April on the Trail

The Palmetto Trail in Newberry has many historical connections to April, but I’d like to talk specifically about April 1865. The last month of the Confederacy saw some famous (and infamous) people traveling along what is now the Palmetto Trail. In April of ’65, Newberry saw two important visitors, one a prominent politician and the other the leader of an expedition which became the theme of an enduring legend!

The first visitor was the President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis. He practically slept on the Palmetto Trail. On his flight from Richmond, Virginia he passed through Newberry on his way toward Abbeville, where he held the last cabinet meeting of the Confederacy. On April 30, his entourage rested at the old Brickhouse mansion near Whitmire on the Newberry-Laurens County line before heading on to have lunch at the Cross Keys Plantation house. The Enoree Passage of the Palmetto Trail actually crosses right in front of the old Brickhouse mansion and passes just a few miles from the Cross Keys mansion. So, while you’re hiking this passage you might be walking along the same ground this historical figure walked.

The other interesting visitor was Confederate Navy Captain William H. Parker. Never heard of him? Well, not many people have. But Captain Parker had the unenviable job of escorting the gold, silver and jewels of the Confederate Treasury as it was transported from the capital of Richmond southward to keep it from falling into the hands of the Union Army.

His journey was the basis for the “Legend of the Lost Confederate Gold.” In addition to the amount in the treasury, there was also the contents of the Richmond banks. There is a lot of speculation as to the exact amount involved, but between the treasury, the banks, and barrels of jewelry contributed by Southern ladies, most guesstimates put the trove at around $1 million.

Captain Parker had 60 midshipmen cadets from the Confederate Naval Academy to help him. These cadets were between 14 and 18 years old. The treasure was loaded onto trains in Richmond, then unloaded onto wagons at Danville, Virginia where the rail lines ended, with the intent of delivering it to Charlotte, N.C. When he reached Charlotte, Captain Parker realized that he couldn’t leave it there because of the proximity of Union troops. He headed to Chester hoping to find a serviceable railroad. Not being able to find a train in Chester, Captain Parker then headed to Newberry where rail service still existed.

In Newberry, he loaded the gold, silver and jewels from the wagons onto a train of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad. If that name sounds familiar it is because the Peak to Prosperity Passage of the Palmetto Trail uses the old rail bed built by that very same company! After transferring his load back onto wagons in Abbeville, Captain Parker eventually caught up with Jefferson Davis in Georgia and turned over the treasure.

And here’s where it starts to get interesting. There is no credible accounting for the entire amount, and large sums which were distributed for safekeeping never reappeared. Conspiracies and speculations abound, and there are many theories about what happened. No one really knows, and the uncertainty has fueled treasure hunters from all over to continue to search for the missing gold. There have even been television shows, documentaries, and books on the lost gold of the Confederacy. We do know it passed right through Newberry though. Maybe some of it was hidden here? You can never know for sure! So, if you feel like learning more about the Confederate gold, there’s no better place to start than the Newberry Passage of the Palmetto Trail. Even if there is no gold or silver, there are plenty of other natural treasures out here just waiting to be discovered.

And on a final note, remember those young teenaged navy cadets who guarded the treasury shipment? Even though they had to walk when the treasure was transported by wagon because of the weight, and the treasure was threatened several times by bandits and renegade soldiers, that group stayed with the shipment the entire time and never once complained, and only left to go back home when their mission was complete, and they were dismissed by Jefferson Davis. By then the war was over and the harsh realities of reconstruction were just beginning. Their names and service have been forgotten by time, but because of the courage and loyalty these young boys showed, I’d like to think they did all right.

Remember to get in touch if you want to walk the trail or help out [email protected].

See you on the Trail!