The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-18
HISTORY OF A GOLD PIECE.
Jefferson Davis Had 1t When Captured
and 1t Now Belongs to Gen. Church.

Jefferson Davis Had 1t When Captured
and 1t Now Belongs to Gen. Church.
1t was a noticeable fact in connection
with the recent exercises of the unwilling
and dedication of the General Hancock
statue that General Miles. commander-in-
chief of the army, who was IN command
of the military parade, made a decided
change of the personnel of his staff officers
for the occasion.
When the war closed General Miles was
in command of the First Division of the
Second Army Corps, which was COM
manded by General Hancock. OF the half
dozen officers then composing General
Miles staff, four still survive, and these
were present to ia Ike part in the statue I'M
yelling ceremonies. One came all the
way from North Dakota, another from
Michigan, the third from Ohio, and the
fourth from New York, and they had not
all been together before for twenty-fv
years.
When making up list of those who
should compose his staff for the occasion
General Miles paid a very graceful tribute
to his old staff officers by announcing that
as president of the Society of the Second
Army Corps and the ranking officer under
General Hancock he felt that he would be
justified in choosing the few survivors of
his old staff, to the exclusion of his pres
ent staff. As consequence General Miles
marched on foot down Pennsylvania ave-
nue. with the four members of his former
staff at the head of the parade, as they had
so often marched or ridden on other far
more dangerous occasions more than thirty
years before.
General Nathan Church, the Michigan
representative of the quartet of old staff
officers who rose from captain to colonel
of the famous Twenty-sixth Michigan,
and then to assistant Acknowledgement
and chief of staff under General Miles,
showed with much pride while in Wash
ington So gold piece that has wonder
full history. When General Church's
regiment was to be mustered out in 1865.
General Miles requested the War Depart
ment to allow him to retain his chief of
staff in the service, which request was
granted, and for six months after his regi-
ment had gone home, and until he de-
clined to remain longer, General Church
was with General Miles at Fort Monroe,
their principal duty being to guard their
distinguished prisoner OF war, Jefferson
Davis.
When captured Mr. Davis had in his
pocket the gold piece in question and
Mexican silver dollar. General Church
procured other silver pieces and effected
an exchange for the two found IN Mr. Da-
Wis pocket. He retained the gold piece
and gave the dollar to Major Black, the
Dakota member OF the four who were
present at the recent exercises, and who
had been his terminate. A few months
thereafter Major Black was showing his
famous dollar at an evening gathering,
passing it from one to another, when it
suddenly disappeared, and he has ever
since mourned for his lost treasure.
General Church had better luck, how
ever, with his gold piece. and while he
occasionally exhibited it to his friends,
carried it as much-prized pocket piece
for twenty-five years, when he suddenly
discovered that he had Internationally
| paid it out instead of another similar
| piece of money he carried with 1t; but to
| whom he had not the slightest recollection.
He promptly directed the cashier of his
| bank to lay aside any S. gold pieces bearing
| the date of 1857 that might pass through
| his hands in the course OF business, think
| ing there might be possibly one chance in
| a million that the valuable keepsake would
| some time make it appearance. Six weeks
afterward an old farmer dropped in and
made q small deposit, when the cashier
said to Mr.. Church: "Here! see if that's
| the gold piece you are looking for He
! took it. and was overioyed to find the dis
! tinguishing marks he had placed upon the
coin when it first left Mr.. Davis pocket
and found its way into his own. Since
/ then the precious piece has been kept care
fully wrapped and safely secured against
another disappearance.
| While in Paris five or six years ago Gen.
eraI Church was guest ole evening at
| the home of a wealthy family who had
| formerly resided in New York. In some
way the hostess learned that he had