Swamp Gold

[Jon Phillips]

I think, for the most part, they have all been found at some point. Maybe not detected that much...especially down there. Every time I think I have found one that the general, relic hunting, public doesn't know about...I'll find some stuff in a museum from it, or talk to someone that has detected it. I'll have someone ask me about a certain fort, and it turns out to be well hunted, and known by someone, but not much shows up about it in anything that I have.

The guys back in the 60's and 70's would actually camp out for a week like a hunting camp, and just detect and sift all day! But keep in mind that detectors have come a long way since then...and those guys probably only hunted the main fort site....not necessarily the surrounding areas.

The only one that I have never heard of anyone every locating, was Fort Mendo. That doesn't mean someone hasn't found it and cleaned it out though!

 

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[Bigcypresshunter]

Yes they camped out for a week to 2 at these Everglades sites..

 

[ECS]

ANOTHER JOHN RILEY?

Union Capt Henry A Crane,who had many skirmishes with the CSA COW CAVALRY (noted on an earlier post here),made reference in his notes to a "Johnny Reb" Riley.Summerlin and Hendry had brothers with the first name of Riley.
I found a roster of the 1st FLORIDA SPECIAL CALVARY BATTALION under Munnerlyn,but it seems corrupted.
WWW.oocities.org/yes_album/special_calvary.html
I see a couple of Riley first names in the clutter,but can not read all because of the corruption.
Incidently,the Cow Calvary had a skirmish with the Union at ROCKY POINT near Tampa,Dec 3,1864-"near the end of the war" as the legend goes.

 

[mike woodfin]

A quick search and I found my good freinds property in Pinecrest. I can understand her frustration with treasure seekers. I will show this to her and see what she says. It is however very interesting but heavily guarded and strictly off limits to would be treasure hunters. Do not dare to trespass. Im not sure who Michael Woodfin is. He must have had had permission at some time to access property and take these photographs. Pinecrest - Ghost Town

Hello- Just found your post and your question about how I received access. I am an avid ghost town hunter and take pictures only. This was years ago. I stopped at the house and inquired about permission to photograph the steps. They sent me down to a creek where a Father and son were swimming to ask. I convinced them that I was a ghost town hunter and only took pictures. They gave me permission to walk to the back of the house and snap the old steps. Feel free to contact me anytime concerning any GT questions. However I do not treasure hunt. Mike Woodfin

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Thanks Mike for your input. I know the "creek" very well as that is where I bath when Im working. You have a great website Mike and thanks for replying.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Hello KK. I dont know if you are reading this and dont take this the wrong way but Im asking nicely if you could remove your bickering from this thread. I will also remove mine and refrain from any future mentioning of your name or your beliefs. Is it a deal?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Thank ECS for the continuing research. I havent had a chance to comment on it yet.

Im driving out to the reservations tommorrow morning for certain. Im heading west on Alligator Alley from Fort Lauderdale all the way across i-75 to Naples where Im picking up my camper and towing it to the work site at Monroe Station. Im taking Tamiami Trail on the way back so I can stop on the Loop Road and Shark Valley to talk to some freinds and back to Hollywood. . I should be back tommorrow night late.

Trip outlined in red.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I came back with a picture.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I might as well update this thread if anybody is reading it.

BigDogDad says, in one of his other threads, that someone from the Indian tribe has been reading this Swamp Gold thread with great interest. The Miccosuki tribe has contacted BDD and they have set up a meeting. They never bothered to ask my opinion. Just as well because I have no comment at this time.

As you know, BDD says he knows the location (Cloud Mountain)and a dig looks as if it may take place sometime in the future. In the meantime I will continue my quest for any information pertaining to the Confederate Gold legend or any other treasures in the Everglades region as time allows.

I am going to make another attempt to reach out to the man that told me he has a map that marks the location 1000 feet from the roadway. He replied to my email but my inbox was full. It doesnt hurt to follow up on every lead.

Hopefully the research will continue because this is by no means over. The 1940s newsclips was a great break and I am hoping for much more from the Historical Society.

Tim's (BDD) article came out today in the Tampa Tribune. A self-styled Florida treasure hunter is positive he knows where there's buried silver; the state isn't buying it - Tampa Bay Times

 

[Jon Phillips]

I still follow it, as I'm sure many others do.

I'm not convinced that these are even the same treasure leads.

As I've said before...I seriously doubt that any fleeing Confederates made it that far south...even using Seminole War roads. I know that there was some activity in south Fl during the Second Seminole War (mostly coastal areas), and especially the Third Seminole War...but a lot of those forts down there were traveled to by boat as much as anything.

I still maintain that the "Everglades" in the 1800's probably reached all the way up to the Caloosahatchee as far as everyone was concerned, and that area would be a good place to start in looking for this treasure.

I just can't imagine heavy wagons full of gold trying to make their way through the swampy, cypress knee, covered ground....trail or no trail.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

True, there may be more than one treasure legend. Ovid told him it was 1000 pounds of gold buried at 18 foot depth, I believe, but he had no way of knowing how it got there or by whom.

Im not sure how dowsing works or doesnt work but he supposedly picked up a signal of gold. Location and depth maybe for those that believe but no other information can be obtained from dowsing, as far as I know.

 

[Jon Phillips]

UH-OH!!!! Looks like you can give up now.....It seems people from other countries have picked up on your leads, and one has brought some super-secret diaomond and gold detecting LRL powered by the heart of an un-baptized orphan or something....


http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...t-49-charlotte-harbor-area-jim-long-lake.html

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

UH-OH!!!! Looks like you can give up now.....It seems people from other countries have picked up on your leads, and one has brought some super-secret diaomond and gold detecting LRL powered by the heart of an un-baptized orphan or something....


http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...t-49-charlotte-harbor-area-jim-long-lake.html

I predict a continued gradual degrading TN now that these types of threads are allowed. In the past they would immediately be moved to the proper forums.

 

[ECS]

As I've said before...I seriously doubt that any fleeing Confederates made it that far south...even using Seminole War roads. I know that there was some activity in south Fl during the Second Seminole War (mostly coastal areas), and especially the Third Seminole War...but a lot of those forts down there were traveled to by boat as much as anything.

I still maintain that the "Everglades" in the 1800's probably reached all the way up to the Caloosahatchee as far as everyone was concerned, and that area would be a good place to start in looking for this treasure.

I just can't imagine heavy wagons full of gold trying to make their way through the swampy, cypress knee, covered ground....trail or no trail.

That would tie in with the PUNTA GORDA version of the legend.
50lbs of gold specie seems more likely than 1/2 ton if the Confederates were being pursued,and easier and quicker to bury than 1/2 ton.In many treasure legends,be it pirate,CSA,James Gang,while escaping heavy pursuit,there was enough time to bury their treasure(did they always travel with shovels?),AND the pursuers never found the freshly dug spot.
The 'cloud mountain" tale is suspect because why would a native American shaman hold a ritual on a mound that supposedly has buried Confederate gold.What is the connection? Also,"cloud mountain" is an old south Florida term for cloud formations over the Everglades.

 

[cactusjumper]

I might as well update this thread if anybody is reading it.

BigDogDad says, in one of his other threads, that someone from the Indian tribe has been reading this Swamp Gold thread with great interest. The Miccosuki tribe has contacted BDD and they have set up a meeting. They never bothered to ask my opinion. Just as well because I have no comment at this time.

As you know, BDD says he knows the location (Cloud Mountain)and a dig looks as if it may take place sometime in the future. In the meantime I will continue my quest for any information pertaining to the Confederate Gold legend or any other treasures in the Everglades region as time allows.

I am going to make another attempt to reach out to the man that told me he has a map that marks the location 1000 feet from the roadway. He replied to my email but my inbox was full. It doesnt hurt to follow up on every lead.

Hopefully the research will continue because this is by no means over. The 1940s newsclips was a great break and I am hoping for much more from the Historical Society.

Tim's (BDD) article came out today in the Tampa Tribune. A self-styled Florida treasure hunter is positive he knows where there's buried silver; the state isn't buying it - Tampa Bay Times

Big Cypress,

I posted these two posts back in 2005:
_____________________________________

Dec 2005

[h=2]Re: Swamp Gold[/h]

Gentlemen,

Each time I venture into the discussions of Confederate Treasure, I find myself rereading A.J. Hanna's "Flight Into Oblivion". Chapter II is called "Confederate Gold" and gives a pretty good account of how much they actually had........and what happened to it.

The historical accuracy of this book is assured by the extensive References, Bibliography and Acknowledgments in the back of the book. Hanna's research is thorough, and the results is a very well written historical account. The reality of what took place after the fall of the Confederacy, is every bit as exciting as any fictional account.

My copy of Hanna's book is a signed first edition, and is the only (quasi) Confederate treasure I ever expect to possess.

Anyone seeking Confederate gold, would do well to start their search with this book, rather than any treasure hunter's story. That's just my personal opinion, and I could be all wrong. I would still recommend reading the book, which will give you a better perspective on the various treasure tales.

Good hunting,

Joe Ribaudo
_______________________________________
​

Re: Swamp Gold

[Davis' hesitation nearly dooms flight

By Brent Hughes

Confederate government officials came within a few hours of not getting out of Richmond as resistance collapsed. The delay must be attributed primarily to hesitation on the part of President Jefferson Davis to face reality. Indeed, it had been obvious to most people for more than a year that the war was lost, but Davis had held himself aloof from all the evidence.

The West Point graduate considered himself a military leader, not a civilian executive. On Sunday, April 2, 1865, Davis was attending services in St. Paul's church when he received a telegram from Gen. Robert E. Lee advising him that Richmond must be evacuated immediately. Davis resisted for a time but finally gave the order.

He and his Cabinet officers would leave first and set up a new government southwest of Richmond at Danville. Everyone else was to save whatever they could and follow.

Treasury officers had to pack and transport to the railroad depot the cash and other assets in their vaults. Every kind of container was used - boxes, chests, barrels - whatever was available. In spite of widespread panic, these men maintained control of the situation, so we know what valuables left Richmond and what became of them on the hectic journey south.

The Treasury assets consisted of $20 gold pieces, Mexican silver dollars, gold and silver ingots, English gold sovereigns and sacks of silver and copper coins. Someone also brought along a huge quantity of almost worthless Confederate currency and bonds, which the tellers never listed as assets. They also did not count the value of a box of jewelry donated to the government by the ladies of Richmond.

Also aboard the train was $345,000 in gold that represented the assets of the Richmond banks and was accompanied by bank officers. Oddly enough, some Cabinet officers took with them large amounts of U.S. Greenbacks, their salaries for several months. Official Treasury assets alone totaled about $500,000.

Thus, we know that when the train left Richmond shortly after midnight, it carried about $845,000 in valuable metals. Watching over it was a confidential secretary to Davis, Capt. Micajah H. Clark, who kept detailed records of disbursements.

During the week at Danville, Treasury tellers exchanged silver coins for Confederate currency at the rate of $1 coin for $70 in bills. This and other expenses reduced the Treasury assets to $327,022.90. At Greensboro, N.C., Davis ordered Clark to pay out $39,000 in coin to Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to meet his payroll.

It was there that Davis and his party separated from the rest of the group and headed for Charlotte by wagon and horseback. Clark transferred $35,000 in gold sovereigns to the president's wagon to pay expenses along the route.

At Charlotte, Clark stored the remaining $253,022.90 in a secure building while Davis tried to reorganize his government. Those efforts failed when it was learned that President Lincoln had been assassinated and the Union military had been ordered to arrest Davis and his associates.

The Confederate president and his party left with a 50-soldier escort. The Treasury wagons followed a different route, with 2,000 troops as guards. Both groups would shrink as they moved south.

At Abbeville, S.C., soldiers began to leave en masse, and the stop at Washington, Ga., saw an almost total disintegration of the Confederate parties. Clark handled disbursements with his usual coolness. Davis appointed him acting treasurer of the Confederate States as he paid out $108,322.90.

That left $144,700 on hand. Incredibly, Davis still hoped to set up a new government in Texas and asked various officials to take money for that purpose. He also ordered two officers named Tidball and Semple to carry $86,000 to Europe. No one knows what happened to them.

Then began the period when Union troops moved toward Washington, Ga., intent on collecting the reward for the capture of Davis. Scouts warned Davis and Clark, who hurriedly paid out the remainder of the Treasury funds to the hundreds of soldiers due back pay. Davis then asked Clark to take back the remaining gold in his wagons and head for Florida. From that money, Clark paid out $9,800 to the president's staff officers as they departed.

Davis soon was captured near Sandersville, Ga., while Clark and his party moved on to the plantation of Sen. David Yulee near Gainesville, Fla. Back at Washington, Ga., Union soldiers stole the jewelry donated by the ladies of Richmond and terrorized the town in their search for Rebel gold.

In Florida, Clark was forced to give the remainder of the gold to Capt. Watson Van Benthuysen, head of Jefferson Davis' Elite Guard. Clark was officially relieved of further responsibility for the funds as the captain first "set aside" $6,500 for Mrs. Davis and her children.

He then divided the rest among the nine men still with the party. Each, including Clark, got $2,000. Two soldiers received $250 each. The captain's last payments were $20 each to the five black servants who had served the president very well. The men then scattered. (Clark settled in Tennessee, where he waited until 1882 before revealing that he still had his vouchers and receipts.)

Back in Georgia, the Richmond bankers tried to get home with the $345,000 in gold coins entrusted to them, but they were attacked by marauders who stole $250,000. The banks later sued the federal government for negligence in failing to provide military escorts. The case dragged on until 1893, when an appeals court awarded them $17,000.

Meanwhile, the Davis family was in desperate need in Canada and asked Van Benthuysen for the $6,500 set aside for it. So far as is known, he sent only $1,500, with no explanation. If Clark ever found out, he probably was outraged.]
​

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Big Cypress,

I posted these two posts back in 2005:
_____________________________________

Dec 2005

Re: Swamp Gold

Gentlemen,

Each time I venture into the discussions of Confederate Treasure, I find myself rereading A.J. Hanna's "Flight Into Oblivion". Chapter II is called "Confederate Gold" and gives a pretty good account of how much they actually had........and what happened to it.

​

cactusjumper, I read your post back in 2005 but its kinda irrevelent because its a different legend. I dont believe the legend has anything to do with A.J. Hanna's "Flight Into Oblivion" . Does this book mention cattle gold? I know its a lot to read but we pretty much believe the legend is based on cattle gold money and Riley was a blockade runner that we have proven smuggled cattle out of Punta Gorda and paid in gold. Cattle that was bought in Florida to feed the Confederacy.

Thanks for posting.

Do you think there is anything in this book on cattle gold?

​

 

[ECS]

... we pretty much believe the legend is based on cattle gold money and Riley was a blockade runner that we have proven smuggled cattle out of Punta Gorda and paid in gold. Cattle that was bought in Florida to feed the Confederacy.




​

Florida,during the War of Northern Agression,has been neglected in many Civil War history books except for a few battles that are mentioned as an afterthought.Florida was a supplier of beef,salt,whiskey,etc to the Confederacy,and payment was made in gold or silver specie,be it US, British,French,Mexican,Cuban,or Spanish.Florida was also the escape route for Jefferson Davis and members of the CSA Cabinet.
I believe,the Union fort at FORT MEYERS and the Confederate fort at FORT MEADE are critical elements to the swamp gold legend,as well as the "Cow Calvary',the blockade runners,and the cattlemen "crackers" of south Florida.
I do have my doubts about the 1/2 ton of gold,50lbs is closer to a beef payment,and deep in the Everglades is also in question.
I also doubt that men,under pursuit and heavy fire,would have time to bury treasure,or that the Union soldiers that pursued with a firefight would not have found freshly dug ground.
Many parts of the legend do not hold up to logical analysis.
...but,...​

 

[Bigdogdad]

I guess i can't stay away. As a former member of the army I have experience in digging holes while in a hurry and it is not very hard to camoflage a freshly dug hole. 1000 pounds of gold if somewhat solid would take up less than a 1 cubic foot area. Of course it would not be in a solid cube as it would be hard to deal with. My point is that 1000 pounds is not a huge amount by volume. As stories always tend to be changed over time 1000 could be 100 or even 10. Who knows? The location of the "Cloud Mountain" site was very near the old trails. I think Ovid was using info from the old books to begin his search and the supposed gold he led me to could be from any source. It is all speculation. The one thing I believe was that he had the ability to find things that were lost or hidden.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

For what it worth its easy enough to hide something in the Everglades region which would have started anywhere south of the Calloosahatchee River. Simply dig into the sand and cover it with vegetation or cram it into a tree stump or solution hole if they made it far enough south into the rocky area. It wouldnt be very deep.


In the dry season you could drive a car in some areas. I have a picture somewhere of 5 Ramblers rusting away deep in the swamp. Gator hunters and fence post collectors used ox carts.

Also we dont know if they were being pursued under heavy fire. Thats probably an embellishment. They were possibly days ahead of the pursuers if any pursuers at all. They may have simply buried it and lost it. Its easy to set your rifle down and lose it and I know people that have lost their ATVs.,. Its true. I know a guy that found a flintlock in plain view and another a sword.


That is not the problem. The problem is the inability to find documentation..

Nobody told you to stay away BDD.

 

[Bigdogdad]

I stayed away on my own. I was putting too much info on here and I was also tired of the negativity. I also accomplished what I wanted from this thread.

If I was looking for documentation that there is probably gold buried in the Everglades, I have seen plenty on this thread. As I have stated many times I don't think you will ever find anything in writing that will tell you exactly where to dig for treasure. Of course it is possible. If this documentation did exist someone would have probably already used it to dig up any valubles. Also so much has changed in the last 150 years that most landmarks are gone. If it were in the remains of a Fort it might be different and that would be your best bet.

I usually think outside the box. I will use any means available to try to find where to dig for the treasures. You have to have the cooperation of any landowner of property you want to search and dig on. I suppose you could do it by sneaking, but this is not the approach I choose.