Civil War Gold in PA - FBI Involved

[TheBigUglies]

I had read a story about this several years ago and heard the rumor many many years ago about a lost wagon of gold in PA. It got lost trying to avoid troops in Gettysburg enroute to Philly from Wheeling, WV. If the Feds are involved, it seems like they found something.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...d-lost-civil-war-gold-pennsylvania/434674002/

 

[NittPicker]

Sounds fishy to me especially with the supposed tie to the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee's forces came north through the Shenandoah Valley to Chambersburg, PA, then moved east toward Gettysburg. The plan wasn't to wage a major battle near a small town but that's how it worked out. Lee intended to disrupt Union activity around the major cities but his failure at Gettysburg ended that. The state of West Virginia was created just a couple months before. We all know it was a part of Virginia so if there was any gold in Wheeling the confederates would taken it for themselves long before mid-1863. I realize that area was largely sympathetic toward the Union but the confederates would have made an effort to secure any gold as soon as the war began, especially a large amount of gold so close to Union territory.

Also, communications weren't great in 1863. Folks in Wheeling likely wouldn't even have heard the battle occurred until a few days later. And why make a difficult overland detour to the north to get to Philadelphia? Why not go over relatively flat land north to Lake Erie then use the Erie Canal? Come down the Hudson then across New Jersey to Philadelphia. No rebels up that way.

Just my opinion.....

 

[psu00]

Read about that the other day. The FBI is being very quiet about it.

Looking at the map it would be an odd location for the gold to be buried. Granted the Confederate troops did make it north of Gettysburg into the Hampden Twp/ Mechanicsburg area just outside Harrisburg which could have caused a route change but where they are looking for this gold just seems really out of the way.

 

[Ian]

Why would the Yankees hide gold NW of State College? The Rebs were nowhere near. If a shipment was heading to philly from the Erie area it would have taken at least a day to get word to it that trouble was further south. It’s possibke they stopped in their tracks and hid it but why wouldn’t they go back and get it several weeks after the retreat?

Never heard anyone say anything more then of the Rebs reaching the west shore outside of Harrisburg but bridges were destroyed so they could not move an army through there. Look at the terrain at Chambersburg. The valley running through it comes up from the Shenandoah to HBG. Stuart was looking for a way across the Susquehanna River further south in the Wrightsville area. His tardiness cost the Rebs the victory. Lee wanted Harrisburg because of its central location, being a capital city, and a major railroad hub plus there were munitions at Union Deposit. Being from there I grew up on Civil War history and lore.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Very interesting... In the 90’s I used to belong to a hunting camp near driftwood pa. There were mountains to hunt and streams to fish in all directions, and dents run wasn’t that far away. The owner of the camp was fishing one day and ran into a guy who was doing research for a book. The book was supposedly about a wagon full of gold being shipped from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, but was diverted north to avoid confederate troops. I’ve never heard anything about this book coming out, but then again how many books have been published in the last 25 years. I was never sure whether this writer was researching for a fictional or non fiction book, but it appears to be the exact same story.

 

[Ranger Dan]

The story was that they lost a few men on the trip and then the wagon broke down. The officer in charge supposedly buried the gold until he could come back for it. It may have been that there were no survivors or maybe they couldn’t find it when they returned. This is literally the most rugged mountains in all of PA.

 

[WDLion]

Why would the Yankees hide gold NW of State College? The Rebs were nowhere near. If a shipment was heading to philly from the Erie area it would have taken at least a day to get word to it that trouble was further south. It’s possibke they stopped in their tracks and hid it but why wouldn’t they go back and get it several weeks after the retreat?

Never heard anyone say anything more then of the Rebs reaching the west shore outside of Harrisburg but bridges were destroyed so they could not move an army through there. Look at the terrain at Chambersburg. The valley running through it comes up from the Shenandoah to HBG. Stuart was looking for a way across the Susquehanna River further south in the Wrightsville area. His tardiness cost the Rebs the victory. Lee wanted Harrisburg because of its central location, being a capital city, and a major railroad hub plus there were munitions at Union Deposit. Being from there I grew up on Civil War history and lore.

The only bridge across the Susquehanna that was destroyed was the one at Wrightsville to Columbia. Harrisburg wasn't taken because Lee never got that far. Some scouts did reach the west shore.

 

[dbsteel]

I read tonight that they found nothing........

 

[T J]

Already found...

Black Gold...

Texas Tea...​

​

 

[Beachwineguy]

I read tonight that they found nothing........

That’s what THEY want you to believe...

 

[JoeLion]

“There’s gold in dem thar hills”

 

[Mary QBA]

The only bridge across the Susquehanna that was destroyed was the one at Wrightsville to Columbia. Harrisburg wasn't taken because Lee never got that far. Some scouts did reach the west shore.

That's right. Lee sent several scouts to Wrightsville, which is just across the Susquehanna River from Columbia. What many people don't know is that the main switching yard for the Union rail lines was in Columbia; you can still see the brick two story switch building on Rt 441 that says COLA. It controlled all the rail traffic east and west, and if Lee captured it he could sever the Union in two.

The town fathers of Columbia and Wrightsville made a plan that if/when Lee came they would burn the mile long wooden bridge between the two towns. When the scouts showed up in Wrightsville, the Columbia men ran to the Wrightsville side of the bridge and proceeded to begin the fire. Unfortunately the wind was blowing east to west (a rather rare occurrence) and the town of Wrightsville caught on fire. The Confederates help put it out, and the mayor's daughter invited them for breakfast the next morning in thanks. When the Union won the battle of Gettysburg she was a regional pariah.

But many people say that to this day, the town of Wrightsville has decidedly southern sympathies. If you visit there, the Burning Bridge bar is great, and there's a tiny house with a diorama of the entire episode next door.

 

[pandaczar12]

I’ve never heard anything about this book coming out, but then again how many books have been published in the last 25 years.

~7,622,800

 

[pandaczar12]

The town fathers of Columbia and Wrightsville made a plan that if/when Lee came they would burn the mile long wooden bridge between the two towns.

The plan was never to burn the bridge, the plan was to blow up a section of the bridge. When the explosion failed to destroy the bridge, they decided to burn it.

 

[BobPSU92]

I understand that Sandy has been seen digging in the area with her bare hands exclaiming that the gold would allow her to complete the Master Facility Plan.

 

[NittPicker]

I understand that Sandy has been seen digging in the area with her bare hands exclaiming that the gold would allow her to complete the Master Facility Plan.

Don't be crazy. She'd hire a couple new assistants to do that.

 

[Lion84]

The gold is near the Nazi Gold Train on Oak Island.

 

[Ian]

Wasn’t the gold sent to Muskegon?

 

[Mary QBA]

The plan was never to burn the bridge, the plan was to blow up a section of the bridge. When the explosion failed to destroy the bridge, they decided to burn it.

Yes, you are correct, thanks. I forgot that part. But I think it was never decided exactly where they were going to blow it, and the Columbia guys decided to do it on the Wrightsville end.

I understand that Sandy has been seen digging in the area with her bare hands exclaiming that the gold would allow her to complete the Master Facility Plan.

Am I hearing it right that the Master Facility Plan includes a $10 million dollar private elevator to the President's suite? In which case Sandy needs a metal detector.

 

[okinburg1]

Don't be crazy. She'd hire a couple new assistants to do that.

Volunteer grad assistants would be even cheaper.

 

[Cabinpenn]

Columbians, who were part of the Pennsylvania militia along with retreating Union soldiers, as well as 1500 African American Militia, dug in on the Wrightsville side of the river to try and stop the advancement of confederate soldiers who were heading to the Wrightsville area. After confronting the confederates, who I believe were led by General Gordon, not General Lee, the defenders retreated back across the bridge and attempted to blow up a section of the bridge closest to Wrightsville during their retreat. Being made of very thick oak beams the explosion attempt failed so a bunch of the militia ran back onto the bridge and set it on fire near the Wrightsville shore thus stopping the confederate advancement. At that time, the bridge, over a mile long, was the longest covered bridge in the world.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Colonel John Marlowe could have blown that bridge!

 

[Nittanyfarmer]

Columbians, who were part of the Pennsylvania militia along with retreating Union soldiers, as well as 1500 African American Militia, dug in on the Wrightsville side of the river to try and stop the advancement of confederate soldiers who were heading to the Wrightsville area. After confronting the confederates, who I believe were led by General Gordon, not General Lee, the defenders retreated back across the bridge and attempted to blow up a section of the bridge closest to Wrightsville during their retreat. Being made of very thick oak beams the explosion attempt failed so a bunch of the militia ran back onto the bridge and set it on fire near the Wrightsville shore thus stopping the confederate advancement. At that time, the bridge, over a mile long, was the longest covered bridge in the world.

Yes. The troops of General Gordon raced to secure the bridge, but as you stated above, the militia ended up burning the bridge. For anyone interested in the entire situation which led up to this event, read "Flames beyond Gettysburg" by Scott Mingus. It has GPS coordinates in the book so one can drive to all of the important points where General Gordon and Gen. Early's troops crossed through Adams and York Counties.

As a side note. Wrightsville and Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Federal government for payment of the destruction of the bridge. It was tied up in court for over 100 years and was never resolved....

 

[WDLion]

Columbians, who were part of the Pennsylvania militia along with retreating Union soldiers, as well as 1500 African American Militia, dug in on the Wrightsville side of the river to try and stop the advancement of confederate soldiers who were heading to the Wrightsville area. After confronting the confederates, who I believe were led by General Gordon, not General Lee, the defenders retreated back across the bridge and attempted to blow up a section of the bridge closest to Wrightsville during their retreat. Being made of very thick oak beams the explosion attempt failed so a bunch of the militia ran back onto the bridge and set it on fire near the Wrightsville shore thus stopping the confederate advancement. At that time, the bridge, over a mile long, was the longest covered bridge in the world.

Gordon's Brigade, Jubal's Early's Division of Ewell's Corps.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

I understand that Sandy has been seen digging in the area with her bare hands exclaiming that the gold would allow her to complete the Master Facility Plan.

..at an unmarked grave next to Arch Stanton.

 

[T J]

..at an unmarked grave next to Arch Stanton.

Well played Victor E. Bell.​