Capron Treasure, Knapton Collection.
On May 1st, 1857, during the Third Seminole War, U.S. Army Paymaster Major Jerimiah Yellot Dashiell was traveling to Ft. Capron with $23,000 in gold coins. Due to hazardous sandbars in the Indian River, Major Dashiell was forced to travel by small boat to the Fort; along his journey, a freak wave swamped the boat, sweeping the pouch with all the gold overboard into the sandbar's. Congress granted Major Dashiell relief from the responsibility of the $23,000, but when later in the year Major Dashiell had $13,000 stolen from him overnight, he was forced to sell his home to cover the debt. Major Dashiell would later become the Inspector General for the State of Texas during the Civil War.