The siege of Petersburg had finally ended with Grant breaking through Lee’s lines on April 2, 1865. The Confederates were routed and the Army of Northern was retreating west in an attempt to unite with Johnston’s army in North Carolina. Part of Grant’s army was headed toward Richmond, which was now completely undefended. On the night of April 2nd two trains hurriedly left Richmond for Danville, VA. On the first were Jefferson Davis and other government officials and their families, along with records and documents of the Confederacy. On the second train were the holdings of the Confederate Treasury along with the reserves and assets of six Richmond banks. The goal was to get the gold and silver as far south as possible and keep it out of Federal hands. Traveling by a combination of railroads and wagons under military guard they would make their way through rural North and South Carolina to Washington, Georgia on April 17th.

The bank clerks were careful to keep their funds separate along the journey. Banker J.J. Robertson placed both groups of funds into the vault of a Bank of Georgia branch there. The next day the money was on the move again this time by rail to Augusta, GA. When the local military commander there would not take responsibility for the money and it was learned that the Confederacy had surrendered, the train returned to Washington, GA. There the two groups of funds were separated with the bank’s portion remaining in Washington in the Bank of Georgia, while the Confederate Treasury funds headed back north toward Abbeville, SC where they hoped to intercept Jefferson Davis who was headed in that direction. The wagon train met up with Davis and his guard, General John C. Vaughn’s Tennessee Cavalry, on May 2nd. Both Davis and the wagon train rode back to Washington, GA where the Confederate Treasury funds were disbursed among the large military escort. The funds from the banks remained in the vault at the Bank of Georgia, a total of about $425,000 in gold and silver.

Now that the war was over a wagon train with the bank’s gold left Washington, GA on May 24th to return to Richmond. The Union Army escort was only 7 men, 2 sergeants and 5 privates from the 4th Iowa cavalry. They made 18 miles the first day and camped either on the David Moss property or on the Reverend Dionysius Chenault’s plantation three miles from the pontoon bridge over the Savannah River. The wagon train was robbed around midnight by about 20-armed men that claimed to be from the 7th and 8th regiments of the Federal TN cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel Brownlow. The men were actually members of Confederate General Vaughn’s Brigade. They thought the wagons full of gold were from the Confederate Treasury, justifying their actions by the fact that they had not been paid for months.

About $250,000 in gold and silver coins were taken. The money was so heavy that much of it had to be hidden in trees, ponds and gullies to be claimed later when the commotion regarding the robbery died down. About $40,000 was scattered around the ground where the robbery occurred and was gathered up by servants when they arrived in the fields for their morning work. The bank clerks William F. Taylor and J. H. Weiseger returned to Washington, GA to report the theft, while the rest of the wagon train with about $200,000 that the robbers could not carry off headed toward Abbeville, SC. A reward of $5000 and a 10% recovery fee were offered for any funds that were returned.

The clerks sought the help of General E.P. Alexander who had recently returned to his home in Washington from Virginia. Alexander, five or six ex-Confederate soldiers, and Judge William Reese went to Danburg where they met one of the bank clerks. They recruited seven or eight citizens to join them. Together they arrested five or six raiders. When informed that the money that was taken belonged to private citizens and not the Confederate Treasury, they agreed to return it. Alexander recovered $70,000 from the raiders, in addition to the $40,000 that was found by the plantation workers. The Federal government claimed the $110,000 as spoils of war. A U.S. Court of claims eventually returned $16,987.88 to the Richmond banks.

General Wild of the local Freedman’s Bureau was informed by a servant that some of the gold was hidden on the Chenault plantation. Wild and his men went to the plantation where they shot the family dog and hung three of the men up by their thumbs. Despite the severe torture the men denied having hidden any of the gold. When Wild’s behavior was brought to the attention of Major General James Steedmen in Augusta, he sent his Assistant Inspector General Captain Brayton to investigate. Wild was relieved from duty and sent to Washington, D.C. to face charges. Charges were never brought and Wild was discharged from the Army on January 15, 1866.

The name of the road that ran past the Moss and Chenault plantation to the Savannah River, the Old Washington Road, was later changed to Graball Road. It has been speculated that the name was changed because of people trying to “grab all” the gold after the robbery. Over $100,000 of the bank’s money was never recovered. Although it has been speculated that it is buried somewhere in Wilkes County no gold has ever been found there since the end of the war.

The Lost Confederate Gold marker- link

Exhibits at the Washington Historical Museum related to the “Lost Confederate Gold- 308 East Robert Toombs Avenue.

Timeline- from the Washington Historical Museum (5 panels)

The Bank of Georgia Building no longer exists. The railing on the second floor balcony of this home was salvaged from the building.

The Mary Willis Library (204 East Liberty Street in Washington) has one of the trunks that once contained the Confederate gold on display in a small room. Inquire at the desk to gain access to the room.

Source

Graball Road by Bob Young