First Issue - 1861
The first issue of Confederate paper money was authorized by the Act of March 9, 1861 that "authorized Treasury notes to be issued for such sum or sums as the exigencies of the public service may require, but not to exceed at any time one million dollars, and of denominations not less than fifty dollars for any such note." The value of these bills was payable "twelve months after date" and earned interest of one cent per day for each one hundred dollars. Once bills were redeemed more could be printed so long as the total value did not exceed one million dollars. The total number of bills issued from this act were of a value of $2,021,100. The Act of March 9, 1861 expired on March 1, 1862.
Montgomery Issue of 1861
The earliest notes of this issue are dated from Montgomery, Alabama,
which was the Confederate capital until May 24, 1861 when the government
was moved to Richmond, Virginia. The notes ranged from $50 to $1000.
The National Bank Note Company in New York City engraved and
printed this first issue. All of the early notes printed for the South were
produced by northern companies and shipped to the South. Though this may
be a surprising situation, New York was home to many southern sympathizers,
including Mayor Wood.
The vignettes used on this issue were
not particularly "southern" in their themes and were, for the
most part, images used on many examples of northern currency. Vignettes,
by nature, were complex engravings that required time and money to produce
and so were not treated as disposable items. All of these designs were copyrighted
by their engravers. Northern vignettes were common on the first four Confederate
issues.
The dates were written on these bills. The Register
(Alexander B. Clitherall) and Treasurer (E. C. Elmore) endorsed the bills
on the reverse. A few $500 notes bear the signature of C. T. Jones who took
over Clitherall's position. The notes of the first issue were printed on
bank note paper and were often "cut-cancelled." The bills were
to be held to collect the interest, a function similar to bonds. The notes
were not bonds, however, but "interest bearing paper money."
Richmond Issue of 1861
This issue was printed by the Southern Bank Note Company as the war had
begun before the National Bank Note Company could print more lower denominations
as requested by the Confederate Secretary of the Treasury, C. G. Memminger.
The plates used by the National Bank Note Company were seized by the U.
S. Government.
Memminger then contracted with Samuel Schmidt,
the manager of the New Orleans branch of the American Bank Note Company,
to produce more $50 and $100 notes. Schmidt completed these notes August
26, 1861.
During this time, Schmidt changed the name of the
company to the Southern Bank Note Company. This name appears on the bills,
which were printed on red fibre paper under the same act as the Montgomery
Issue. The dates were handwritten, and the bills were endorsed by Robert
Tyler, the son of John Tyler (10th president of the U.S.), who had taken
the position of Register, and E. C. Elmore (Treasurer).