On Wednesday, May 3, 1865 President Jefferson Davis and his entourage crossed the Savannah River and made their way to Washington, Georgia. It was at Washington, Georgia on May the 5th that Davis held his last Cabinet meeting with fourteen officials present; following the meeting Davis’ entourage without Judah Benjamin, immediately left for Sandersville, Georgia. Benjamin, who had served in the Cabinet since the start of the war, would escape and eventually make his way to England. One of Washington, Georgia’s most lingering mysteries is that of the alleged, lost Confederate gold. Some $100,000 of Confederate gold, valued for much more by today’s standards, disappeared after Davis’ party left Washington; rumors still abound that the gold was buried near Washington and has never been recovered despite numerous searches.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.