Jesse Woodson James was an infamous American outlaw during his lifetime from 1847 to 1882. He was notorious for robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches in Missouri and was the most well known member of the James-Younger Gang.  During the Civil War, he and his brother Frank James where guerrillas for the Confederacy and have been accused of many criminal acts against Union soldiers. They were most active in their endeavors from about 1866 to 1876 but with growing pressure from law enforcement, Robert Ford, a member of Jesse James’ own gang, killed him on April 3, 1882 in hopes of collecting a state reward placed on James’ head. One has to think in all these years of pillaging, he had to have stashed money somewhere for safekeeping.

The History Channel created a 120 minute movie about his life including new information that may prove there was far more to the infamous Jesse James than history books have led us to believe. Here is the excerpt from the website:

“By the time Jesse James was killed in 1882, he’d stolen over a million and a half dollars according to some estimates–gold, coins and cash that could be worth over $50 million today. History often paints James as a clever outlaw who stole money to finance a lavish criminal lifestyle, a man whose sixteen year long crime spree came to a dramatic halt in 1882 when a fellow gang member betrayed him and shot him dead in the back of the head. But now, a treasure hunt may reveal a totally new story. Was Jesse really stealing for himself, or was he actually secreting away large sums of wealth, in order to finance one of the most clandestine secret societies in American history? Follow a team of treasure hunters searching for where he stashed his riches… and a new truth about Jesse James. Their discoveries may not only re-write the history of why Jesse stole, it could also raise new questions about his death.”

The DVD costs $24.95 on the History Channel’s online store if you think it might be worth checking out.

Today I was doing some research on the Civil War and came across a letter written by John C. Fremont to John G. Nicolay (Abraham Lincoln’s personal secretary) dated August 6, 1861. It says the following:

Our position in that region good enemy very much superior in force, eighteen thousand between Birds Point and New Madrid, under Pillow and Jeff. Thompson strong in Cavalry and Artillery. We are reinforcing & entrenching Ironton, Cape Girardeau, & Birds Point. Night of my arrival at Birds Point enemy burnt bridges of Fulton & Cairo railroad. We are not losing a moment but distressed by rawness of troops and want of arms shall I give details of relative forces by telegraph.

This letter is in reference to Missouri. John C. Fremont was a Major General serving as commander of the Union Army’s Department of the West and described in his letter two specific places with 18,000 Confederate soldiers between them. According to Google Maps, the distance between Birds Point and New Madrid is about 36.5 miles walking. It borders the Mississippi river and has two notable places in between. The first place, on the Kentucky side of the river, is Columbus.  On November 7, 1861 Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant had his first combat test by sailing from Cairo, Illinois downriver to attack the Confederate fortress at Columbus, Kentucky. The next morning he discovered the Confederate troops had crossed the river to Belmont, Missouri. He crossed to the other side and over ran the Confederate camp destroying it. The scattered Confederate forces quickly reorganized and counter-attacked from Columbus with heavy artillery fire across the river. Grant retreated to Paducah, Kentucky. When the Confederates learned of Grant’s departure, they ordered 2,700 men under General Gideon J. Pillow to Belmont.

Why is this important you may ask?

If you go into Google Maps and search for Belmont, Missouri you will get a point sitting in the middle of a field across the river from Columbus, Kentucky. In fact, you zoom out farther and all you get is MORE fields with hardly any houses around at all. This location, with a high potential for thousands of relics both Union and Confederate, is sitting there concealed under corn stalks just waiting for the right people to come along, request permission from the landowner, and find some treasure!

A map in the David Rumsey Collection has a section showing the Belmont battlefield area across the river from Columbus, KY and how it was potentially laid out. Again, I remind you – it is all farm fields now! If somebody is able to go out there or knows more about this area, I’d love to hear about it!