This is part one of a two-part special series. Tune into First News at Ten for part two.

LEONARD, TX -- The sound of gunfire was all too familiar during one of the most tumultuous times in American history. While the Civil War ended in 1865, another battle began.

"Bob Lee came back from the Civil War and he had a good horse, and good clothes, and the rumor of the money that was here," says Billy Grimes.

Grimes is a historian from Leonard and knows all too well the history of his town. Grimes told us the story of Bob Lee, a Confederate leader who was rich with gold. But it's that money they turned the battle into a treasure hunt that's spanned more than a century in an area known as the four corners. The area includes where Grayson, Collin, Hunt, and Fannin Counties join together.

"Supposedly (Lee) had $30,000 worth of Gold in a wash pot when he came here," Grimes said.

Grimes' tells the story of Lewis Peacock, a member of the Union League who had his eye on Bob Lee's gold early on.

"He was what they called a carpetbagger. He was trying to take peoples land. Raise taxes so they couldn't pay them. But the Lee's could pay there's because they had gold," Grimes said.

Most families were poor in 1866, but Lee's was an exception. It's told that the Lee family profited from several land deals. Peacock and his men are said to have staged a stakeout in order to arrest Lee for alleged war crimes.

The posse were successful in capturing Lee and took him to the Choctaw bottoms.

Grimes believes the crew involved in the heist never really intended to take Lee into official custody.

"I think their intention was to get part of that gold. They never carried him to the courthouse in Sherman. They stopped him before Sherman and got him to sign that note and give them what gold he had which was two or three 20 dollar gold pieces all he had on him," Grimes said.