What if in summer of 1863 a vessel was discovered in the Chesapeake Bay carrying smuggled bullion and coinage from Richmond en route to NYC?

Pudnhead

Cadet
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
The shipment was tracked and ultimately headed for a port in England and then to France to be deposited in a bank. It was determined that the shipment had been arranged by Judah P Benjamin without the knowledge of any other Confederate official. Would such a discovery been believed in the South? What if anything would Jefferson Davis have done? The possibility of this happening is a hundredfold when we consider the vast amounts of money that passed through the hands of Judah Benjamin, he retained at the end of the war still some bullion, he left the main party of the cabinet prior to them crossing the Savannah into Georgia--his name is not included on the attached picture though he was a cabinet member, he never was captured, and he escaped and hid out in France and England until the trial of John Surratt ended in a hung jury(not a verdict of innocence or not guilty). It is said that he suddenly appeared in society with lots of money.
DSC_0091 1865 Confederate Monument Wilkes County Last Meeting of Cabinet.JPG
 
We all need to keep in mind that this is a "What if?" thread.
 
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