Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-11
A RELIC OF THE CONFEDERACY.
A GIeans Of Light Upon the History of
EVenIfuI Times;

EFentIuI TnmeSs
A gentleman has handed the
editor of the San Francisco Bal-
letin the "stub" Of draft
book used by the Secretary of
the Treasury of the Confederacy,
which shows in brief the larger part
of the original transactions during
the existence of the Rebel power.
1t was found after the fall of Rich
mond, and is preserved as q curious
relic of the past.
The first entry is dated 2Sth Of
May, 1861, and is for the modest
sum of $4,000 on the Canal Bank
Of New Orleans. The next is dated
June z, 1861, and is a draft for
$4,000 on the Louisiana State
Bank, payable to the order of A. J.
CARROT, Assistant Treasurer. By
this time the financial system had
been fully brought into operation.
These drafts extend over a period
from the date above mentioned 10
August, 1864 the last regular draft
having been drawn on the Sd Of
that month. There is a memoran-
dunn of q draft drawn as late as
October 3, 1854. This draft is
drawn payable to the order of nj.
Hall, Dep, at Marshal, Texas 1t
is addressed to E. Z. Gilmore, Jr.,
Richmond, Virginia, and is sup
posed to have been drawn fer Post
office purposes. A note in the same
handwriting reads as follows
Authority Endorsed on the draft TO
pay r. A. Mathews, to affect the
transfer under contract of Mathews
and Ewell with the Treasury De-
partment, but at the risk and eX-
pense of the Postofice Department. "
Without footing up all the margi-
nal sums we should Judge that
$500, 100000 were represented in
this book. Many of the drafts are
as large as 81, 10000 and some even
reach the amount of S10,000,000.
There are many small drafts for
coin, but these rarely exceed SIC, 900,
and most of them were under $ 900.
As a specimen of Confederate book
keeping, we should not rank this
account book very high. The orig
inal entries are frequently defaced,
and written over with new indOrse-
ment, 50 that it is not easy to make
out the exact character of the orig
inal transaction. In some places
! there are memoranda showing either
| that the draft had been sold for gold,
or that it had been drawn, payable
in that way. Such drafts are usually
drawn on repositories in Localities
where there was rebel custom
house, and where blockade runners
had paid duties in gold. Nearly all
the specie mentioned in these drafts
appears to have been derived from
these sources. The right arm If
the Confederacy was the blockade
runners.
In the latter days of the Confed-
eracy, Frazer, Trenholm Il Co, fig
ured as bankers and depositaries at
Liverpool. Most of the late drafts
on this house are for small amounts,
payable in gold, and appear to have
been used to pay diplomatic sala-
Fies. The latest of these were drawn
| in August, 1864, when it was all up
with the Confederacy. 1t is not a
little significant that when it was
evident that the cause was lost there
was a desperate raid upon this draft
bank. As late as July, 1864, we
find draft No. SOB, drawn for So
100000, on w. Y. Leach, Assistant
Treasurer at Columbia, $. C., paya,
BILE to the order of f. G. ElmOre
Confederate Treasurer, although
there is nothing TO indicate where
that official might be found at thai
particular time.
On draft No. pa, drawn by the
Confederate Treasurer for SlO9, 600
( on Johr Boston, Deputy, at Savan
nah, Ga, is the Endorsement, Pay
able in bonds secured on sequestra
bon account" This sort of paper
no doubt, commanded a premium
The security was the coHfscate'
, property of Northern men who, re
fusing to be Rebels, were forced t
= leave the country.
Frazer, Trenholm & Co, Liver
} | pool, figure in the draft-book as ear
iy as December 20, 1861. In on
f place they are designated as Hon
\ Dep If those tinanciers dldn
n make any money out of the Reb'
e concern, let them not forget th
f honor of having figured so Target
d in this connection. They did the
best, no doubt; and if they al
# stuck with a pile of Confederai
,o+as and bonds thp naDer mills {