Bigcypresshunter wrote
If you see a Confederate Captain John Riley, let me know.
HOLA amigo - sorry to say I have not found a Captain John Riley, however you know CSA records are fragmentary at best, and there were many promotions in the late stage of the war which were not made official by the government, or we simply have no existing records of. That is the 'bad' news, the "good" news is that there are indeed John Rileys in the CSN, one of whom at least was an officer (warrant grade I beiieve) as of 1864, such a person very well could have been given further promotions before the war ended.
Here are some of the John Rileys I found, using alternative spellings to be sure
Joseph Reilley, seaman, ironclad ram CSS Missouri, October – December, 1863. [ORN 2, 1, 291.]
<questionable?>
John Reilly, previously served as Private in Company A, 11th Battalion, Georgia Infantry; transferred to Company A, 47th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, May 12, 1862; detailed on gunboat service, December, 1862; in hospital in October, 1863. [Georgia Rosters, 5, 10.]
John Reilly, born Ireland; resided in Warren County, North Carolina, as a laborer; enlisted at New Hanover County, North Carolina, August 7, 1861, aged 32, as private, company F, 8th Regiment North Carolina State Troops; may have also enlisted in Lamb’s Artillery 34th Regiment, sometime between October 31, 1861 and July 2, 1862; transferred to the Confederate States Navy in March or April, 1863. [NCT 4, 579.]
John Riley, born Ireland, resided as a laborer in Cumberland County, North Carolina, where he enlisted, May 29, 1861, aged 19, as private, company C, 3rd Regiment North Carolina State Troops; transferred to the Confederate States Navy, January 29, 1862. [NCT 3, 519.]
John Riley, originally served as private, company E, 2nd Battalion, Alabama Light Artillery; transferred to the Confederate States Navy at an unspecified date. [Civil War Service Records.]
John Riley, Fireman, CSS Alabama; disrated to Coal Trimmer, November 17, 1863; captured by USS Kearsarge, June 19, 1864, off Cherbourg, France. [William Marvel; ORN 1, 2, 784.]
John Riley, seaman, CSS Rappahannock, May 16, 1864. [CSS Rappahannock Muster Roll.]
John Riley, corporal, Confederate States Marine Corps, CSS Baltic, which operated in Alabama waters; served during, or between the period, August, 1862 and June, 1863. [ORN 2, 1, 281.]
John G. Riley, ordinary seaman, served aboard the ironclad ram CSS Virginia, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 1862. [ORN 2, 1, 310.]
CSN Register: "
Register of Officers of the Confederate States Navy, 1861-1865” Reprinted by John M. Carroll & Company, Mattituck, New York, 1983
http://www.csnavy.org/csn64register.htm
This is the one I mentioned above, no first name (most do not have it) but even this small bit of info found on the list of Officers of the CS Navy is a good lead.
Riley as Acting Master's Mate found in the register for 1864. Not sure how the CS naval ranks worked so he could be a warrant officer rather than commissioned.
Here is the report that included
John Riley, Fireman, listed as signing to be paroled after being captured by USS Kearsarge off Cherbourg France, having served on board the
CSS Alabama
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-...=/moa/ofre/ofre0003/&tif=00948.TIF&pagenum=72
If the story is pure fiction, at least they used a name which is a real possibility for the captain. It is highly unlikely that records will turn up with details of where gold was buried, such an incident would almost certainly be done rather quietly and by verbal command rather than written orders, even if committed to paper such written orders would logically have been destroyed to prevent capture.
One other point, the story has a Captain John Riley, not to cast aspersions on the source but I have found instances where the rank of a person in a story got "exaggerated" - a mere sergeant in one example became a "Major" though to be fair he might have been a Sergeant-Major it is quite a difference. Such an exaggeration does not mean that the story is false, just a point got skewed. Sometimes exaggeration is innocent - a story of a stage robbery that started out as say $3000 in gold, when re-told years later the writer converts this value into his own gold prices of his day, "presto" the amount is multiplied; the next writer comes along and uses the NEW price to do his calculations, and the amount is multiplied again until the original $3000 becomes millions.
I wonder if anyone ever found the lighthouse lenses, which were highly valuable at the time, removed and hidden by the rebels? Did they simply retrieve them after the war, and put them back? Anyone know anything about this? Thank you in advance,
your friend,
Roy ~ Oroblanco
-- or else lose it. 
