William
T. Sutherlin Mansion, Danville, Virginia.
You may recall the post
titled “Lost
Treasure from US Civil War” from back in November of 2011; it’s of
little surprise true stories regarding long lost treasures have surfaced as the
#1 topic among the more than 250 published themes on this Blog Site . . .
On April 2, 1865 the
Union Army faced a tattered and battle-weary Confederate army defending the
Confederate Capital of Richmond, Virginia under the overall command of General
Robert E. Lee; realizing that his lines could not possibly hold and that the
fall of Richmond was imminent, General Lee sent an urgent message to President
Jefferson Davis that the government must evacuate or face certain capture. A
special convey carrying the President and Members of the CSA (Confederate
States of America) Cabinet departed Richmond by train
(Richmond and Danville Railroad) for Danville, Virginia late that evening. Many of the Confederate Riches having been
stored in the capital began escort by wagon to Danville in pursuit of the Davis
Party on the evening of April 3rd as well.
Many accounts of “Confederate
Gold” secreted out of Richmond that night have been published in the
papers of the Southern Historical Society; the intent was to dismiss rumors
that Confederate President Jefferson Davis took the money for himself and his
family after the war. Never-the-less, there
is little dispute that the hard currency & reserves of the Confederate
States of America was guarded during transit by a group of young midshipmen
from the Confederate Navy who had recently scuttled their ship in the James
River. The official records of the Confederacy were many . . . Some say
hundreds of crates and barrels containing gold and silver coins, bullion, and a
substantial amount of fine jewelry donated to the Cause by women traversing the
South were included in the long list of hard assets being slipped away. Although
the news was bleak, it was the hope of all members of the withdrawing two groups
(one by train; one by wagon) that with these assets the struggle could be
continued in the weeks and months ahead.
One Acting Confederate Treasury
Clerk (Micajah Clark – a Davis appointee) provided a detailed accounting of the
location of many of the funds slipped out of Richmond that night, a short while
after the war. Needless-to-say, there’s a few treasurers Mr. Clark failed to
mention, one of particular interest concerned the fate of not less than 39 kegs
of Mexican silver dollars.
These were coins that
the Confederacy is believed to have received through the sale of cotton to
Mexico. Reportedly the Mexican coins had been transported, primarily by wagon
(rather by train), along with most of the assets referenced above to Danville,
Virginia, which is located just a few miles north of the North Carolina State border.
Shortly upon arrival, the “Wagon Shipment Detail” and the “President Davis
Detail” was forced to move further south. The 9,000 pounds of silver coin was
hidden in the Danville area in an effort to prevent the capture of the convoy
which would have been slowed considerably by the burden. For this reason, the coins were almost
certainly buried somewhere in the Danville area, and evidence suggests, they
remain there today.
By the end of the day
on April 3, 1865 Richmond lay in ashes and was occupied by Federal troops. During
the ensuing weeks, Lee surrendered to Grant at the Appomattox, Virginia
Courthouse; Abe Lincoln was assassinated; and the dwindling band of Confederate
fugitives continued to work their way south, hoping to escape west beyond the
Mississippi, or perhaps somewhere overseas.
Jefferson Davis and his
ragged group were captured a bit more than a month later by members of the
Fourth Michigan Calvary near Irwinville in South Georgia on May 10th. Surprisingly they had only a few dollars in
their possession; the fabled riches of the vast “Confederate Treasury” were not
to be found. Rumors of the amount of silver,
gold, and precious stones carried away by the fugitives have grown to millions
and millions of dollars over the years. But the truth is; no-body knows for
sure what the treasure was worth.
The knowledge of the historical
fact that the treasure was carried out of Richmond behind Jefferson Davis and
others coupled with the knowledge that it was not with him when he was captured
has led to wild speculation as to its fate.
The 39 kegs of Mexican silver dollars that were reportedly left behind
in Danville, Virginia may be the best clue as to where to start searching.
A few historical facts
about the Danville area that may assist in determining where to begin your
search: Danville was the last
headquarters of the Confederate States of America within the space of a few
days. Jefferson Davis stayed at the grand home of William T. Sutherlin (image
depicted above) on the evening of April 3, 1865. It was in the Sutherlin home
that Davis’ issued his final Presidential Proclamation. The final Confederate
Cabinet meeting was held in the near-by Benedict House (later destroyed) in
Danville. Davis and members of his cabinet remained there until April 10, 1865,
when news of Lee’s surrender forced them to flee southward.
Sources . . .
http://hnn.us/article/49088#sthash.NWHsPtTK.dpuf
http://books.google.com/books?id=MVc1DTf4zsEC&pg=PA215&lpg=PA215&dq=treasury+clerk+Micajah+Clark+1865&source=bl&ots=Aa0DD75usU&sig=Wd_GvS8qQl4BkkDqTaaB6dtlMLA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lMzEUrKnG8iZ2QXJwYCoDg&ved=0CEUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=treasury%20clerk%20Micajah%20Clark%201865&f=false
http://www.city-data.com/city/Danville-Virginia.html
http://southernsentinel.wordpress.com/the-lost-confederate-treasure/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Sutherlin
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