ECS and senior deacon, I go along with a lot of what you are saying but I have a few thoughts of my own.
First, there must be a lot of Whitehall Plantations. There was one on the first stop out of Charlotte, N.C. where Secretary of the Treasury resigned. I believe he actually stayed behind and delivered what was left of the CSA Treasury by railroad. The bridge was out across the Catawba and Trenholm had it ferried across and placed on a train to Chester, S.C. from there he took it by wagons and the railroad towards Abbeville, S.C. About all of the gold Trenholm carried was from the $2 Million Virginia State Gold. A lot was distributed to Cabinet Members after leaving Greensboro and Charlotte. Some was paid to General Johnston's troop under General Diebrel's command at Greensboro, N.C. as they surrounded the CSA Government and was not going to let them leave with back pay. Over 3,500 signed on to deliver the gold towards Texas to General Kirby Smith. About four years after the war over $1 Million dollars of this gold was captured trying to leave the US through Mobile, Ala. and was captured by the Yankees. So there goes all of the Virginia State Gold.
Now the Virginia Bank Gold is an entirely different story. Everyone gets all of these gold stories mixed together and then they believe that they are still buried somewhere when in fact most of what was traveling South during the end of the war was captured by the US. The Virginia Banks sent their assets South about six weeks before Richmond fell. I know they say 8 of the Virginia Banks shipped their gold in the second boxcar directly behind the boxcar containing the CSA Treasury. All of this is not entirely the truth. Yes there was CSA Gold in the first boxcar but it was only $186,000 in US Gold coins and the rest was $200,000 in Mexican Silver dollars then there was $108,000 in US Silver Coins and then there was between $27,000 to $50,000 in a mileage of foreign coins. If we are to believe the figure of $523,000 in CSA Assets leaving Richmond, then there would have only been $27,000 in foreign coins. J. Frank Carroll's book, "Confederate Treasure in Danville," says there was $50,000 in foreign coins which would have made $546,000. There was several blocks and sweeps of gold and silver from the Charlotte Mint. Major White when he paid the troops at the David Moss home exchanged silver bars for the $108,000 in US Coins belonging to the Virginia Banks. The troops could not have been paid out of these silver coins otherwise because they did not belong to the CSA Government.
All of these monies were dispersed out by Micajah Clark along the way going South with President Jefferson Davis. At Park's Ferry about $100,000 in gold sovereigns were buried by Micajah Clark while President Jefferson Davis and his wife, Varina stayed at the Park's Home across the river. Micajah Clark broke up his escort at that time, the men were paid and each was given a mule to ride back to their homes in Tennessee and Southern Indiana. Micajah Clark and a hand full of others continued on to the Yulee Plantation in Waldo, Florida. There they divided the remaining $25,000. Watson Bethuesylan (Spelling not correct) as I am doing this from memory not from notes. Watson took about $6,900. as he said he was going to give a large portion to the family of President Jefferson Davis while Davis was in prison. He said the family would need it. Some of the money was buried along the railroad tracks by the party. I know Micajah Clark came back and got his share but the others I do not know. They did take some of the money with them to return home. All went North and turned themselves in to the Yankees to get a pass to go home.
The trunks buried in the barn containing President Jefferson Davis personal effects were captured by the black Union soldiers. I have an inventory of the contents of those two trunks. Now there was another trunk buried that night which I gave ECS directions to and it has never been found. It contains most likely $26,000 in gold coins which was the sum of President Jefferson Davis' furniture and belongings he sold at auction in Richmond, Va. late March when his wife Varina Davis left for Charlotte, N.C. Walter Philbrook the same treasury clerk that did the inventory of the CSA Treasury before it left Richmond went to the banks in Richmond and was unable to cash President Jefferson Davis check. President Davis carried it to Danville where he eventually got it cashed. When the treasure train left Danville on April 6, 1865 that is the reason that Walter Philbrook was replaced as in charge of the assets of the CSA Treasury. Micajah Clark replaced Walter Philbrook when the CSA Treasury left Danville, Va. Micajah Clark later became the last Secretary of the CSA Treasury. The last official act performed by President Jefferson Davis before his surrender to the Union Army at Irwinville, Georgia. Got to run.
