ferry and went to live with relatives in Georgia. The authors were primarily participants in the evacuation of Richmond and they included Confederate cabinet officials, army officers, and treasury employees. It was never recovered. Email them to us and you and your club will receive full credit! De Soto demanded that the Chicksaw Chief who had a camp nearby furnish him with squaws for his trip into Mississippi. Mr. Sharps became rich after owning the mill. Finders Keepers' owners, the father-son duo of Dennis and Kem Parada, had spent years looking for what, according to legend, was an 1863 shipment of Union gold that was lost or stolen while on its way to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. Named after one president, Thomas Jefferson, he went on to marry the daughter of another, Zachary Taylor. Another theory, says Rawlings: Davis and his group hid it. Two more Union soldiers were killed along with the two rebels that had been with Hansen. That is a crazy amount of money even by todays standards. 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