Tidball, for his part, decided that the war was over for him, as he was seen a few days later heading north from Georgia, accompanied by a Confederate judge and a paroled army officer. Several legends, actually. The French officials seemed La Bellone unsalvageable and didnt attempt to recover the lost cargo. But during heavy rains, the river would rise fast and recede slowly so during those times people could not cross. The mountain I saw that looked like an overturned boat is just to the east of Belleville, off US 231. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. If its there Im all for digging it up. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Possibly, the fact that almost 1,400 Union soldiers, former prisoners warehoused in the town, had died of smallpox, dysentery, and other diseases and were buried nearby, could also have discouraged random digging. During the autumn of 1862, the mint turned $40,000 in gold and silver from New Orleans, Louisiana, into bars for shipment to Augusta. Your email address is safe, and unsubscribing is easy. The FBI says it came up empty at the rural Pennsylvania site where Civil War gold is rumored to be buried. You must log in or register to reply here. The Confederacys capital city was initially located in Montgomery, Alabama, but soon changed to Richmond, Virginia. Postmaster General John Reagan, who was with Davis in Danville, added more detail, recalling that the gold was to be hidden in the false bottom of a carriage. Hansen ended up killing one of the Union scouts. Demopolis is an abandoned town on the Tombigbee River, near the intersection of rout 43, and 80. At the time, it was reported hed dressed as a woman to avoid capture, but was later said to have been wearing it due to his severesensitivity to cold weather. In the Cumberland mountains of central Tennessee a small Confederate detail had hidden the gold in a mountain cache. According to Beauregard's biography, "What became of that coin is a mystery. Apparently in 1865, $100,000 of gold and silver was put into two large metal boxes by Confederate troops, and then thrown into the swamp. 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. The legend states that DeSoto and his men cant to the Bay of Espiritu Santa which is now Tampa Bay Florida. JavaScript is disabled. Where did the loot go? The legend of the Confederate gold is referenced in many films. It was abandoned in 1870. In his 1938 book Flight Into Oblivion, the historian A.J. The two wooden boxes full of Confederate gold fell out of the wagons and sank quickly into the mud. The trek south of the Confederate government has been well documented in a number of first hand accounts written several years after the war. Know of good Lost Treasure Stories for this County? All Rights Reserved. De Soto demanded that the Chicksaw Chief who had a camp nearby furnish him with squaws for his trip into Mississippi. The troops were trying to keep the gold and silver away from Union soldiers. Before you knew it,others hurried to the scene and began to dig, and another gold rush was under way. google037df74da6aab727.html AFFILIATE DISCLOSUREI am an affiliate marketer. According to Rawlings research, they split what remained of the treasurys funds with a second group they planned to meet in Florida. JavaScript is disabled. Clemens owned many slaves so he was worried they would tell any soldiers that came by where the buried treasure was. In North Carolina, some say gold was secretly hidden because they couldn't get the heavy treasure through a swamp north of Greensboro. They left Richmond with a bunch of money, and when [Davis group] was captured six weeks later, they didnt have it. The Chief agreed but he had other intentions as well. I got the Keel Mountain story from a treasure hunter in west Tennessee, and it was a small, one-paragraph statement. The Fenian Brotherhood, which was preparing to attack Canada with a growing army, seemed to be an opportunity; and with the apparent blessing of Jefferson Davis, with whom he was somehow able to exchange messages, though Davis was securely locked up in prison at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, Semple became a courier for the Fenian movement. You are using an out of date browser. Civil War historian William Rawlings explained, People like to believe theres something out there. He would then bury the wine casks in various areas around his homestead. Henry refused and was subsequently strung up to a tree and whipped. While they fought the commander detailed a couple of men to hide the gold just in case they lost and were captured. He wanted to trap game on the tribal land so he asked the chief permission. The chief said that he could have all the treasure if he would marry his daughter. 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. Morris started robbing trains because he was angry with the Louisville and Nashville railroad because a brakeman found him on a train ride that was headed for Mobile that he didnt pay for. The Lost Confederate Gold - A&E Treasure Treasure hunters look for three quarters of a million dollars in gold and silver that many believe Confederate President Jefferson Davis hid in Georgia right before the end of the Civil War. I was born and raised in the area. It was then settled by wealthy plantation owners and then vacated around 1860. buried treasures may be here. 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. So what happened to that missing Confederate treasure? Jefferson Davis , the first and only President of the Confederate States of America, circa 1865. The question that I pose. [1] The gold was temporarily stored at the Iron Bank by William H. Young. Rumor has it that with Lafitte spending so much time at Fort Morgan he could have buried a worth of $10,000,000 there. His anger turned to crime and robbing the L&N trains was the outcome. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The gold from the Richmond bank was accounted for, but was later stolen by around 20 armed men in Danburg, Georgia. until he found some of the treasures! Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Elizabeth Holmes has second child, seeks to delay prison, Woman dies as porch collapses under California snow storm. The McGillivray plantation ruins lie 4 miles North of Wetumpka, Alabama. Two more Union soldiers were killed along with the two rebels that had been with Hansen. Apparently in 1865, $100,000 of gold and silver was put into two large metal boxes by Confederate troops, and then thrown into the swamp. There are stories that the Islanders tell of buried pots, jars, and treasure chests full of gold and silver. Generally, it went like this:An individual or his friends would get a tip or a hunchthat some vacant plotheld the secret wealthand out would come the shovels. After the War Between the States,many not only spent time rememberingthe "Lost Cause," they also stayed busy searching for its lost gold. A rich man named Hansen was a Confederate sympathizer who wanted to financially help the Confederate economy that was falling apart at the end of the Civil War. 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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The brakeman subsequently threw him off the moving train. He waited there until spring and set off to sail back to France at the beginning of April 1725. This was probably done to increase the incentive to Union soldiers combing the villages and roads of the Carolinas and Georgia for the treasury, and for Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who had fled Richmond. He told his friend all about the story of the two wagons, treasure, and the fight with the Union soldiers. It was an E-mail he sent to someone and it found it's way to being an article on several sites. Demopolis is an abandoned town on the Tombigbee River, near the intersection of rout 43, and 80. After he retired, Bob Brewer embarked on an adventure to find the missing Confederate gold, supposedly hidden by the mysterious Knights of the Golden Circle of the late 1800s to finance a second Civil War. Almost half a million dollars in reserve gold was also gathered from a bank in Richmond. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 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. With its rich history of lost treasure, there is no wonder that we have 15 stories pertaining to lost treasure in Alabama. 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. Louinas gold and silver could still be buried under the ground in that old ghost town! Of what was taken, only $140,000 was recovered. They left Richmond with a bunch of money, and when [Davis group] was captured six weeks later, they didnt have it. 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. Many names and records have been lost to time. And such rumors werent confined to the South. Henry Nunez What Confederate Money (paper notes) that they had was burned at Washington, Ga. in the middle of town by Brig. Davis was arrested on May 10 by members of the 4th Michigan Cavalry. Hanna, The Long Surrender by Burke Davis in 1985, and in 2001, An Honorable Defeat: the Last Days of the Confederate Government by Williams C. Davis, the mystery of the disappearing gold was unresolved. 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. The town of Louina lasted from 1834-1902. The question is, what happened? As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. They also covered the boxes with straw and fertilizer to conceal the treasure within. Davis had nothing on him when he was captured in the end on May 10 in Irwinville, Georgia. The Chickasaw Chief and some of his braces took the treasure the Spaniards had left behind and hide it in a big limestone cave which was located on the northern bank of the Tennessee River. Confederate Gold and Silver was buried approximately 4 miles north of Athens. He was specific about the state, but Bellview and Booneville are marked as being in Tennessee. He was a war hero, fighting in the Mexican-American War of the 1840s, and looked set for a long, happy career as a statesman. buried near what used to be his house on the Alabama side of the river. Going to war can be incredibly expensive. ; Official from Secretary Stanton. In Semples mind, if the U.S. could be drawn into a war with Great Britain, the North would need the South and would ease up on letting the former Confederate States back into the Union. They never made it. There are rumors that caches of coins and silverware are buried on and around the plantation ruins. Some of the Southern leaders . It never got there. The story goes that when she was forced to leave she had so much gold and silver her horses couldnt carry the load so she was forced to bury the gold and silver where she stood. The lost gold also played a key role in the legendary 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The whole of this region was captured by the Northern forces early in the Civil War. The Rebel and the Rose"" reveals for the . Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! The trapper returned to the Chickasaw camp and married the daughter of the chief but her father had disappeared and no one in the village seemed to know where the cave was that held the treasure. That is a crazy amount of money even by todays standards. According to local lore, the gold was lost or stolen during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg . Three children and two men drowned but the rest of the passengers were saved by a brigantine sailboat that was nearby. These were enormous-sized boxes measuring from 3 deep x 2 wide x 4 long. The attack happened in March of 1865. She says that some Confederate gold was hidden there and some is still being found today. If you are ever in Muscle Shoals, Alabama along the Tennessee river you might want to take a look around for limestone caves although the Red Bone cave is more than likely underwater now and you will need to bring your scuba gear and do some underwater metal detecting. 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. They are the rarest of any Civil War weapons. The Confederate gold, again, showed up in the 1994 sci-fi movie, Timecop. Dr. Clive Cussler a historian attempted to find the wreck of La Bellone in September 1989. Winter was approaching so De Soto and his men set up camp until spring. The treasure may be In popular imagination, the Richmond bank goldhas become part of the lost Confederate treasure, and there is some truth to that story, Rawlings says. From there, I am assuming the Bellview back then is Belleville today, just with a name change. La Bellone was a French merchant ship that was in the area of Dauphin Island to pick up merchandise from the French Colonials in Louisiana. Mr. Willismith owned most of the town. They searched and searched for months coming up empty-handed so the trappers friend gave up and went back to Fort Rosalie. As such, the Confederate States of America solicited donations from wealthy citizens. De Soto ended up dying of fever. But this time Henry died from being beaten. "From the outset, it seems as if the FBI is doing everything it can to avoid answering the question of whether they actually found gold," Weismann said. Semple was drawn to Julia, and she to him, by circumstances of war and the aftermath. Im not sure of the accuracy of this story but here it goes. When Davis and his party were arrested on May 10 in Irwinville, Ga., leaders of the 4th Michigan Calvary only found a few worthless Confederate banknotes on his person, and there was no gold stashed away in the wagons. Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey-based politics, entertainment and history writer. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. One day a Union Officer became privy to Henry Nune and his buried treasure. Jean and his older brother Pierre stole a lot of loot over the years in and around the Gulf of Mexico in the early 1800s. Whatever they had started off with, travel expenses had steadily depleted their coffers by that time. He and his friend decided to head out to recover the treasure. Well, there you have it the 15 lost treasures of Alabama. But when Union officers caught up with Davis on May 10, near Irwinville, Georgia, he was reportedly carrying only a few dollars with him. I grew up in Prattville, Alabama. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Vice President Alexander Stephens explained their ideology, saying, Upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the White man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.. Long story short it is said that Levi Colbert buried some of his savings from the inn and ferry operations in what is now Colbert County Alabama. Bellview back then is Belleville today, just with a second group they to! It was a small Confederate detail had hidden the gold was also from. Must log in or register to reply here that we have 15 stories pertaining to lost,... 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