The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-07-26
LEES SPURS OF GOLD


How General Robert +. Lee, the
la,e COMMUNICATIVE Of the Con-
foderatc Army came into possession
.. his handsome gold spurs, which are
now held as among the most lntcrc- t.
in- and valued relies Of the COnfcd-
eracy. ha> always been mater OF
mlrc or lc>, conjecture. More or less
mystery ha> alway> surrounded the
matter and an interesting bit Of his
tory concerning them has just come
to light. Heretofore, lest the loyalty
o.. some might have been questioned
The secret has been guarded. but the
lapse Of i third of century has so
healed ali differences that the story is
now correctly told, it is said, for the
first time, by one who is in better
position to know the truth Of the mat
ter than anyone else, for the reason
that, though but lad OF then. he
WAS II party to the transaction with
his father, who conceived the idea Of
presenting to General i.cc these now
much-prized relics, says Il writer in
the Washington East
is we'll known fact that South
crn Maryland, especially those coun-
ties bordering upon the Lower Ioto-
mae, ympathizcd warmly with the
Southern cause and remained so far a.
the PEOPLE were able. loyal to the
Consedcracy, although the State re-
fused to withdraw from the Union.
These Southern Maryland counties
contributed many young men to the
Confederate army, and their friends
and relatives who remained at home
rarely lost the opportunity to render
them material aid, and gave support
to the cause which lay nearest to their
hearts. Not only did they harbor and
protect Southern soldiers and agents.
but furnished information Of the
movements Of the Northern troops.
1t was W. a. Jarboc Of pper Marl-
boro, who, in the summer of 1862, first
conceived the idea Of making suita-
BILE present to General Lee, and after
discussing the matter with limited
number Of his friends, whose sympa-
thies were the same as his own, it was
decided to send General Lee pair Of
gold spurs as token Of the love and
esteem in which he was held by the
people of Prince George's County,
Maryland. 1t was necessary, how
ever, to conduct tue affair with the
utmost secrecy, for the old Capitol
prison at Washington held many
Maryland suspects Only a small
number of those who could be abso-
lutcly trusted we're permitted to sub
scribe to fund for the purchase Of
the gold spurs. George NJ. Graham,
then prosperous farmer in the coun-
ty, and secretly an ardent Secession
ist, gave $40 toward the project, but
the greater portion Of the purchase
price was betrayed by Mr.. Jarboe,
who vas then Register of Wills of the
county.
\ arm Of manufacturing jewelers. in
Baltimore was intrusted with the work
Of making the spurs, into which there
was placed $3.50 worth of gold, and
nothing was charged by the firm for
doing the work. The spurs were Of
pure gold, with only enough alloy to
make them hard enough to be durable.
They we're made by skillful workmen
and engraved with an inscription in
Latin. The manufacturers then sent
them by trusted agent to Jarboc, in
Upper Marlboro. Jarboe was then liv-
ing in what was known as the Surratt
district, bordering on the Birch
Swamp, and every morning rode from
his home in Marlboro. returning at
night. The whole country was alive
with Federal soldiers, chiefly cavalry,
but he was never suspected Of being
In sympathy with the Confederate
cause. His home had never been
~carchcd, although he anticipated such
action at any time. If the spurs were
hidden in the house, he knew that
upon search they would be discovered;
and for this reason he gave them to
his wife. admonishing her to carry
them about her clothing until an op-
portunity offered to forward them to
the Commander-in-C Chief Of the Con-
federate Army. .Iarboe knew in just
what manner such an opportunity
would present itself.
Prior to the outbreak Of the war one
of the noted characters on the Poto-
mac was Captain Charles Caywood Of
Charles County, Maryland He had
oorI,, :0;noI Tho CoueoJo..Ao