Head to nearly any spot in the world and chances are you’ll find a legend about nearby buried treasure. Let’s head to the state of Virginia, Fairfax County to be exact, to explore the history behind Mosby’s lost treasure.
The year is 1863 and the American Civil War is well underway. Colonel John Mosby, a Confederate, is raiding Union positions. Mosby and his men, nicknamed Mosby’s Rangers, were famed for their skill in attacking, doing their damage, and disappearing. His exploits earned Mosby the moniker of The Grey Ghost.
Mosby was an interesting character. Born in Virginia, he was a sickly child who was constantly bullied until he learned to fight back. Sometimes this fighting spirit got him into trouble, like when he shot and wounded one of his bullies when he was attending the University of Virginia. He was expelled.
When the Civil War started, Mosby was actually against succession. But, as so many southerns were, he was loyal to his state. Where Virginia went, so would go Mosby.
The story of Mosby’s lost treasure begins with the capture of Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton. As the story goes, Mosby got the drop on Stoughton, taking him and his men prisoner. He found Stoughton in bed, asleep, and woke him up with a slap on the butt. ”Do you know Mosby, General?” Mosby asked. The General replied “Yes! Have you got the rascal?” “No,” said Mosby. “He’s got you!”
Along with the soldiers, Mosby and his men discovered a cache of treasure looted by the Union soldiers from local homes. As legend has it, it was gold, silver, and other valuables worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, a massive sum for the day.
The North always had the advantage in money and resources, so this treasure could have gone a long way to helping the South. Yet it was not to be. Before Mosby could get his prisoners and plunder to safety, he got word of a large Union detachment headed their way. Presumably needing to lighten their load to speed their escape, Mosby ordered his men to bury the treasure between two large pine trees, a spot he marked with knife.
Mosby and his men escaped. Eventually, a few of Mosby’s men returned to collect their buried treasure, but they were caught by Union soldiers and hanged before they could dig it up.
When the war ended, Mosby refused to admit defeat and continued to raid for some time after Robert E. Lee’s surrender. Eventually, he disbanded his men and went into hiding. It wasn’t until Union General Ulysses S. Grant intervened on Mosby’s behalf that the Grey Ghost could emerge from the shadows.
Interestingly enough, Mosby and Grant became close friends, with Mosby even serving as Grant’s campaign manager when he ran for president. He lived a full life until he passed away in 1916 at the age of 82.
For whatever reason, Mosby never returned to try and retrieve the treasure he’d hidden. By all accounts, all that gold and silver is still here. I’d imagine the two large pine trees are long gone, but if you find the knife Mosby used as a marker, you’re probably getting close.