Swamp Gold

[Bigcypresshunter]

Natural Bridge was the last important Civil War battle fought in Florida.The Confederate forces were made up of wounded soldiers,men as old as 70,and cadets as young as 12 from West Florida Seminary (today's FSU).The battle is considered quite an accomplishment,for the five day battle concluded with the defeat of Union troops by a militia of young boys and old men.
Union loses-21 killed;89 wounded;148 MIA
Confederate losses-3 killed;23 wounded
There is no record of Confederates retreating ,or reason for retreat from this battle.
This appears to be an embellished version to the Everglades gold legend.

Thanks I really appreciate it. I guess we can scratch this one off. I guess there is no mention of gold either.

 

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[ECS]

The Everglades Confederate Gold story appears to contain overlaps from other CSA gold stories,'ie-Suwannee River CSA paymaster $200,000;Steinhatchee River blockade runner buried $140,000 gold coins near mouth of river;the Mount Sterling ,KY of the June 8,1864 bank robbery by CSA General John H Morgan-$80,000 in gold,silver,bank notes,and federal currency,plus an additional $60,000 from the Farmers Bank.
Another interesting Florida Confederate gold story-This one with involvement of the KGC.
In 1863,a shipment of gold coins in oak kegs departed from Galveston,Texas.
The gold was claimed to have come from western mines run by the KGC,then minted into coins and struck with dies captured or stolen from a Federal mint,and overstamped with "CSA".
Sailing along the Gulf coast,the blockade runner was spotted by a Union gunboat,and the chase was on.
The CSA blockade runner sailed up the Suwannee River,and at the 2nd or 3rd bend in the river (accounts vary)rolled the kegs into the river,abandoned the ship on the north bank,and escaped into the woods.
There have be claimes made that some of the "CSA" overstruck coins were found in the late 1940's.

 

[ECS]

Could the Everglades CSA gold been for a cattle payment?

The supply of cattle to the Confederacy was so important in Florida,that the CSA created a FLORIDA COW CAVALRY to protect the cracker ranchers from Union raids.
Jacob Summerlin (1820-1893) was a cattleman who ran herds in the Kissimmee and Peace River area.Remember,Fort Meade (mentioned in the CSA Capt John Riley legend) was on the Peace River.
CSA Major William Footman commanded 275 men of the COW CAVALRY station at Fort Thompson (LaBelle),and often ran protection for Summerlin's drives to either his wharf at Punta Rassa or to Charlotte Harbor.
Incidentally,Summerlin also sold cattle to the Union stationed at Fort Meyers,the same Union soldiers that raided cattle supply depots.
Summerlin only accepted gold for payment.Was the Everglades CSA gold legend based on a payment raid?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Im in touch with a man that told me an interesting story when he was 16 about his father while sinking a well for a hunting camp. The usual method is to pound a pipe in the ground about 10-12 feet deep. After the pipe is pounded into the ground, it needs to be sucked out to create an underground cavity. A gas operated trash pump works best. When they pumped it out, they told me they were surprised when mint Civil War era dated pennies came out up of the pipe! I think he said they were all dated 1863 and he said they were Indian heads. . He said it was enough to fill several galvanized buckets. Now I heard this story from 2 seperate sources and the story is on this thread somewhere. He said they didnt think much of it at the time figuring that the Indians stole it and buried it.


The man worked as a mechanic in my buddies shop. I told him my story about the Confederate gold. He told me the general location but when I pressed him for more information from his Dad, he clammed up. He said his Dad cant remember any more. The island is in the same general area as the Confederate gold rumor..

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

The supply of cattle to the Confederacy was so important in Florida,that the CSA created a FLORIDA COW CAVALRY to protect the cracker ranchers from Union raids.
Jacob Summerlin (1820-1893) was a cattleman who ran herds in the Kissimmee and Peace River area.Remember,Fort Meade (mentioned in the CSA Capt John Riley legend) was on the Peace River.
CSA Major William Footman commanded 275 men of the COW CAVALRY station at Fort Thompson (LaBelle),and often ran protection for Summerlin's drives to either his wharf at Punta Rassa or to Charlotte Harbor.
Incidentally,Summerlin also sold cattle to the Union stationed at Fort Meyers,the same Union soldiers that raided cattle supply depots.
Summerlin only accepted gold for payment.Was the Everglades CSA gold legend based on a payment raid?

This could be possible. Late in the war, they refused payment with Confederate paper. That would explain all the gold.

Im wondering how the gold was transported and delivered late in the war? Where did the name Riley come from?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Whats up with all the buried 1863 mint pennies? Could this be part of a payroll? The Florida Cow Calvary would surely need to be payed but in pennies? Would the Confederates have any reason to carry US pennies?.

My source was 16 at the time. All he knows is there was an Indian head on the coins and he seems to remember 1860 something. Ill have to check my records. You would think he would have saved one but when I tried to arrange a meeting with his Dad, he clammed up.

 

[ECS]

Money had more buying power in the 1860's.Pennies,half dimes,whatever would be accepted as payment.
I always question the the value attributed to various gold legends.Only $35,000 in gold along with Jefferson Davis' personsal belongings,including his wife's wardrobe were recovered by the Union at Yulee's Cottonwood Plantation at Archer in May,1865.
The 1863 pennies are a good sign of something.
Every source has merit once researched.My sources on the Oklawaha connection were decendants of those who took part in that endeavour,and was recounted in the 1960's.There are many interesting items still in or near that river-but the STATE OF FLORIDA...

 

[ECS]

Where did the name Riley come from?

After several hours of researching state by state Confederate pension records (and several Sierra Nevada Pale Ales),many John Rileys,most CSA Privates,but none with service in Florida.
But...
Captain John Riley Bless McIntosh,born in Green County,Mississippi, (April 5,1819-May 10,1901),was a known CSA blockade runner for the SOUTHERN MERCHANTS,who knew him as -
Capt John Riley.
This Captain Riley ran blockades from the Gulf coast,including Florida's west coast,with goods and cattle to free Gulf coast ports,Cuba,South America,and Europe.
In one of the versions,Cuba is mentioned as a destination for the gold.
Could this be another overlap of stories embellished over during the last century?
Google-TORIES OF THE LOWER PEACE RIVER VALLEY-there is great information on that site,too much to relate here. NOTE-Cranes remarks concerning Summerlin and the other cattle ranchers,and Fort Meade as being the center of Confederate cattle activity.
As for the gold legend happening at the end of the war,there exists the chance that it may have been a gold payment for cattle in 1864.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

After several hours of researching state by state Confederate pension records (and several Sierra Nevada Pale Ales),many John Rileys,most CSA Privates,but none with service in Florida.
But...
Captain John Riley Bless McIntosh,born in Green County,Mississippi, (April 5,1819-May 10,1901),was a known CSA blockade runner for the SOUTHERN MERCHANTS,who knew him as -
Capt John Riley.
This Captain Riley ran blockades from the Gulf coast,including Florida's west coast,with goods and cattle to free Gulf coast ports,Cuba,South America,and Europe.
In one of the versions,Cuba is mentioned as a destination for the gold.
Could this be another overlap of stories embellished over during the last century?
Google-TORIES OF THE LOWER PEACE RIVER VALLEY-there is great information on that site,too much to relate here. NOTE-Cranes remarks concerning Summerlin and the other cattle ranchers,and Fort Meade as being the center of Confederate cattle activity.
As for the gold legend happening at the end of the war,there exists the chance that it may have been a gold payment for cattle in 1864.

That sounds like our man. This could be a huge clue. I really appreciate the help. I am thinking the Gold came in with the same ship that the cattle went out on.

Before, and after the war, the ranchers sold cattle to Cuba.

If Capt. Riley unloaded the gold but was not able to purchase the cattle or unable to load up and if he felt he could not break the blockade, he would have no choice but to head South into unknown territory with the gold in hopes of being picked up by another blockade runner. This late in the war, he may even have had orders to take the gold to Cuba.

I remember Colonel Harney was picked up exiting Harneys River during the Seminole War and that may have been a destination. Or Fort Harrel? Fort Poinsett? Turner River? He never made it that far but was Riley really captured? It says he lived to 1901. Everglades would be a very wild place and its very possible he would not be able to find the location after the war. Heck I have lost an old loggers camp before GPS and no matter how hard I try, I cannot find it.

I think we need to search Capt Riley. This is a chilling discovery. Its not just a made up name.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

View attachment 641480 Imagine Capt Riley pulling a wagonload of gold thru the swamp. He would have had to follow existing trails.

The problem is all those trails are lost. All the forts themselves in the area are also lost to this day waiting to be found. There is a great book on this called "Floridas Vanishing Trail" by James Hammond http://www.bloggernews.net/119970

View attachment 641479

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Fact or Fiction, the more I think about it, this Capt Riley is our man

I ran across an interesting tidbit of a mystery ship uncovered after Hurricane Ike in the Gulf Coast. Mystery ship surfaces in the wake of Ike

The ship was ordered built by Rachel McIntosh McInnis, the daughter of Capt. John Riley Bless McIntosh, a blockade runner of some fame. She used money he left to her to complete his dream of building his own sailing ship.

View attachment 641485

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I wonder if our Captain John Riley ever returned to Florida after the war.
Ms. & AL. Gulf Coast Realtor: Supermoon on the MS Gulf Coast. Moss Point MS. Rachel's Widows Walk
"This sailing trade was the brainstorm of Captain John Riley Bless McIntosh (April 5th, 1819 - May 10th, 1901.) Born in Green Country, Mississippi, Captain John Riley was a noted and admirable schooner captain during the "Freeman Shipping Wars of 1865." Additionally, he was a blockade runner for the Southern Merchants during the Civil War and served as a Captain for the Schranten Shipping. He never, however, owned his own vessel.

Captain John Riley McIntosh was educated in the waters of the Sound and Horn Island Pass. With many trips to countries such as France and South America, he traded goods to help build the confederacy. He was never captured and, despite their attempts, could not be halted by Mark Freeman's team of wreckers that stationed themselves out of the Pascagoula River. When Captain John Riley McIntosh passed on, he left the wealth he did have to his daughter - Rachel. The Schooner "Rachel" was financed by Rachel McIntosh McInnis (Born in the year 1841; died 1992.) After her father's death in 1901, Rachel decided to pursue and carry out her father's dreams. Rachel's husband, Laughlin McInnis, found her ideas to be crazy for "this day and time," as he called it, and told her that the time for this type of sailing venture was over and her money would be better spent on something more practical."

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Do you have anything on L.P. Harvey?


In September, 1944, it was reported that State Game Officer L. P. Harvey led a small party into the Everglades and located what they believed to have been the last camping place of the Confederates, almost hidden by undergrowth but identified by Confederate relics found there. The site was described as being located at the point of an angle formed by a line 40 miles due west of Ft. Lauderdale, and another line due northwest of the Miami City Hall until it met the first line.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Heres a list of boys names beginning with L. Baby boys beginning with L
I could be up all night but Im going to try.

 

[Salvor6]

Thats some great research Bigcypresshunter. You da man!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Thats some great research Bigcypresshunter. You da man!

The case has just broken wide open today. A colleague of mine has found information on L P Harvey. I cant believe it. Obviously I cannot post it online at this time. Im still shaking. I will keep you updated.

 

[ECS]

I am curious about your CSA penny photo.Was it found during the well drilling you mentioned?
The original Confederate cent dies were made by Robert Lovett of Philadelphia,Pa,after recieving the order from a well-known jewelry firm in Philadelphia.There is not an accurate account on how many he struck,but he became afraid that the US government would arrest him for assistance to the CSA enemy,Lovett buried the dies in his cellar.After the war was over,he attempted to strike more of these cents,but his die broke on the 59th piece.The Smithsonian has these dies.
In 1861,all US mints in the south were confiscated by the CSA.
87% of US 1861-O half dollars (New Orleans Mint) were minted by the Confederacy.Only 4 were struck on a hand press that had CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA surroundind a shield on the coin's reverse side.VERY RARE
As for gold coins,CSA Sec of State,Judah Benjamin,proposed that the Confederate government issue $5.00 and $20.00 gold coins.Both coins had the Goddess of Liberty holding an unfurled STARS AND BARS,surrounded by a bale of cotton,a bale of tobacco,sugar hogshead,and sugar cane in the field.The back has an endless chain with CSA states placed in order of their secession,with "CSA" in the center above the denomination.
A find of any of these coins would be a treasure worth finding.

 

[ECS]

That sounds like our man. This could be a huge clue. I really appreciate the help. I am thinking the Gold came in with the same ship that the cattle went out on.

Before, and after the war, the ranchers sold cattle to Cuba.

If Capt. Riley unloaded the gold but was not able to purchase the cattle or unable to load up and if he felt he could not break the blockade, he would have no choice but to head South into unknown territory with the gold in hopes of being picked up by another blockade runner. This late in the war, he may even have had orders to take the gold to Cuba.


Capt Riley. This is a chilling discovery. Its not just a made up name.

Happy that I was of some help.Keep in mind,that the Confederates had control of the US MINT at New Orleans,and Capt John Riley made many runs from that portIf only we could find a manifest that help create a dateline for the events.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I am curious about your CSA penny photo.Was it found during the well drilling you mentioned?
The original Confederate cent dies were made by Robert Lovett of Philadelphia,Pa,after recieving the order from a well-known jewelry firm in Philadelphia.There is not an accurate account on how many he struck,but he became afraid that the US government would arrest him for assistance to the CSA enemy,Lovett buried the dies in his cellar.After the war was over,he attempted to strike more of these cents,but his die broke on the 59th piece.The Smithsonian has these dies.
In 1861,all US mints in the south were confiscated by the CSA.
87% of US 1861-O half dollars (New Orleans Mint) were minted by the Confederacy.Only 4 were struck on a hand press that had CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA surroundind a shield on the coin's reverse side.VERY RARE
As for gold coins,CSA Sec of State,Judah Benjamin,proposed that the Confederate government issue $5.00 and $20.00 gold coins.Both coins had the Goddess of Liberty holding an unfurled STARS AND BARS,surrounded by a bale of cotton,a bale of tobacco,sugar hogshead,and sugar cane in the field.The back has an endless chain with CSA states placed in order of their secession,with "CSA" in the center above the denomination.
A find of any of these coins would be a treasure worth finding.

No. I just found those coin pics on the internet and posted them for comparison. I showed the mechanic the same 2 coin pictures and he couldnt remember which one. He was 16 at the time I think. All he would say is that they were pennies with an Indian head on one side. He said 1863 I think. Ill have to check my records. He shook his head at the Confederate picture as if he didnt recognize it. Im guessing they were not the rare Confederate cents but who knows?.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Happy that I was of some help.Keep in mind,that the Confederates had control of the US MINT at New Orleans,and Capt John Riley made many runs from that portIf only we could find a manifest that help create a dateline for the events.

Another member did some research at my request today. This member emailed to me some 1940's news clippings from 2 different newspapers desribing the possible Confederate camp found in the Everglades. I was amazed. They found bullet lead, a bullet mold and a kettle.This is probably were the treasure books got the story. Im trying to get an address for LPHarvey or his decendants.

The 1940's news article says the gold came from Fort Knox Kentucky. Is this possible? Riley was taking the gold to Fort Meade. Thats about all it said.