Vast Confederate Treasure

[Mountain Man]

I grew up in Colonial Beach, Virginia USA (http://www.colonialbeachva.net/) where as a child I spoke with a 100+ year old guy who remembers the Confederate boats tying up at the pier and marching through town. Later the "Bluecoats" (Union soldiers) did the same.

In the 1970's, a College of William and Mary (http://www.wm.edu/) History Professor led groups of students to Colonial Beach each summer looking for a vast horde of gold & silver hidden there as the Confederates hastily retreated.

To my knowledge, these expeditions failed to uncover any of the supposed vast horde.

Does anyone know anything about this treasure that the professor and his students were seeking?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[kydave]

I think that would be the big Confederate treasure that's buried in Danville Va. . Seems some treasure hunters know it's there but can't get permission to dig because of the location or something.

 

[Albert Osborn]

This treasure is no different than all the
others buried in this country and others.
It's called a KGC depository. That is a
good example of a rumor that has gone
wild.

Howso

 

[AnOldPro]

A treasure hidden by retreating Confederates almost certainly would NOT be a KGC depository.

The KGC depositories... at least all of the big ones... were hidden by EX-Confederates specifically belonging to the organization called THE KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE... AFTER the Civil War was over and were carefully and extensively prepared.... not hidden in a hurry by soldiers under the immediate stress of probable death or capture. The number of KGC Confederate soldiers was just a tiny fraction of all those who served in the Confederate Army.

While it is certainly true that there were a number of caches hidden by the Confederacy in the final days of the war the great majority did not directly involve the KGC. There are indications, however, that many of these caches were later located by KGC members, dug up and moved to some of their previously established major depositories.

AnOldPro

 

[cptbil]

OldPro;
Can you give me some actual records/names/places, etc mentioning "The KGC"
I have access to over 900 books (Factual Information/Records) concerning The Civil War
I cannot find a single reference to them 8)

 

[gldhntr]

bill....you might try researching the court proceedings involving f stidger....or the abraham lincoln papers collection...or the national archives,,,,,or the many records available in several depositories in texas,,,,or the official records of the war of the rebellion,,, or the transcripts available online of the kgc raliegh nc convention, held by bickley,, or the southern society historical collections papers...all of these sources along with many others reference the kgc, in the 1800s, not someones opinion of what they might or might not have been.......todd hall

 

[JCRIII]

Hi Mountain Man,

This is just a little of the story below. If you go to http://southernsentinel.wordpress.com/the-lost-confederate-treasure/That tells the whole story. I live in Danville VA where train set over night. Thegold, silver coins, bullion, and a substantial amount of fine jewelry was lastseen. I think this may be the story you are talking about.

JCRIII

=====================================

The facts seem simple enough: On April 2, 1865 theUnion Army faced tattered and battle-weary Confederate soldiers defendingRichmond, Virginia under the overall command of General Robert E. Lee.Realizing that his lines could not hold and that the fall of the Confederatecapital was imminent, General Lee sent an urgent message to President JeffersonDavis that the government must evacuate or face certain capture. Late thatnight a special train carrying the President and Members of the ConfederateCabinet departed Richmond for Danville, Virginia. Although the news was bleak,it was the hope of all on board that the struggle could be continued.



Shortly after midnight a second train departed theRichmond station following the fleeing government south. On board were all thehard currency reserves of the Confederate States of America guarded by a groupof young midshipmen from the Confederate Navy who had scuttled their vessel inthe James River. Amongst the official records of the Confederacy were many—somesay hundreds—of crates and barrels containing gold and silver coins, bullion,and a substantial amount of fine jewelry donated to the Cause by women acrossthe South. In addition there was more than $450,000 in gold from Richmond bankreserves, taken to keep it from falling into the hands of the invading Yankees.



By the end of the day on April 3, 1865 Richmond lay inashes as occupying Federal troops had fanned out across the city looking forstragglers. Over the ensuing weeks, Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant atAppomattox Courthouse, Lincoln was assassinated, and the dwindling band ofConfederate fugitives continued to work their way south, hoping to escape westbeyond the Mississippi, or perhaps overseas to Cuba or Britain. When JeffersonDavis and his ragged group were finally captured by members of the FourthMichigan Calvary near Irwinville in south Georgia on May 10th they had only afew dollars in their possession. The fabled riches of the vast “ConfederateTreasure” were not to be found.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Hi Mountain Man,

This is just a little of the story below. If you go to http://southernsentinel.wordpress.com/the-lost-confederate-treasure/That tells the whole story. I live in Danville VA where train set over night. Thegold, silver coins, bullion, and a substantial amount of fine jewelry was lastseen. I think this may be the story you are talking about.

JCRIII

=====================================

The facts seem simple enough: On April 2, 1865 theUnion Army faced tattered and battle-weary Confederate soldiers defendingRichmond, Virginia under the overall command of General Robert E. Lee.Realizing that his lines could not hold and that the fall of the Confederatecapital was imminent, General Lee sent an urgent message to President JeffersonDavis that the government must evacuate or face certain capture. Late thatnight a special train carrying the President and Members of the ConfederateCabinet departed Richmond for Danville, Virginia. Although the news was bleak,it was the hope of all on board that the struggle could be continued.



Shortly after midnight a second train departed theRichmond station following the fleeing government south. On board were all thehard currency reserves of the Confederate States of America guarded by a groupof young midshipmen from the Confederate Navy who had scuttled their vessel inthe James River. Amongst the official records of the Confederacy were many—somesay hundreds—of crates and barrels containing gold and silver coins, bullion,and a substantial amount of fine jewelry donated to the Cause by women acrossthe South. In addition there was more than $450,000 in gold from Richmond bankreserves, taken to keep it from falling into the hands of the invading Yankees.



By the end of the day on April 3, 1865 Richmond lay inashes as occupying Federal troops had fanned out across the city looking forstragglers. Over the ensuing weeks, Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant atAppomattox Courthouse, Lincoln was assassinated, and the dwindling band ofConfederate fugitives continued to work their way south, hoping to escape westbeyond the Mississippi, or perhaps overseas to Cuba or Britain. When JeffersonDavis and his ragged group were finally captured by members of the FourthMichigan Calvary near Irwinville in south Georgia on May 10th they had only afew dollars in their possession. The fabled riches of the vast “ConfederateTreasure” were not to be found.

AND! There is THIS! Confederate Treasure Coverup

 

[Killedseth]

Now I wonder how colonial beach tues into this whole thing?

 

[Sully2013]

I found this about the "USS Stepping Stone" at
USS Stepping Stones (1861) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In March 1865, less than a month before Robert E. Lee surrendered, Stepping Stones was in a naval expedition up Mattox Creek to Colonial Beach, Virginia, where the Union ships attacked a supply base for Confederate guerrillas operating on the peninsula between that river and the Potomac River."

 

[Bum Luck]

One thing I've noticed is that gold is hardly ever "lost". It seems to find its way to someone, or vice versa.

There is a rumor of a Confederate ship that dumped chain-bound chests off of Door County Wisconsin. Now, you gotta ask yourself, just how in heck would a Confederate ship get to Lake Michigan? And why?

 

[Bum Luck]

In Yankee country, with no escape?

 

[releventchair]

In Yankee country, with no escape?

Check into Canada during the civil war. Those there that supported the South had their reasons. Around 40,000 of them fought in the war.
Annexation by the U.S.had been a long standing threat and no less during war time as there were figures(war hawks) in Washington that would have been willing to pursue it.
Heck, even conditions in Ireland were affecting people there, and potential was real of people going there which they did after the war to try to pressure Britain through raids to free Ireland though unsuccessful..
Depending on the craft ,the waterways gave options to go North, South or East.Well West too if small craft and hard work.
Them old trade routes were still known.
Chests of gold? I don't know. Yet some funds going to Canada would be expected.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

One thing I've noticed is that gold is hardly ever "lost". It seems to find its way to someone, or vice versa.

There is a rumor of a Confederate ship that dumped chain-bound chests off of Door County Wisconsin. Now, you gotta ask yourself, just how in heck would a Confederate ship get to Lake Michigan? And why?

LOL! Capt. JOHN YATES BEALE/BEALL, CSA; CSA Privateer on the Great Lakes...

 

[Rebel - KGC]

In Yankee country, with no escape?

Capt. John Yates Beale/Beall, CSA; CSA Privateer. Escape to Canada was the "plan"...

 

[Rebel - KGC]

YEP! Got the SAME info! JWB was from the Baltimore, Md. CASTLE (Lodge) of COPPERHEADS (PEACE Democrats), "linked" to Knights of Golden Circle/CSA (KGC/CSA; ALL for STATE(S) RIGHTS! Hold on to yer LINCOLN Penny... look it over REAL good; Copper; Lincoln is "Head"...
COPPERHEAD!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

They made the penny out of copper back to the late 1790's. How could a Lincoln head and a copper penny become a "copperhead?" It was copper when they had the Indian Head on the penny and even on the large penny.

Symbolism for those "times"... CONFEDERATE WAR.

 

[releventchair]

'The name Copperhead and Butternut, first came into use in 1861 and it depended on which side you were, as to meaning. If you were a Union sympathizer it was likened to the Copperhead snake that struck without warring, and the Butternut wood was so soft it was useless. If you were a Southern sympathizer, the head cut out of a copper penny indicated freedom, and a butternut cut in half showed two perfectly shaped hearts joined together which could not be separated either by law or war.'

Copperhead Activities