Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-11-07
GREAT GOLD FIND.
HOW A FEDERAL REGIMENT
WAS DEMORALIZED.
Unearthing $4,000 in Gold Hid
den by North Carolina Bank
Soldiers Secure and Hide
the Treasure

puSnlnB WeSLWdIu Dey Ouu ANoiOiSn, S"iN
General Sanderson to a youngstown
(Ohio) correspondent of the New York
World, " my regiment, the Tenth
Ohio Cavalry, being in advance, ar
rived in the village of Company Shops,
on the North Carolina Railroad, and
caaped for the night on the edge of the
town. With my staff l took possession
of house as joint tenants with the fam
lily, all ladies, who occupied it. Shortly
after Major Stratton, of my regiment,
came in bearing a specie-box stamped
Bank of Commerce of North Carolina,
and said that it, with other boxes con-
tanning specie, had been dug up by the
regiment.
"Officers were at once sent to ascertain
the extent of the find. II seemed clear
to me that the money belonged either to
that bank or the Government, and in no
sense to the finders. The discovery Of
the money seemed to demoralize the
regiment, and every one was using his
best endeavors to secure some Of the god
and silver. Some of the men were gone
for days before they rejoined their com
panies, and I do not believe hundred
men of the regiment slept that night.
THE amount of the money was after
ward ascertaincd to be S156, 900, 1t
was placed where it was found by officers
of the Bank Of Commerce, only a short
time before we arrived. 1t had been
taken from the vaults of the bank, placed
in boxes and conveyed in box-car to-
ward Goldsboro, but fearing that it
would fall into the hands of the Union
army they stopped the car at Company
Shops and the treasure was buried.in the
ground.
"The Union soldiers who had marche i
with Sherman to the sea and back north
ward through the Carolinas had become
adopts at discovering any disturbance Of
the surface of the ground, indicating the
burial place Of silverware and treasure,
which the owners in their hasty fight
could not carry along. Sometimes boxes
filled with imported china would be
found and used by the soldiers to n
bellish their rude tables on the green
sward, and when the order came to march
the rare china was thrown against trees
and caissons and broken in pieces. Con
federatcs who had money did not deem
it safe to carry it on their persons, and
would bury it, taking some trusted slave
into their confidence.
"On the evening when the money was
found member of Company X, before
he dismounted from his horse to 5ivouac,
thought he saw evidences OF something
having been recently planted, aud secur'
ing hatchet he began digging. Soon
he struck a specie box. Others had gath
cred around, and when he disclosed the
glittering 500 gold pieces there was q
lively scramble. To attract them away
from him he threw a shower Of gold
pieces in the air, and while the men were
scrambling for them he unearthed two
more boxes and ran into the woods to
secrete his valuable fnd. What followed
may be imagined. Every conceivable
means was resorted to to hide the gold.
The question Of transportation never had
been more serious during the whole war
than it then was to some of the men, who
had secured $4,000 to $4,000 each.
MANY rushed to the suffers tent, and
thou n gold was at heavy premium
they traded it for paper money, which
they could conveniently carry. Some of
the men buried their treasure and after
the war returned to Dixie and secured it.
Gas was expected, General Schofeld,
now Commander-in- Chief of the Army,
ordered an investigation, hoping to
secure the treasure and turn it over to
the Government, and the order was
issued to General Fitzpatrick, command
ing our division. Realizing the utter
impossibility of ever obtaining any im-
portant portion of the treasure then
widely scattered, he appointed an officer,
Captain L. NJ. Brink, who was impresse1 j
with the same views. Captain Brink re-
ported that none Of the money could be
recovered except that which had already
been placed in the hands Of General
Kilpatrick. The report was not salts
factory to General Schofeld, and while
was in Raleigh on my way North on
leave Of absence l received an order to
report to him, and revoking the leave OF
absence. obeyed the order and pre-
sented myself before General Schofeld
on Sunday.
''The interview was at first stormy anc
unpleasant. He declared that no Office
or private OF the Tenth Ohio Cavalry
would be permitted to leave North Caro-
lima until every dollar Of the treasure
was turned over. | related the finding
and scattering of the money, and saic
that the officers and privates who too
no part in it should not be held account
able, and that the money was now be
yond the reach of those who had frs
obtained it, most of it having beer
spent. His reply was that he would dis
grace the regiment by taking away it
colors, sending the men away to th'
Ill .lt