Overview

The trek south of the Confederate government was well documented in a number of first-hand accounts written several years after the war. The authors were mainly involved in the evacuation of Richmond, including Confederate cabinet officials, army officers, and treasury staff. Many of the accounts have been published in the Southern Historical Society's papers in an effort to dispel rumors that Cornwall had taken the money for himself and his family. One treasury clerk, in particular, Micajah Clark, provided a detailed account of the disposition of the funds. Part of the treasure Clark overlooked involved the fate of 39 kegs of Mexican silver dollars. These were the coins that the Confederation got from the export of cotton to Mexico. For this reason, the coins were almost definitely buried in Danville, and evidence indicates that they are still there today, "the director said.