WAYNE'S NUMISMATIC DIARY: CIVIL WAR MONEY

On October 14, 2026 I attended the lecture given by Rick Lank and Rebecca Rush at Shepherdstown University. Here's an excerpt from the earlier announcement.

Money, Mayhem & Might™:
How the Civil War Changed our Money
and How Money Changed the War

The program will examine how the Ten Tumultuous Years™ (1857- 1866) – the Civil War Era – changed our money and our banking more than any other period. Foreign money (which was previously legal tender and circulated freely) was outlawed by the Coinage Act of 1857; the first paper money (nicknamed "Greenbacks," and not backed by silver or gold) was authorized by the Legal Tender Act of 1862. The National Bank Act of 1863 created a unified banking system. The phrase "In God We Trust" first appeared on coinage in 1864. And rampant counterfeiting gave rise to the Secret Service in 1865. Huge gold and silver strikes out West -- a boon to the North – caused authorization of three new U.S. Branch Mints (Colorado, Nevada and Oregon). The Civil War also gave birth to "emergency money", fractional currency, the IRS and to women working in both the U.S. and Confederate Treasury Departments.

Presenters:
Rick Lank and Rebecca Rush (Hagerstown, MD, representing the new "10 Tumultuous Years" educational non-profit project are both life-long learners, genealogy hobbyists, researchers, presenters, and storytellers connecting the numismatics hobby with historical events, shipwrecks, and the humanities. They have presented programs for American Numismatic Association (ANA), the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists (PAN), San Francisco Historical Society (‘Uncle Billy Was a Banker"), the Washington County Free Library McCauley Lecture Series (The Furious Flight of the Confederate Treasure Train), and Civil War Round Tables.

I've mentioned before that where I live in Ashburn, VA, while it's the high tech data center capital of the world, driving 15 minutes in the right direction puts you back in another world of farms and dirt roads. This trip put me on Route 9 through western Loudoun County and into West Virginia. Looking at the map, it's nothing but blank green space all around.

Much of the trip is on a two lane blacktop road lined with farms and farmers markets, old stone walls and long split rail fences. I passed a couple old log houses as well as wineries and some clusters of newer mega mansions. Passing through the old town of Hillsboro, tall stone 18th-century houses lined the road. George Washington passed through here on his way to Fort Duquesne (in what is now Pittsburgh) to fight in the French and Indian War in 1755.

I passed tired old barns with sagging moss-covered roofs, gravel roads and driveways. At the crest of a hill I entered West Virginia and the route became a four lane highway. Political campaign signs promoted mostly women candidates for office. I passed through part of Charles Town, near Harper's Ferry. There was new housing going up on the Shepherdsville outskirts. I navigated small town streets to my destination, Parking Lot A next to the Byrd Center with its Public Parking sign. I happily pulled into one of the last open spots, but got a dose of reality walking from the lot and noticing another sign saying that during the day it was only for commuter students with permits.

The nearby street was posted Residents Parking Only. This may be a sleepy college town, but like every college town, parking is scarce. I drove back out of the lot not knowing where I might find a space. The streets were lined with meters. Luckily at the top of the hill there was one last open space, and I pulled in.

The meters had "Pay on your phone" stickers, and I dreaded the anticipated experience. I'm no Luddite and use my phone a lot, but downloading some janky app, creating an account, and entering credit card details while pecking at a tiny screen isn't my idea of fun. But I got out and walked around to the meter to read the instructions and could barely believe my eyes - the meter also accepted coins! Quarters to be exact. Now, once upon a time I kept a stack of quarters in my console for just such occasions, but those days are long gone. I checked my pocket and found two quarters, worth 30 minutes apiece - they bought me time to grab lunch and scrounge around for more quarters.

I'd noted a nearby Greek restaurant while looking up the directions and was thinking of having a Gyro. It was right around the corner. When I got there the door sign said it opened at 11am every weekday. But it was closed and dark. I walked to the next block and saw a big Mexican restaurant with another sign saying it opened at 11. Nope - it was closed, too. Did I mention this was a sleepy little town?

I tried the other side of the street and found a little Mom and Pop taco shop. I ordered a burrito, chips and soft drink. The checkout had one of those touchless credit card readers. Uh-oh - "do you take cash?" Luckily they did, and they also happily gave me a couple dollars in quarters for the meter.

I walked around the Byrd Center buildings until found the entrance to the one with the auditorium. I quickly ran into Becky Rush and knew I was in the right place. I took a seat in the audience and Rick introduced my to a couple who were using lidar images hoping to locate the site of an historic Civil War campsite.

I counted about 14 attendees in the room, with more online on Zoom. Here's the opening introductions. Rick spoke first, then Becky. Here are some photos and slides from the presentation (courtesy of Becky).

That about sums up the affair - War is Expensive as Hell, and that's what drove all the changes in money and finance through and after the Civil War.

Becky took over for the section on women at the Treasury and the small change panic.

I knew about The Dulles, but not the brewery. Check it our if you're ever in the area.

I was a great event, and only an hour away from my house - shorter than my old commute to the office. It took a little longer to get home, but I made it in plenty of time for dinner with my family. A fun excursion. Look for the video online in future weeks.