Jeff Davis's Loot

The assertion that Jeff. Davis's specie-

train, of six to thirteen million dollars, was reported to be

moving south from Goldsboro' in wagons as fast as possible, found

plenty of willing ears, though my army of eighty thousand men had

been at Goldsboro' from March 22d to the date of his dispatch,

April 26th; and such a train would have been composed of from

fifteen to thirty-two six-mule teams to have hauled this specie,

even if it all were in gold. I suppose the exact amount of

treasure which Davis had with him is now known to a cent; some of

it was paid to his escort, when it disbanded at and near

Washington, Georgia, and at the time of his capture he had a small

parcel of gold and silver coin, not to exceed ten thousand dollars,

which is now retained in the United States Treasury-vault at

Washington, and shown to the curious.

The thirteen millions of treasure, with which Jeff. Davis was to

corrupt our armies and buy his escape, dwindled down to the

contents of a hand-valise!

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