Greenbacks in the confederacy

[atlantis]

Were greenbacks[US dollars] treated as legal tender in the confederacy? Could you pay taxes to confederate gov't using greenbacks for example.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I don't know anything about paying taxes to CSA but I've read enough diaries to know that by late in the war, even Sesech families wouldn't take payment for meals or laundry services unless it was in greenbacks.

 

[JohnW.]

I don't know anything about paying taxes to CSA but I've read enough diaries to know that by late in the war, even Sesech families wouldn't take payment for meals or laundry services unless it was in greenbacks.

Either greenbacks or even much more preferred....specie

 

[civilken]

you bring up a very interesting question I've often wondered about that. And what they did with United States currency Wood it be considered treasonous to be using your enemies money. Did they ever confiscate it and have it changed for silver or gold.

 

[2nd Dragoon]

Our local Civil War Round Table had a guest speaker talk about Greenbacks and how the US government had hired individuals to forge Greenback and then sent the forged currency to the states in rebellion to further disrupt their monetary system... an interesting topic.

 

[DaveBrt]

Naturally, the Confederacy wanted everyone in its country to use its money, so a program was set up to buy greenbacks for CS dollars. The program was initially successful, as was the newspapers shaming businesses that refused to accept CS money. As the war began to go badly, sales to the Government essentially ceased.

However, the Government's need for greenbacks had soared. Every method of collecting them was tried, including robbing Federal paymasters on several occasions. Major Mason Morfit was assigned by the QM General to purchase greenbacks from POWs for all the Government's requirements in October 1864. The Government's requirements at that time including buying goods (mostly food and medicine) through the lines from various sources.