Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/57

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oi hardships dining four years for the Confederacy, and that such of its property as could be secured rightfully belonged to them upon its downfall. It is hard to see who were better entitled to it than they, and such opinion was then shared by the citi/cns and advocated by the newspapers. The wagon trains returning from Mexico with sup- plies in charge of Confederate agents furnished rare sport as well as profit. A difference of opinion existed between these agents and the soldiers as to which were properly residuary legatees of the rem- nants of the Confederate estate, each claiming that right, but in all cases, except where defeated by the agents' skill in hiding property, the soldiers easily maintained the superiority of their title.

San Antonio was the most important post in Texas in many re- spects, being the base of supplies nearest the Mexican border, and financial agents were stationed there, having possession of large amounts of government funds in gold and silver. Two companies from Pyron's regiment were there, while others on detached service and employed in the various departments swelled the number of sol- diers at that point to 700 or 800 men.

LASKER AS A FINANCIER.

When the news of Lee's surrender reached San Antonio, its im- port, while not fully appreciated, was apprehended, and the idea that the Confederacy was about to collapse imbued the men with the de- termination to appropriate and divide the gold and silver in the hands of the Confederate agents, they assuming that otherwise the money would only serve to enrich those who had served their coun- try but little, if at all. M. Lasker, of Galveston, (now State Sena- tor,) a private in Pyron's regiment, was a prime mover in securing an equal division of the government funds, and he, with others, notified the officers that in case the Confederacy should fall the gov- ernment money should be divided equally. The officers endeavored to sustain the hopes of the men, saying that if the Cis-Mississippi Department should fall the bulk of the armies there would cross the river and carry on the war in the Trans-Mississippi Department, but the soldiers, in anticipation of what might occur, placed guards over the Alamo building, to which $80,000 in silver had been removed, and also over the offices of the financial agents, as a precautionary measure. When the news of the surrender of Johnston, Taylor and Buckner was received they concluded there was no use in deferring action longer, and then required the financial agents to 'show their