The authors were primarily participants in the evacuation of Richmond and they included Confederate cabinet officials, army officers, and treasury employees. Nunez being a former pirate had plenty of money stored up so he was able to save most of the money earned from the ferry. Alabama, The Heart of Dixie as its nicknamed was the 22nd state to be admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819. Levi Colbert who lived from 1759 to1834 was the bench chief of the Chickasaw Nation. The treasure may be Onto the second were loaded all the cash reserves of the Confederacy (including gold, silver and other coins), as well as the gold reserves owned by Richmonds banks and a large amount of jewelry donated by Confederate women to the cause. As for the Richmond bank gold, it quickly fell into the hands of Federal troops, which occupied Washington within days after Davis left. JavaScript is disabled. He received a pardon in August 1865, and in 1872, was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Bushes envelop the pig farm, and the cemetery is wooded over. Valued at nearly half a million dollars, the gold was loaded onto wagons heading north, in the custody of U.S. government officials. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Davis was arrested on May 10 by members of the 4th Michigan Cavalry. In the Civil War-era movie, Gone With the Wind (1939), Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable, is rumored to have stolen the treasure. Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! There are rumors that caches of coins and silverware are buried on and around the plantation ruins. 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. A member of the society said there is no historical evidence that gold is buried in the area. The FBI has since dragged its feet on the treasure hunters' Freedom of Information Act request for records, their lawyer said Wednesday. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. His wife sold the ferry and went to live with relatives in Georgia. This little island has been cut off from the outside world until just recently when a bridge was built that goes from the mainland of Alabama across the Mississippi Sound to Dauphin Island. Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it? The Union soldiers dug up the cask and went and spent the money in Mobile, Alabama. The McGillivray plantation ruins lie 4 miles North of Wetumpka, Alabama. The actual value of the treasury was probably not much more than $500,000. The Confederate president and other government officials were urged to leave Richmond immediately to avoid being captured by Union troops. In the 1938 book, Flight Into Oblivion, by A.J. Railroad Bill real name Morris Slater was a black train robber, murderer during the late 1800s. (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({google_ad_client:"ca-pub-0945725028962484",enable_page_level_ads:true}); The Lost Confederate Gold Near Athens, Alabama there may be a Confederate treasure. After meeting with the treasure hunters in early 2018, the FBI brought in a contractor with more sophisticated instruments. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, It may not display this or other websites correctly. Supposedly, Nunez buried a treasure of approximately $200,000 somewhere 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. All the merchandise including the gold and silver bullion and coins sank with the ship. They loaded the two boxes of treasure onto two wagons and headed for Columbia. Everyone thought Bob was bonkers . His train, however, encountered some expenses. I did not know of this event until I had moved to California, but I have retired and have relatives and land in the area. During the months he was trying to stay ahead of his would-be captors, Danville became an encampment for the Union army. According to Beauregard's biography, "What became of that coin is a mystery. The Associated Press contributed to this report. La Bellone didnt make it and sank near the entrance to Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island. The lost gold also played a key role in the legendary 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. One day a rebel soldier came by and Hansen decided to lead him to the lost treasure so they could possibly retrieve it. Near Athens there may be a Confederate treasure. When he would return he wouldnt have the sack with him. Young refused to release it, but was compelled to do so by force. No one else knew where the box was buried and it hasnt been found to this day. This made Grady think that his uncle was burying the sack full of presumed gold coins in various places in the woods. This small island holds many lost treasure stories. I would think that they would have USED the gold before burying it. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. And some say its buried amongst the slaves in the graveyard on the property. The town of Louina lasted from 1834-1902. Watch Live: Closing arguments underway in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. After a long day traveling Hansen ended up at a friends home. The daughter didnt want anything to do with the braces that her father presented to her but she had an infatuation with the white trapper who recently came around. So many of them buried their gold and silver for safekeeping. If anyone heard of a spot or location where a ghost was possibly seen (and there seem to have been several reported inThe Chronicle) suspicion was they were guarding the gold. In the 1966 Spaghetti Western movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," the protagonists get information about lost Confederate gold hidden in a . Halleck stated that Richmond bankers estimated specie valued "from six to thirteen millions" were travelling south from Goldsboro, NC in wagons. On March 7, 1896, he was in a general store in the town of Atmore, Alabama. In 1865, the Confederate government crumbled and its leaders fled through Georgia, pursued by federal authorities. Like all armies, the Rebels found they'd not been paid in some time. For this reason, the coins were almost certainly buried in Danville, and evidence suggests, they remain there today. 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. She had long black hair, gray eyes, and a figure that drew dozens of suitors before she had agreed to marry the president, then 30 years her senior. Lachlan McGillivray was a wealthy fur trader back in the mid to late 1700s. / CBS/AP. In the 1938 book, Flight Into Oblivion, by A.J. Among Confederate veterans organizations, rumors later swirled that their fleeing leaders were carrying millions of dollars when they evacuated Richmond. He was very skilled at evading the police. Hansen now alone with the two wagons of treasure knowing that the soldier would soon return with more union troops decides to use the horses to overturn the wagons into the deep swamp. De Soto ended up dying of fever. 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. The trek south of the Confederate government has been well documented in a number of first hand accounts written several years after the war. They tried to get the horses and wagons out of the swampy area but the load was too heavy and the wagons got stuck. Approximately Four miles north of Athens, Limestone County, and about half a mile from a prominent stream crossing, two huge metal box's, containing $100,000 in gold and silver were dumped into a bog by Confederate soldiers to prevent their seizure by the Union Soldiers in 1865. He returned to relative obscurity in his native Virginia, near where he was born in New Kent County, and turned his attention to earning a living. Frank W. Pandozzi is a participant in the 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 amazon.com, mytopo.com, and clickbank.com.Please visit my Affiliate Disclosure below for more information. [OFFICIAL. The Chief agreed but he had other intentions as well. The legend of the Confederate gold is referenced in many films. Beauregard Trying to Profit by Sherman's Blunder. On May 4, after Davis and the few advisers that remained with him made the decision to disband his government, they entrusted some $86,000 of the remaining treasury funds to two Confederate navy officials tasked with smuggling it out of the country to Britain. In his 1938 book Flight Into Oblivion, the historian A.J. Three children and two men drowned but the rest of the passengers were saved by a brigantine sailboat that was nearby. Hidden Treasure discoveries can happen anyt . I have talked to the guy who wrote what you found on #2. Simply putting food on the table became an essential concern. The Union Cavalry came upon them and they were both killed. The whole of this region was captured by the Northern forces early in the Civil War. Semple apparently never attempted to recover the Mexican silver dollars in Danville, for various reasons. The former assistant to Confederate Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory returned to Winchester, Virginia, where he built an elaborate house, Linden Farm, and became a prominent citizen. Around that time (and probably because he could no longer finance his travels), he finally began to realize there was nothing to be gained for the South, that the Fenian army was more rhetoric than substance and was ill prepared to precipitate war between the U.S. and Great Britain. The Indians thought this request to be outrageous and attacked De Sotos camp. And peoples imaginations take over from there.. They left Richmond with a bunch of money, and when [Davis group] was captured six weeks later, they didnt have it. For one reason only. Even into the 1930s, the pages ofThe Augusta Chronicleincluded stories of impromptu inner city treasure hunts sparked by a variety of rumors that someone had found part of a hoard hastily hiddenfrom the Yankees. google037df74da6aab727.html In the 1939 movie "Gone With The Wind," the Union Army believes Rhett Butler to have the missing Confederate gold, and they threaten to hang him. She says that some Confederate gold was hidden there and some is still being found today. From lost confederate Civil War gold to lost Indian gold to plantation owners and their lost treasure we have a little bit of everything in these stories. I hope you have found this article of interest and if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them in the comments section below. You must log in or register to reply here. They left Richmond with a bunch of money, and when [Davis group] was captured six weeks later, they didnt have it. You are using an out of date browser. Dr. Clive Cussler a historian attempted to find the wreck of La Bellone in September 1989. His nephew Grady tried to find the gold caches that his uncle had presumably buried in the woods. Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting! Some believe it was stolen by the Union soldiers who arrested Davis, while others speculate it was hidden long before his arrest, with the aim of keeping it out of the Norths hands. If its there Im all for digging it up. This ended in the Trail of Tears that forced the Indians out. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Louina by all accounts was a wealthy Indian woman. That was the one chunk of money that was basically just stolen by someone, Rawlings says. So if you are ever in that area you might want to have your metal detector and shovel ready because there might be something worth finding buried in the ground there. After depositing the Richmond bank funds in a local vault in Washington for safekeeping, Davis continued heading south with his wife, Varina, their children and a few others. Treasure hunters in the area believe his house was located at the following coordinates: N 3030 38 W 872651 which is close to U.S. Highway 90 bridge that now crosses the Perdido River. was the operator of a ferry during the Civil War, on the Perdido River. Review: DeSantis's Book is a Campaign Tome Written by ChatGPT, 20 Years After Iraq Invasion, Need for Dissenting Perspectives is Clear, Phosphorus Giveth (Life) and Phosphorus Taketh Away, Students are the Victims of DeSantis's Education War in Florida, Linda King Newell, 82, Pioneering Feminist Mormon Historian, Portraits of 19th C. Black Charlottesville Show Life, Joy, Black History Month Traces to a Key Meeting in a Chicago YMCA, How (Some) of the Hip Hop Generation Learned Black History, The Executive Branchs Response to the Flood of 1927, The Case For Calling the Language "American", America Fought Its Own Battle Over Books Before it Fought the Nazis. Unable to accept the end of the Confederacy and Northern domination over the South, he collaborated with other disenfranchised leaders exiled in Canada. Know of good Lost Treasure Stories for this County? Millions of dollars' worth of gold was lost or unaccounted for after the war. Some of the Southern leaders . In the movie, the characters are hunting for $200,000 worth of gold that is rumored to be hidden in a cemetery. This would be a nice area to use a metal detector in. Given how much it cost to go to war, higher-ups in the Confederacy began requesting donations. 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