The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-05-25
THE GREAT OR BROAD SEAL
-: NC, OF THE cONFEDERAcY


- ,'Jc;..
There are many traditions con-
cernmgcthe great or broad seal OF
the Confederacy. Every now and
then an+article appears in some pa
perror magazine, the writer claiming
to have discovered the whereabouts
of this relic Of the War Between the
FSectons, and interest is once again
reused in this silver seal which was
made in England, engraved there by
Joseph Myron and shipped to Aneri-
ca !wath materials for, the use Of the
ssai2' under the care Of Lieutenant
Ghxpnian, &c. S. A, in 1864.
! Dhe,cost of the seal, which meas
qredsc approximately four inches
from rim to rim, was 122 pounds
and 10: shlings or about 500 in
United States currency in round
numbers, as gold was then valued
and was paid for in two instalmlents
part by. cash when the work was be-
gun on the seal and the balance by
check, July 9Th, 1854, when, the seal
was done: and packed with great care
in Separate small box" :. -
After being used during the Con-
federate war this matrix the I'M
pressoin from which is to be found
upon an official documents Of the
Lost Cause, was brought southwark
from DanviNe, Va, when President
Davis and his cabinet retreated to
escape capture after General Lee
had surrendered. Speaking of that
moment in Southern history Mrs.
Chestnut in "A Diary from Dixie" I"
says that worshippers in church in
Richmond were in the midst of the
communion service when the news
Of the surrender came. "Then the
president was summoned and dis
tress of mind showed on every face
g.. Davis Not Careful
Mrs. Chestnut later records the
fact that Mr.. Davis seemd utterly
careless whether he were taken
prisoner or not" and that with his
wife he was travelling leisurely at
the rate of IL miles a day. Other
writers tell of Mr. Davis stopping for
a short rest at the Gary home but
having to%push on toward Abbeville
after brief stop of "a hours.
In Abbeville Mr.. Davis had a
warm personal friend and Mrs Davis
also claimed a friendship with the
wife of her husbands friend, Ar1nis-
tedd Burt. It was Mr.. Davis desire
to place himself under Mr.. Burt's
protection for brief respite and col
lect his shattered energies before
pushing on to Georgia.
It is said that nothing more pa
thetic than Mr.. Davis entry into
the little town of Abbeville can be
imagined. Soldiers, citizens and
refugees from the low country
stood silent and with barred heads as
the president rode into the town
square just at sun down and made
his way to the Burt homestead at the
parting of the roads.
1t was indeed a parting of roads,
for that night a courier bearing the
news of the coming of Federal for
ces dashed into Abbevile. Then in
deed did Mr.. Davis feel that the end
had come. He summoned the few re-
manning members Of his cabinet and
held in this house the last meeting
of the Confederate cabinet. Thus
did Ajbbeville witness the last Of
fcial act of the Confederacy within
stones throw of Secession Hill"
where. Mr.. Wardlaw had vainly
pleaded for some other way than
war to be found to settle the differ
ences between the North and the
South four years previously.
Relates Tradition
iH;Tradition has it, that after Judah
P. Benjamin (that brilliant Jew who
Aela first the7posttipnaoftssecreta ~
war and later secretary of state III
the Confedrate caBinet) had for tie
last time used the great seal Of the
Confederacy. Mr.. Davis gave in
structions that an effort should he