Shadow of the Sentinel: One Man's Quest to Find the Hidden Treasure of the Confederacy

by Warren Getler, Bob Brewer

As a boy growing up in rural Arkansas, Bob Brewer often heard from his uncle and his great-uncle about a particular tree in the woods, the "Bible Tree," filled with strange carvings. Years later he would learn that this tree was carved with symbols associated with the Knights of the Golden Circle, a Civil War­era secret society that had buried gold coins and other treasure in various remote locations across the South and Southwest in hopes of someday funding a second War Between the States. These secret caches were guarded by sentinels, men whose responsibility it was to watch and protect these sites. To his astonishment, Bob discovered that both his uncle and his great-uncle had been twentieth-century sentinels, and that he had grown up near an important KGC treasure site.

In Shadow of the Sentinel, Bob Brewer and investigative journalist Warren Getler tell the fascinating story of the Knights of the Golden Circle and the hidden caches the KGC established across the country. Brewer reveals how, with agonizing effort, he eventually deciphered the fiendishly complicated KGC codes and ciphers, which drew heavily on images associated with Freemasonry. (Many of the key KGC post­Civil War leaders were Scottish Rite Masons, who used the cover of that secret fraternity to conduct their activities.) Using his knowledge of KGC symbolism to crack coded maps, Brewer has located several KGC caches and has recovered gold coins, guns, and other treasure from some of them.

Shadow of the Sentinel is the most comprehensive account yet of the activities of the KGC after the Civil War and, indeed, into the 1900s. Getler and Brewer suggest that the clandestine network of KGC operatives was far wider than previously thought, and that it included Jesse James, the former Confederate guerrilla whose stage and bank robberies helped to fill KGC treasure chests.

This is a rousing and provocative adventure that weaves together one man's personal quest with an intriguing, little-known chapter in America's hidden history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Civil War, History, Archaeology, Mystery

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2003

Reviews

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Shadow of the Sentinel... is everything that The 37th Parallel: The Secret Truth Behind America's UFO Highway tried to be. It is an autobiographical account of one man's journey into a complex historical conspiracy that not only educates the reader well regarding civil war history and some key participants, but is able to be emotionally charged when dealing with Bob Brewer's involvement in the hunt for KGC gold.

I find this to be a fascinating book as a) I have never read anything remotely related to treasure hunting before and it helps to lead me down other conspiracy-rabbit-holes other than those related to the paranormal, and b) it represents a little known side of American history -- if you choose to believe the history that Getler has researched and put forth.

The writing and composition of this text is very well done. I found it stimulating and educating; enough to inspire some thoughtful consideration within me of this subject matter. However, Getler obviously writes under his own confirmation bias of the history and events, prompting me to remain skeptical and employ the use of Ockham's razor in many of these arguments. This is not to say that Getler & Brewer's research and speculation is incorrect, as it has proved itself to be true several times, however, in the final instance of the search for the Lost Dutchman's mine and related (hurried) speculation of a abounding international religious order (or plot)... that is where i begin to get lost and become doubtful. There is potential in the truth of this collected history and it is definitely something very interesting and fun to mull over, yet ultimately I am thankful at the failure of KGC ambitions and that it is all but lost in the year of 2017 where I could see a lot of the ideologies and inspiration being twisted once again (as mentioned in the life of the KKK). Overall, I feel that perhaps, if the KGC did exist, they could only do so in the form of a strange, small, powerful elite and not on a grand scale (i.e. the religious scale) without the plan being foiled by ignorant and arrogant fool-hardy participants.

I didn't so much just write a review of this book as just... gave my opinion of the conspiracy. Would recommend for alternative history-buffs, those who want to rage over false historical accounts, those who are open minded and/or into conspiracy....

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started off not exactly enjoying this book. It is the true story of Bob Brewer from Arkansas, who unravels clues from old maps and carvings on trees, etc. that lead him to some treasures but also to a greater understanding/appreciation of a great conspiracy from Civil War times. the book was written by an investigative journalist who researched his material well and wrote well. Unfortunately, parts of it were written like a textbook - and way beyond my interest/understanding. I skipped those parts.... But - the story was fascinating. I was amazed to realize that there are so many people in the world who are treasure hunters. Bob spent hours and hours analyzing "clues" - and they were extremely complex. Were there some great cover-ups? Did Jesse James lead a sort of double-life? Are there still buried treasures from the confederacy? Are there still Knights of the Golden circle? who knows. But this book at least opened my eyes to a very different part of life and history that I was totally unfamiliar with.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Brewer a few years ago and spending several hours talking with him. He is a fascinating man full of interesting stories of the area. This is a book about his life and some of the treasure caches he's tracked. He gives enough about how he tracks these treasures to wet your appetite, but not enough to give away his secrets. This book will keep any amateur treasure hunter glued to his seat for hours.

[Carleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book very tedious in the beginning. However, as I continued to read, it became more interesting. I learned new facts about the Civil War, the KGC who hid money throughout the South and Southwest in the hope of letting the South rise again.
Stories of Jesse James and how bits and pieces of treasure maps and clues were broken down by various clues by Mr. Brewer.

[John Soria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book extremely fascinating and, at times, very riveting. Following along the treasure hunts, I found myself wrapped up in history I had no idea existed. Though a large portion of the book toward the beginning was devoted to history that is well-known and read like a college textbook, overall I enjoyed this. It's fun to read about secret societies, and it amazes me that such a large one has been overlooked even by American history buffs like myself.

[David Feinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any book about a conspiracy it's hard to pin down actual verifiable facts. The best evidence of the Knights of the Golden Circle are the treasures left behind. There is a lot more that the author Bob Brewer hints at that is hard to verify. I know little about Jessee James but now I want to know more. The facts the author lays out are sometimes conjecture but they seem to fit together when he starts finding the treasure.

[Patty Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredible true story of the search for Confederate money that was buried across the South and Southwest after the Civil War by a group called the Knights of the Golden Circle to be used to fund another uprising. It's the story of one man's odessey to decipher clues found on trees, rocks, mountains and find the locations.

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definately one of the most interesting non-fiction books I have read. This is a true life mystery, with secret codes and historical facts and myths twisted into it. It's the story of one man's search to decipher the codes in search of treasure. I am positive that young boys who like to read pirate novels would even find this more interesting than fiction!

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pulp history at its over-wrought worst, this book still tickles the "what-if" enough to make one wonder if there is ANY truth to this half-baked tale of millions of dollars of Confederate gold buried in well-hidden and -guarded caches in the American Southwest . . . .

Naaaaaa.

[John Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and fascinating. Reaches far but always interesting, whether you buy into it or not. The Jesse James section was very fun. Not the history you learned in 10th grade -- hahahaha.