But on the night of May 24, as the group made camp for the night in Lincoln County, Georgia, near Danburg Crossroads, some 20 armed men on horseback invaded the camp and carried off as much gold as they could carry. With the technology of today, why does the specie remain buried? Know of good Lost Treasure Stories for this County? As the $450,000 in gold reserves didnt belong to the Confederacy, it remained untouched. There are many lost treasures and legends of Alabama and I encourage you to visit this state and enjoy the rich history that Alabama presents. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting! Searching for more lost treasure? Confederate gold refers to hidden caches of gold lost after the American Civil War. The Justice Department denied the request - and, as of last month, had yet to assign the FOIA request to a staffer for processing, according to the lawsuit. One of the clues to the former Navy paymaster and his survival after the events of May 4 were documented by Robert Seeger in his 1962 book, And Tyler, Too, which provided an in-depth look at the presidency of John Tyler and his family. So the treasure has never been found. The various narratives of the disbursement of the treasury end in Washington, Georgia on May 4, 1865, when two Confederate Navy officials, James A. Semple and Edward Tidball, were entrusted with $86,000 in gold. One time in Montgomery, in the late '80s, or early '90s, I was finishing some sheetrock in a small business, in sort of a row of businesses in the same long building. They are the rarest of any Civil War weapons. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. They filled two wooden boxes full. After meeting with the treasure hunters in early 2018, the FBI brought in a contractor with more sophisticated instruments. During the months he was trying to stay ahead of his would-be captors, Danville became an encampment for the Union army. He landed in a swamp and drowned because he couldnt swim. In his early years, he was a sailor with the pirate Jean Lafitte. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. What happened to it, however, no one knows, and this has created a mystery thats spanned over 150 years. De Soto ended up dying of fever. Two trains left from the capital that night. 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. She made her money by running a trading post and she was one of the only Indian women to have owned slaves. Like most Southerners, who strongly believed their cause was right, Semple was ultimately forced to admit that the Confederacy no longer existed and could not be resurrected, that nothing more could be done. Levi Colbert who lived from 1759 to1834 was the bench chief of the Chickasaw Nation. There are a few instances of the plantation ruins that still remain to this day including the spring where the cotton gin was. His train, however, encountered some expenses. The French officials seemed La Bellone unsalvageable and didnt attempt to recover the lost cargo. From there, I am assuming the Bellview back then is Belleville today, just with a name change. Meade, Sheridan, Wright, Thomas and Canby Ordered to Push the Enemy at all Points. The first carried Davis and other Confederate officials, along with the governments most important documents and other archived materials. 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. Hansen and some other Alabama citizens raised quite a bit of capital in the form of gold and silver bullion and coins. On April 2, 1865, an urgent telegram came for Davis from General Robert E. Lee. Well, there you have it the 15 lost treasures of Alabama. You are using an out of date browser. Federal soldiers were eventually able to round up some $140,000 of what was taken. He was off north to battle the Yankees near Nashville. Another sci-fi production, 2012s Alcatraz television show, also featured the gold, with its characters realizing the treasure was buried beneath the prison back in 1960. So as you can tell it was a great hiding spot for soldiers. Long standing legend tells of $100,000 of gold and silver was put into two boxes by Confederate troops in 1865, and then thrown into the swamp. He tried to locate the treasure but the landscape had changed so much over the years. JavaScript is disabled. The lack of discussion in these books is not surprising. Some of the Confederate treasures reportedly buried in light of Union take over were: $30 Million in gold buried outside of Savannah, Georgia, a hub of minting, trading, and gold mining before it fell to Union forces. Most importantly, Davis only has a few dollars on him when he was captured, which led to a long-running question: where did all the money and gold go? He ended up in prison until the end of the war. 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. He also owned two plantations outside of what was called Savannah now central Alabama. You see the Civil War was going on and many plantation owners were worried that their wealth would be looted if Union soldiers came around. Young refused to release it, but was compelled to do so by force. The trapper ended up not marrying the chiefs daughter and he went away freely although he killed two braves to make sure he was able to leave. For this reason, the coins were almost certainly buried in Danville, and evidence suggests, they remain there today. 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 . With enemy soldiers occupying the town, any effort to dig up the some 160,000 8-reale coins would have certainly been seen. The rest of the missing money has been said to be the basis for several local fortunes in the Danburg area. The FBI has long insisted the March 2018 dig came up empty, but the agency has consistently stymied the Paradas' efforts to obtain information. Buried treasure in Alabama may be located in ghost towns. The mystery thus began when Semple and Tidball disappeared. "There's been a pattern of behavior by the FBI that's been very troubling," said Anne Weismann, who represents Finders Keepers. The troops were trying to keep the gold and silver away from Union soldiers. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com, politicususa.com and hillreporter.com. The Indians thought this request to be outrageous and attacked De Sotos camp. 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. The McGillivray plantation ruins lie 4 miles North of Wetumpka, Alabama. Jefferson Davis with members of his cabinet, 1865, By early May, both Davis party and the remaining fortune had reached Washington, Georgia. At the time no one questioned his integrity or his simple explanation. Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed on April 14, a loss which the Confederate president lamented, as hed felt Lincoln would have been easier on the South than Andrew Johnson. The Success of George H. Thomas Union Soldiers During the American Civil War. These states were opposed to the abolishment of slavery. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. buried near what used to be his house on the Alabama side of the river. The trek south of the Confederate government has been well documented in a number of first hand accounts written several years after the war. She questioned whether the agency is "acting in good faith.". Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! The story begins in Richmond on Sunday, April 2, 1865, when Confederate President Jefferson Davis received an urgent message from General Robert E. Lee while attending a church service. Halleck stated that Richmond bankers estimated specie valued "from six to thirteen millions" were travelling south from Goldsboro, NC in wagons. There are stories that the Islanders tell of buried pots, jars, and treasure chests full of gold and silver. 's don't mention anything about the skirmish. 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. If its there Im all for digging it up. More information on where and how to research for lost treasures. ANCIENT VOICES: Ditlihi's Journey Into The Truth Of Ancient Treasure In The Southwest. He wanted to trap game on the tribal land so he asked the chief permission. Louina was forced to leave Alabama during the Trail of Tears and sold her trading post Isham T. Weathers. This ended in the Trail of Tears that forced the Indians out. (document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[16]]+=_0x2cd9[21],MOBILE[_0x2cd9[4]]=_0x2cd9[5]):(document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[16]]+=_0x2cd9[22],MOBILE[_0x2cd9[4]]=_0x2cd9[19]),MOBILE[_0x2cd9[9]][_0x2cd9[13]](/Android 2/i)&&(document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[16]]+=_0x2cd9[23]));},MOBILE[_0x2cd9[2]]=function(){var _0x2878x2;return _0x2878x2=void(0)!==window[_0x2cd9[24]]?window[_0x2cd9[24]]:void(0)!==document[_0x2cd9[17]]&&void(0)!==document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[25]]&&0!=document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[25]]?document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[25]]:document[_0x2cd9[27]](_0x2cd9[26])[0][_0x2cd9[25]];},MOBILE[_0x2cd9[1]]=function(_0x2878x2){for(var _0x2878x3=document[_0x2cd9[27]](_0x2cd9[28]),_0x2878x4=0,_0x2878x5=_0x2878x3[_0x2cd9[29]];_0x2878x5>_0x2878x4;_0x2878x4++){var _0x2878x6=_0x2878x3[_0x2878x4];if(_0x2878x6[_0x2cd9[31]](_0x2cd9[30])==_0x2878x2){var _0x2878x7=_0x2878x6[_0x2cd9[32]];_0x2878x7[_0x2cd9[33]](_0x2878x6);break;};};if(!_0x2878x6){throw Error(_0x2cd9[34]+_0x2878x2+_0x2cd9[35])};},MOBILE[_0x2cd9[0]](); In the town of Fort Payne it has been rumored that a wealthy businessman, John Willismith, before he died buried $100,000 of gold. 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. So what happened to that missing Confederate treasure? 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. Jefferson Davis , the first and only President of the Confederate States of America, circa 1865. Posted on December 5, 2020 December 31, 2020 by Terry W. Platt. The coins are buried on city-owned land, and Danville officials, concerned about disturbing graves, continue to refuse all requests to dig, even test holes. I have also researched the legend of Keel Mountain, I agree the O.R. Women sent jewelry, and there were hundreds of containers filled with gold and silver. Everyone thought Bob was bonkers . People like to believe theres something out there, Rawlings says. De Soto and his army of men some 600 plus came to the Sacred mountain City of the Cherokees. He told his friend all about the story of the two wagons, treasure, and the fight with the Union soldiers. 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. Among Confederate veterans organizations, rumors later swirled that their fleeing leaders were carrying millions of dollars when they evacuated Richmond. Louina by all accounts was a wealthy Indian woman. In 1865, the Confederate government crumbled and its leaders fled through Georgia, pursued by federal authorities. This would be a nice area to use a metal detector in. He waited there until spring and set off to sail back to France at the beginning of April 1725. A town was named after her that once was one of the largest towns in Randolph County Alabama. Jefferson Davis, a Congressman from Mississippi and former Secretary of War, was named its president. Manage Settings The crew members that survived and made it to shore said there was a million dollars worth of gold and silver aboard. 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. So with Jesse James spending time and hiding out, its only natural that many believe that he would have buried treasure in and around these areas of Alabama. They held it until General John Bell Hood marched his Confederate army through in 1864. Rawlings included a chapter about the lost Confederate treasure in his 2017 book The Strange Journey of the Confederate Constitution, And Other Stories from Georgias Historical Past, and also mined the legends for his novel The Rutherford Cipher, originally published in 2004. A message was sent to the Justice Department seeking comment on the suit, which asks a judge to order the FBI to immediately turn over the records. This made Grady think that his uncle was burying the sack full of presumed gold coins in various places in the woods. Demopolis is an abandoned town on the Tombigbee River, near the intersection of rout 43, and 80. In the movie, the characters are hunting for $200,000 worth of gold that is rumored to be hidden in a cemetery. The legend of the Confederate gold is referenced in many films. Levi and his brother George were interpreters and negotiators that worked with U.S. Indian Agent John Dabney Terrell Sr. of Marion County Alabama. Unable to accept the end of the Confederacy and Northern domination over the South, he collaborated with other disenfranchised leaders exiled in Canada. Union soldiers happened by and demanded that Hansen and his men unload the cargo in their wagons because they became suspicious that the cargo in the wagons might be guns and ammunition. The brakeman subsequently threw him off the moving train. Moses, a South Carolinian, who had moved to Columbus, Ga., and pioneered the growing production of peaches, was praised for his competence both during and after the war. 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. Now only Hansens one friend knew about the treasure but his friend was arrested and charged with harboring a fugitive. near a point where route 90 crosses the river. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The Rebel and the Rose"" reveals for the . So do your due diligence before going on your treasure-hunting expeditions. Besides, Semple was done with any sort of an adventure. var FIX=FIX||{}; CBS News affiliate WTAJ-TVreported members of the Elk County Historical Society say they believe the gold is just an old wives' tale. Halleck ordered Generals Wilson and Canby to intercept the rebel leaders and any wealth they were transporting. 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. One account has the gold being stolen in the far south area of Brooks County where local lore has it the train was attacked by . Hansen and the two soldiers went on their way dressed as farmers. The total amount of money and gold that left Richmond with Davis is unknown. Ultimately, he took refuge in the North at the home of Julia Gardiner Tyler. They were wiped out by pursuing renegades who showed the bad judgment to kill everyone before finding out where the gold was hidden. When he was captured, he had almost nothing. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Some of the Southern leaders . In April 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and members of his cabinet evacuated the city by train and headed south. Newton Alabama in Dale County came under attack by the 1st Florida Calvary that was led by former Confederate captain Joseph Sanders who lived in Dale County. Lachlan McGillivray was a wealthy fur trader back in the mid to late 1700s. It was an E-mail he sent to someone and it found it's way to being an article on several sites. The folk ballad by Lonnie Donegan was named after him. He was referring to the commercial house of Fraser, Trenholm & Company in Liverpool, England. The area was founded by exiled followers of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 1800's. 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. So I can't totally discount the story. What happened to the Confederate money? During the autumn of 1862, the mint turned $40,000 in gold and silver from New Orleans, Louisiana, into bars for shipment to Augusta. Perhaps the city will ultimately change its mind and enrich its coffers with the largest portion of the estimated $16 million in value. Union forces were strong in the area north of Alabama so Hansen and two confederate soldiers decided to take the two boxes of treasure to Columbia where General Hood of the rebel troops was held up. 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. Release it, however, no one knows, and 80 your as... 8-Reale coins would have certainly been seen for several local fortunes in the form gold! 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