The Bitter End

By Captain J. Gary "Gator" Hill

"Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” Maybe one of the most frequently quoted lines ever. Of course, you all know this line from Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell’s seminal book about southern life before, during and after the Civil War. Many of us have either seen the movie or read the book, if not both. And yes, even though I’m a guy, I’ve done both, and I can do most of Rhett’s lines from the movie. As so often with my stories, buckle up buttercups, you’re in for another wild meandering!

Mitchell stated numerous times before she went to her grave that this literary classic was a work of fiction, including all the characters. But that may not be the case.

Recently, I picked up a book called Treasures of the Confederate Coast: The Real Rhett Butler and Other Revelations, by Dr. E. Lee Spence. I used it while working on another article, but also wanted it for future reference. This column is centered around three names, two historical and one fictional. Two I’ve already mentioned, Dr. Spence and Mr. Butler, but there’s a third, who might possibly be the basis of one Mr. Rhett Butler, and his name is George Alfred Trenholm.

Let’s take a look at Mr. Butler’s attitudes concerning money and finances. Here are a couple quotes that give good examples.

“I told you once before that there were two times for making big money, one in the up-building of a country and the other in its destruction. Slow money on the up-building, fast money in the crack-up. Remember my words. Perhaps they may be of use to you some day.”

Another, “I warn you that I am not kind. I am tempting you with bonnets and bangles and leading you into a pit. Always remember I never do anything without reason and I never give anything without expecting something in return. I always get paid.”

Quite possibly one of the most telling of clues as to who the real Rhett Butler is, “My funds are in Liverpool, not in Atlanta. If I tried drawing a draft the Yankees’d be on me like a duck on a June bug.”

We also see his benevolence when he buys back Melanie’s wedding band, as well as Scarlett’s, and his high bid at the fundraising ball for a dance with Scarlett. Also in him making mention that he would do whatever is needed to move their standing up in society for their daughter, Bonnie.

Now for a little look at Mr. George Alfred Trenholm who, as Dr. Spence poses, may be the character on whom Mr. Butler is based. Trenholm was a banker, financier, and blockade runner. And from where? Charleston, just like our Mr. Butler. When Trenholm was a young man he worked as a cotton broker at a major firm, John Fraser and Company, which he later led then owned.

There are some additional parallels. At the onset of the war Trenholm quickly realized that the South was sorely lacking in industrial capability. He backed a huge fleet of blockade runners, as many as sixty steamers at one point. These blockade runners brought back home not only much need war goods, but silks and satins and other finery for the South’s elite and wealthy (which was where the real money was).

It’s rumored that Trenholm kept the company of “fast women” which might ring a bell, as in Belle Watling, the madam who owned a brothel frequented by Butler.

Maybe one of the most telling comparisons (and there are more than this limited space allows) was where the money went. Trenholm kept his money in Liverpool, just as the fictional Butler did. In the last year of the war, Trenholm was made Secretary of the Confederate Treasury, and is thought to be where the wealth of the Southern states ended up.

I want to state that I have relied heavily on the research by Dr. Lee Spence, and in no way want to take credit for his outstanding writing and knowledge of this subject. Dr. Spence is described as the Indiana Jones of the maritime world. What initially led him down this curious rabbit hole was in his discovery on the C.S.S Georgiana. Among the many artifacts recovered was a simple collection of pins that peaked his curiosity and that he later referred to as “Scarlett’s Pins.”

There is so much more to this and other stories; hopefully I’ve accomplished my task and piqued your interest! I hope you’ll take time to do some research of your own into these fascinating people and the stories behind them.

As always, peace and love, shrimp and grits, wash your hands, and I'll see you on the water!

Left: Treasures of the Confederate Coast: The Real Rhett Butler & Other Revelations, by Dr. E. Lee Spence Right: Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchel (image © Paramount Pictures)

Email: TheOriginalCaptainGator@gmail.com

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