Confederate Gold and Dibrell's Brigade

[Nathanb1]

Who just posted something (in the last few days) about an ancestor with Dibrell and what happened to the Confederate gold? I have something you may be interested in. Sorry it took a while for the slow cogs in my tiny brain to grind out the information!

 

[sf46]

It wasn't me, but I 'm curious, what do you have?

 

[Nathanb1]

This, from my favorite old veteran, William Sutton Gattis:

PICKET SHOTS

FROM ALERT COMRADES ALONG THE WHOLE LINE

The Rebel Gold
W.S. Gattis, Co.K, 4th Tennessee Cavalry (Confederate), Waldrip, Texas, says that if the National Tribune will permit one from the other side to tell what he knows about the Confederate gold he will do so. He was a member of Co.K, 4th Tennessee Cavalry Dibrell's Brigade, Chalmer's Division, Forrest's Corps. Their brigade was detailed to escort President Davis from Greensboro, N.C. to the Rio Grande. They stayed with Davis as long as he could travel publicly. When they got to Washington, Georgia, Davis divided the money that he had carried with him from the Confederate Treasury at Richmond and gave each man $26, $21 in silver, and $5 in gold. Mr. Gattis says that three wagons disappeared one night, and that none of the boys knew where they went or what they took with them. The money that they got was carried in a little cherry chest, nicely varnished and with brass hinges and locks. Other soldiers got some of the money, but not as much as they did. He was paroled on May 9, 1865, at Washington, Georgia. He would like to inquire of some of the Ohio soldiers who were captured at the bridge on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in January, 1865, regarding that incident. He remembers Lt. Wagner, Sgt. Bailey and John Bailey. He has forgotten their regiment but remembers that they were jolly fellows. He also remembers Baldy Hollows, whom he took to a well one cold morning for him to take a bath. He would like to hear from any of the boys, and says that he is a constant reader of The National Tribune, and that he enjoys the stories of the boys who fought against him immensely. He says we are all now living under the same Old Glory, and that the facts as they happened offend no one.
-- THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, June 9, 1910 "My father used to get a big laugh out of telling of the time that his Company roped the cabbages out of the farmer's patch. The Company of cavalry had come across this cabbage patch and had asked for some of the vegetables from the farmer, but he refused. Then one of the soldiers asked is they could have all they could reach from the fence. It being a rail fence and the rows of vegetables not being very close to it, the farmer saw nothing he could loose and gave his consent. The men unlimbered their lariat ropes and lassoed cabbages by the potful." --Grover Turner Gattis

 

[Nathanb1]

Some additional from his site:

At the age of seventeen, in the fall of 1864, William Sutton Gattis volunteered in the Confederate Army and served during the Civil War in Company K, 4th Tennessee Cavalry, Debrill's Brigade until the end of the war. He did not receive a discharge from this military service. He said that he and his comrades in arms were merely told to go home after the surrender. These facts are from the "Widow's Application for Confederate Pension" filed on July 28, 1931, by Quilla Gattis, and of record in the Confederate Application File in the Texas State Library, Archives Division, Austin, Texas. "I was a private soldier in Company K 4th Tenn Reg of Caldy(sic) inlisted(sic) in the last year of the war. Was in too (sic) Regular Ingagements Franklin Tennessee in November 1864, next at Nashville, Tennessee, December 1864." - handwritten note by William Sutton Gattis

 

[TerryB]

I've been reading up on this, and there may be some Mexican dollars (silver) buried around Danville. But it's on govt land and no way anyone can dig for it. I also have seen many pension claims from Dibrell's men who said that they were "payrolled" at Washington, Ga. I thought was a misspelling of paroled, but I've discovered that the specie was used to pay the troops along that line of retreat.

 

[Nathanb1]

I've been reading up on this, and there may be some Mexican dollars (silver) buried around Danville. But it's on govt land and no way anyone can dig for it. I also have seen many pension claims from Dibrell's men who said that they were "payrolled" at Washington, Ga. I thought was a misspelling of paroled, but I've discovered that the specie was used to pay the troops along that line of retreat.

I just realized yesterday that someone was discussing this, and here it was. Interesting that many guys reported it. Love the description of the chest!

 

[donna]

If any are interested the History Channel has "Brad Meltzer's Decoded: Confederate Gold" on at 10 p.m. tonight (Dec. 30th). We are going to watch it.

 

[Nathanb1]

If any are interested the History Channel has "Brad Meltzer's Decoded: Confederate Gold" on at 10 p.m. tonight (Dec. 30th). We are going to watch it.

Oh good. Maybe John Wilkes Booth is buried with it

(Thank you, Donna. I'll try to stay up for it!)

 

[Nathanb1]

9 p.m. Central Time.

 

[Nathanb1]

Here we go!

 

[Nathanb1]

Mr. Gattis went to Arkansas after the war. Just sayin'.....

 

[Nathanb1]

Several of my students have AK-47s. They go turkey hunting with them.

 

[Nathanb1]

OMG. Sailor's Creek--Sayler's Creek---Saylor's Creek......tomayto, tomahto. Leave, people. (The guys at the museum and bank are very interesting, however.)

These folks are so polite. But I guess they're being paid for it.

 

[Nathanb1]

Massive fail. I think I'll stick with Mr. Gattis.

 

[prroh]

OMG. Sailor's Creek--Sayler's Creek---Saylor's Creek......tomayto, tomahto. Leave, people. (The guys at the museum and bank are very interesting, however.)

These folks are so polite. But I guess they're being paid for it.

The creek is spelled in maps as Saylor's Creek but the VA state park, from the 1930s spells it as Sailor's Creek. For this expert to be mystified by the two common spellings , mystifies me.

Didn't Raphael Semmes also have a train of naval midshipmen who were also guarding gold and maybe silver? If I remember the article in Civil War Times Semmes gave up the move and divided the money up amongst the escort. I forget where he was at the time.

 

[J DAVID PETRUZZI]

I recorded the episode and just watched it. Yep, the Saylor's/Sailor's/Sayler's Creek thingy is about as common as dirt. Even locals spelled it different ways back then. That was a complete non-starter.

Is there missing treasure? Seems to be. It may be in little pieces, one huge cache, or maybe it's already been disseminated through the years by people who originally stole it, inherited it, found it.

Or maybe I'm sitting on it right now. But I won't tell

J.D.

 

[TerryB]

The creek is spelled in maps as Saylor's Creek but the VA state park, from the 1930s spells it as Sailor's Creek. For this expert to be mystified by the two common spellings , mystifies me.

Didn't Raphael Semmes also have a train of naval midshipmen who were also guarding gold and maybe silver? If I remember the article in Civil War Times Semmes gave up the move and divided the money up amongst the escort. I forget where he was at the time.

Some of those middies were as young as 12. Not much of a guard force.

 

[TerryB]

I gotta admit that the two good ole boys didn't inspire much confidence. I guess if you go out with a metal detector and go to the right places with it, sooner or later you will turn up some old coins.

 

[Nathanb1]

I'm pretty sure there's a "ghost shape" on my magnolia tree. Excuse me while I go out in the yard and draw lines.

 

[ole]

I gotta admit that the two good ole boys didn't inspire much confidence. I guess if you go out with a metal detector and go to the right places with it, sooner or later you will turn up some old coins.

Ummmmmm, TerryB, that's good ol' boys.