Rebel Gold: One Man's Quest to Crack the Code Behind the Secret Treasure of the Confederacy

by Warren Getler, Bob Brewer

What if a secret society, founded during the Civil War, accumulated a fortune in gold coins in the hopes of someday funding a second war between the states? What if they buried their treasure in a vast network of remote locations across the South and the Southwestern United States, and appointed sentinels to guard them -- sentinels who passed the secrets of this treasure from generation to generation? What if the keys to this fantastic treasure were hidden in a series of mysterious coded maps?

In Rebel Gold, investigative journalist Warren Getler and Bob Brewer, a descendant of one of the Confederate sentinels sworn to protect this treasure, uncover the truth behind the legend of this buried gold and the group rumored to have hidden it, the Knights of the Golden Circle. A fast-paced blend of history and modern-day detective story, Rebel Gold reveals a shadowy chapter in American history -- and how its legacy may be continuing to this day.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2003

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book posits the question: what if Jesse James was more than an outlaw; what if he was a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle? Is it conceivable that there is a huge cache of gold coins strategically buried where only a select few know of? A fascinating take on a familiar historical period, this book really fires the imagination and piques the reader's curiosity. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of the parallel stories; the historic narrative and the modern chronicle. A very good read!!

[Martin, I stand with ISRAEL · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible and boring. Clue after clue after clue after clue all these clues lead to nonsensical ideas that lead to more clue. Don’t waste your time or money

[Jessica Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look into the life of a treasure hunter. Were there foreign governments supplying aide to the south during the civil war, absolutely. Do I believe there are sites on government land throughtout the United States with huge shafts of unclaimed gold? That is a little harder to swallow. With defeats like Vicksburg, foreign help would not only refuse to take a more active roll in aiding the southern cause they would also demand a return on their investments. I believe Britain reclaimed their investment and the south was left to recover on its own. The wealthy confederates that resettled in South America took what wealth they could carry and left. That being said, I enjoyed the webs of historical information pulled together in this work and am a sucker for maps. Rebel Gold gives the reader a window into a time when war was among us and outlaws legends were born in the western United States. Gold dust was in the air and men were bound to chase it. The question will always be: Did they find all of it?

That's up to you to decide.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed hearing this man's story. It was amazing hearing how his grandfather and uncle passed on the info for deciphering the symbols.

[Mary Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why would the Confederacy go through all that trouble of burying qualities of gold, and creating elaborate maps to it? Wouldn’t it be easier to place the money on a ship to a bank in a foreign capital or even a U.S. bank? If recovery of all this Confederate gold requires modern equipment, how was it buried in the first place in desert areas, difficult to access and without modern equipment?
There is a lot wrong with the history here. For instance, there is the emphasis is on Jesse James. What about Frank James and the Younger Brothers?
I will buy that perhaps the outlaw faked his own death and retired someplace; I will accept that perhaps Jacob Waltz was a Knight of the Golden Circle, and his mysterious mine was just a cache of Confederate gold he was guarding.
But so much of this book is very far fetched. And despite the treasure hunting and code breaking, it was boring. Whole paragraphs were devoted to co-ordinance on maps. It would get interesting for awhile and then too much geographical information would get in the way.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure what to think. People still talk about Bob Brewer in the Mena and Hatfield area. Locals still go out to the woods trying to find and decipher the old tree signs. I would love to sit down and learn from him. This book is a good primer, but there is so much more to understand. In the conclusion, there are references to the Holy Blood Holy Grail books and the Rennes Les Chateau mystery. This is a good read.

Since my first reading, I managed to meet Bob at a local event. We sat down and talked for a while. I came away with a great respect for this man and his knowledge. From that experience, my opinion is that while he probably kept a lot of information to himself, everything in the book is factual to his knowledge with no embellishments.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for the Civil War buff or the conspiracy theorist. This book follows the trail of gold supposedly hidden all over the south by confederates as they sought to keep their successionist dreams alive. Is there Rebel gold still out there to be found? You decide.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

wildly entertaining conjecture in the "National Treasure" vein.

[Monty Ashley]

I found this very entertaining. I am too polite to publicly express my opinion of the reasoning that takes place in this book.