The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-12-14
Soloitrs' Budget.
The Confederate Treasury.

The Confederate Treasury.
DR.. c. r. G. Todd of Barnwell. S. c..
a distinguished surgeon of the confede-
rate army and brother-in law of Abra-
ham Lincoln, as well as connection by
marriage with the Breckenridge family
in Kentucky, during his younger days
was thrown with Abraham Lincoln.
who married his sister. Thus by fam
| lily ties and by association, he is closely
connected with Breckenridge and Lin
coin, who were both presidential can
didates in 1860.
DR.. Todd was in charge of the con-
federate hospital at Charleston under
General Hardee, and was with the
party of the fugitivesconfederat ca |,
net when 1t disbanded. He describes
the division of the last money of the
confederate treasury "a matter of
much discussion in the newspapers a
few years ago.
"a good deal has been said about
it," said he, " but so far as | know no
description of it is on record | was
there in the room when the money was
paid out and saw the whole procet ding.
Indeed, l am partly responsible for the
division of it at the time. | had been
with the soldiers coming down and I
heard the Kentucky and Virginia troops
saying they were going to have some of
the money or have blood. | told Breck-
inridge, who was the secretary of war,
what l had heard, and said that there
might be rioting and bloodshed.
"'There may be rioting,' said he,
but no bloodshed.' l then suggested
to him the propriety of division of the
money among the soldiers, and he re-
piled: We will see about it, In the
party there was the confederate cabi-
net and the officers of the four bril-
gades of troops which were with us when
we crossed the Savannah river. We
had the last money of the confederate
treasury-S70, 900 in gold and silver,
besides some gold belonging to the
Bank of Richmond. The money was
in charge of Colonel Morgan, a brother
of the famous John Morgan. We
crossed the Savannah river on pom
toons and went on the road to Wash
ington, GA. When we had gone two
miles from the river we stopped at a
log cabin on the south side OF the road,
and there the $4,000 was paid out
Mr.. Davis had gone on about four miles
ahead of us with his staff.
in the cabin were John c.. Breckin-
ridge, secretary of war; Judah B. Ben
iamiu, who looked as scared as the
devil and appeared to be panic stricken;
General Bragg, the commander Of the
four byigades, and Colonel Morgan, who
had charge of the money.
The division was made by caucus
of the men. Those present we.
Vaughn's, De Brell's, Basil Dukes and
Humphrey Marshall's brigades. Mar
shall was then under arrest, and his
brigade was in charge of Colonel W.
C. p. Breckenridge. The census of the
soldiers was the reverse Of Porter's.
Some of the brigades returned fictitious
names in order to get more money
The division was S26. 25 for each man,
officers and common soldiers faring
alike. Some of them, by stuffing the
census, got as much as S36 a head.
Divide 900 by 264 and you will see
how many (2,666 men) were returned
by the census of the four brigades. In
the paying out we finally came to keg
of silver ingots-pieces three by four
inches square. They opened box Of
gold belonging to the Bank of Rich.
mond. 1t was about eighteen inches
long and ten or twelve inches wide, and
contained purses of gold. They made
a rough estimate of the value of that
gold and of the keg of silver and ex-
changed them. In that way got some
gold. Then they carried the Bank of
Richmond money to the bank at Wash
ington, Ga, and deposited it. They
took none of it, except little box, for
which they substituted the keg of silver
ingots. While the money was being
divided out Colonel Morgan paid a
man So an hour to guard it. When we
got through Morgan took the remaining
money and drove it away in the dark.
Thence it landed in the bank at Wash
ington, Ga. | know only by hearsay,
but am satisfied that the information
was correct, that the Bank of Richmond
sent for this money and on its way the
men guarding it were attacked by ma
rauders The guard was temporarily
dispersed and The marauders got some
of the money before they were driven
off. "-Atldnta Constitution