Tuesday, 20th May 2008 (595 views)

A new book attempts to unravel the mystery of what happened to $86,000 (£43,725) worth of gold belonging to the Confederate government at the end of the American Civil War, it has been reported.

The Rebel & The Rose by historical researcher Wesley Millett and former US Air Force colonel Gerald White says the gold was originally entrusted to two Confederate navy officers, James Semple and Edward Tidball, in May 1865 as Union troops overran the south, the History News Network states.

Confederate president Jefferson Davis charged the pair with getting the gold abroad - to financial agents of the Confederacy in Liverpool, England - and they hid the treasure in the hollowed out floor of a carriage.

However, Mr Temple apparently felt the war was over for him and instead headed home to Georgia with "a portion of the gold" in tow.

In their book, the site says, Mr Millett and Mr White attempt to unravel what happened next as Mr Semple took the rest of the gold and after a period on the run, eventually headed to the home of Julia Gardiner Tyler, the window of former US president John Tyler.

Reviews have described the book as "extraordinary", a "fascinating read" and "engrossing".

The American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865.

 

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