These were enormous-sized boxes measuring from 3 deep x 2 wide x 4 long. And peoples imaginations take over from there.. 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. The Paradas accompanied the FBI to the site in Dent's Run, about 135 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, but say they were confined to their car while the FBI excavated. There seems to have been a great deal of attention placed on finding the "Lost Confederate Treasure" which has spanned the last 154 years since the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis on 10 May 1865 at Irwinville, Ga., which brought the Civil War to a close. 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. "[2], Amid the collapse of the Confederacy, General Henry Halleck, Chief of Staff of the Union armies, wrote on April 26, 1865, that Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, was fleeing with large quantities of specie. Digging Deeper: Lost Treasures of Oklahoma. The gold became a lost legend. They loaded the two boxes of treasure onto two wagons and headed for Columbia. With Union troops closing in on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in early April 1865, President Jefferson Davis and the rest of his government fled southward, allegedly carrying with them a considerable amount of gold, silver and other coins. Keel Mountain is located in Madison County in Alabama not in Belleview, Tenn. 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. Some think its on the Alabama side while others say its on the Florida side. "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. The Confederate president and other government officials were urged to leave Richmond immediately to avoid being captured by Union troops. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. 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. Lost Confederate 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. These states were opposed to the abolishment of slavery. He was off north to battle the Yankees near Nashville. While on the route to Columbia the wagons and horses started to get bogged down on the marshy ground 4 miles North of Athens, Alabama. Its unclear what happened to the money. Explore Alabama - ALABAMA TREASURE LEGENDS Table of Contents: Alabama Treasure Legends, Legend of the Lost Confederate Gold, Old Flint River Settlement Gold, $30000 in Gold Coin Buried in Bridgeport Alabama, Loot Buried by Levi Colbert in Buzzard Roost Alabama , Rumors of Buried Treasure in Demopolis Alabama (White Bluff), C. Boaz Whitfield The chief had a daughter that he wanted to be married off so that he could have a male offspring to carry on as chief when he died. De Soto demanded that the Chicksaw Chief who had a camp nearby furnish him with squaws for his trip into Mississippi. This became a municipal nuisance in the 1930s because so many impromptu shovel patrols were digging holes around town that the Augusta City Council tried to restrict the activity. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Late that night, two trains departed Richmond heading south. It would be a great place to find all kinds of history and relics that might still be strewn about by all those army camps. 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. 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. Email them to us and you and your club will receive full credit! As for the Richmond bank gold, it quickly fell into the hands of Federal troops, which occupied Washington within days after Davis left. 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. During the autumn of 1864 it was clear the Confederacy was losing the Civil War. Maybe you could be the one who prospers from finding one of these lost treasure gems in Alabama! It was abandoned in 1870. The location was described (by him) as being in northern Alabama, between the towns of Bellview and Booneville, at or near Keel Mountain. They were active in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Alabama. Jeff. Manage Settings The Outlaw PresidentJefferson Davis was an unlikely traitor to the United States. I grew up in Prattville, 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. The Curse of Oak Island. She says that some Confederate gold was hidden there and some is still being found today. When he was captured, he had his wifes shawl over his shoulders. According to Beauregard's biography, "What became of that coin is a mystery. Young refused to release it, but was compelled to do so by force. This small island holds many lost treasure stories. While sitting at the store Morris Slater was gunned down by Constable Leonard McGowin and some other posse members. Hansen and some other Alabama citizens raised quite a bit of capital in the form of gold and silver bullion and coins. Confederate Pots of Gold . Many attempts at recovering her gold and silver cache have come up empty. There is also a story of a cross embedded with jewels that were put in a well by pirates that never came back to claim it. He allowed both sides to use the ferry free of charge in hopes that he would be allowed to continue his ferry operations. Bushes envelop the pig farm, and the cemetery is wooded over. Jesse James the legendary outlaw of the west and in those days Alabama was considered out west had hideouts in and around the areas of Dawson, Guntersville, Gadsden, and Mentone Alabama in the Sand mountains. There are many different stories of where on his plantation the gold was hidden. In his early years, he was a sailor with the pirate Jean Lafitte. Many posses were formed looking for Railroad Bill. He was very skilled at evading the police. He received a pardon in August 1865, and in 1872, was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. 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. The legend of the Confederate gold is referenced in many films. 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. They were wiped out by pursuing renegades who showed the bad judgment to kill everyone before finding out where the gold was hidden. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Named after one president, Thomas Jefferson, he went on to marry the daughter of another, Zachary Taylor. The Rebel and the Rose"" reveals for the . The Confederate gold, again, showed up in the 1994 sci-fi movie, Timecop. Legend of the Lost Confederate Gold. A lot of that gold treasure, as historians and enthusiasts have since called it remained after the Civil War. As fate has it the 3 men that buried the gold ended up dead after the attack. Another theory, says Rawlings: Davis and his group hid it. Ultimately, he took refuge in the North at the home of Julia Gardiner Tyler. Among Confederate veterans organizations, rumors later swirled that their fleeing leaders were carrying millions of dollars when they evacuated Richmond. Some of the Southern leaders . Where did the loot go? Dr. Clive Cussler a historian attempted to find the wreck of La Bellone in September 1989. In the movie, the characters are hunting for $200,000 worth of gold that is rumored to be hidden in a cemetery. The wreck is still there and its treasure is waiting to be recovered! Hansen ended up killing one of the Union scouts. He is said to have stored the gold and silver coins that he got from the Ferry goers in wine casks. google037df74da6aab727.html What Confederate Money (paper notes) that they had was burned at Washington, Ga. in the middle of town by Brig. Halleck stated that Richmond bankers estimated specie valued "from six to thirteen millions" were travelling south from Goldsboro, NC in wagons. 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. The gold and silver coins are said to be buried east of his old homestead. Whatever they had started off with, travel expenses had steadily depleted their coffers by that time. Levi Colbert who lived from 1759 to1834 was the bench chief of the Chickasaw Nation. 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 question is, what happened? Georgia has always claimed a special place with Confederate gold stories because Confederate President Jefferson Davis was not only captured in the state, but the fate of the gold was discussed at his last cabinet meeting held in Wilkes County. your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable. One day a Union Officer became privy to Henry Nune and his buried treasure. In the other were cash and gold reserves and jewelry, estimated to be worth around $1 million. Finders Keepers filed a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department over its failure to produce documents on the FBI's search for the legendary gold, which took place nearly four years ago at a remote woodland site in northwestern Pennsylvania. Jefferson Davis , the first and only President of the Confederate States of America, circa 1865. 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. Hardy Clemens died in 1863 leaving no trace of where he hid his treasure. They filled two wooden boxes full. There is no record that anyone ever found the gold, sowhat happened to it? He ran an inn and Ferry that became known as Buzzard Roost in 1801. After meeting with the treasure hunters in early 2018, the FBI brought in a contractor with more sophisticated instruments. 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. The chief wanted him to marry his daughter. His wife sold the ferry and went to live with relatives in Georgia. Hansen and the two soldiers went on their way dressed as farmers. De Soto and his men fled and left the treasure they had stolen from the Cherokees behind. Between the financial help he provided to Julia, payments to support his estranged wife, Leticia, and the expenses of his clandestine activities, the gold in his possession became depleted during his two years on the run. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. They filled two wooden boxes full. His anger turned to crime and robbing the L&N trains was the outcome. The ruins of the plantation still remain to this day. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. After the War Between the States,many not only spent time rememberingthe "Lost Cause," they also stayed busy searching for its lost gold. The FBI has since dragged its feet on the treasure hunters' Freedom of Information Act request for records, their lawyer said Wednesday. So as you can tell it was a great hiding spot for soldiers. He sketched the symbols . If its there Im all for digging it up. Some say he buried his gold on his pig farm. 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. Visit here for more information on State laws regarding relic hunting, treasure hunting, and artifacts. Then too, given the volume and weight of the silver, the digging would have certainly been noticed by soldiers and townspeople, whether during the day or at night under the glow of kerosene lamps. They tried to get the horses and wagons out of the swampy area but the load was too heavy and the wagons got stuck. He was then valued at $300,000 which made him a wealthy man, to say the least! Henry Nunez The lost gold also played a key role in the legendary 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. General Dukes Brigade. The Indians thought this request to be outrageous and attacked De Sotos camp. near a point where route 90 crosses the river. The townspeople decided to defend Newton but were worried that if they got defeated that the towns treasury would be looted. The first carried Davis and other Confederate officials, along with the governments most important documents and other archived materials. Here we go! 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. La Bellone didnt make it and sank near the entrance to Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island. He was worn out, saddened by the devastation that existed in his part of the state, and the difficulty he and his neighbors were having in restoring their lives and properties. He landed in a swamp and drowned because he couldnt swim. After a long day traveling Hansen ended up at a friends home. In June 1863, President Lincoln ordered two wagons with false bottoms to carry anywhere from 26 to 52 gold bars weighing 50 pounds each from Wheeling, West Virginia, 400 miles north to Pennsylvania to pay the Union troops . Under the headline"What Became of the Confederate Gold," Moses told the newspaper a small portion of it went to buy food for returning soldiers, while the bulk of about$40,000was turned over to the federal authorities. Legend held the treasure was watched overby ghostly spirits. Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 4:27 PM. His nephew Grady tried to find the gold caches that his uncle had presumably buried in the woods. Louinas gold and silver could still be buried under the ground in that old ghost town! The trek south of the Confederate government has been well documented in a number of first hand accounts written several years after the war. Henry refused and was subsequently strung up to a tree and whipped. They had to pay $108,000 to troops who escorted them near the Savannah River, and $40,000 more was spent on supplies in Georgia. As for the rest of the money, little is known, and tales of money found in areas connected to the American Civil War have been told for more than 150 years. Valued at nearly half a million dollars, the gold was loaded onto wagons heading north, in the custody of U.S. government officials. In the Civil War-era movie, Gone With the Wind (1939), Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable, is rumored to have stolen the treasure. But on May 10, when members of the 4th Michigan Cavalry captured Davis group near Irwinville, Georgia, they had only a few dollars with them. There was even a systemto such pursuits. More from us: The Success of George H. Thomas Union Soldiers During the American Civil War. His wife gave in again and told the soldiers where another cask was buried. It definitely would be worth taking a metal detector to the beach. Jean Lafitte the pirate supposedly buried gold coins on a beach in what is now Bayou la Batre. Visit here for more information on State laws regarding relic hunting, treasure hunting, and artifacts. CBS News affiliate WTAJ-TVreported members of the Elk County Historical Society say they believe the gold is just an old wives' tale. 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. They took a small fortune in gold and silver with them when they fled Richmond, Virginia in April 1865. 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