The woods and rolling green fields of Gettysburg National Military
Park are populated every year by hundreds of thousands of visitors
who come to try and imagine what occurred nearly 140 years ago on
the site. The park affords a unique opportunity for virtual caching
with 1600 monuments scattered over nearly 6,000 acres. Enjoy
yourself, but please maintain respect for those who made their
sacrifices on these grounds long ago.
This is a multi-virtual cache in which the given coordinates are
for the first of three monuments you must locate on the
battlefield. Each monument will provide the information to find the
next, with the third and final monument providing information
necessary to log the find. Simple enough? Well, what makes this
more challenging is the configuration of roads within the park.
While some are two-way, many are one-way. Attempting this cache
will be like driving through a maze…the monuments were selected not
so much for their historical significance as for their location in
relation to the road system and the resulting difficulty in getting
from point A to B to C. My dry run (with the knowledge of which
road would be best to take) took 50 minutes over 11 miles of roads.
My rough guess is that it would take most people 1 to 2 hours to
complete this cache. The battlefield is closed from 10 p.m. to 6
a.m.
The search is intended to be traversed by vehicle. Each virtual
is a monument along the roadside, no more than a short walk from
the pavement. There may be a few spots where you get close enough
to want to walk a short-cut (traversing a road) to your goal. In
this instance, I would consider this cheating. The aim is to
navigate your car to the closest possible parking spot and only
then inspect the monument on foot.
For the greatest challenge, do it the Guy’s Way: no maps. Just
follow your GPSr and your instincts. This should yield the most
satisfaction with a successful find.
Slightly less difficult (but potentially more educational) would
be to start at the park Visitor Center and pick up a park map. This
shows the park roads, although it is not always clear which way you
can travel on them. I would still suggest you only use the map to
the extent you need an assist or want to learn about the
battle.
CAUTION: There are many people walking around, and traffic can
be heavy in spots. If you do not have a navigator riding shotgun,
please park before consulting your instruments. In most places you
can simply pull to the right side of the road and stop your
car.
Solve the digits for each letter cipher.
The given coordinates mark a monument honoring a famous brigade
reputed to have suffered the heaviest losses of any others in the
war (in proportion to their numbers). It was comprised of soldiers
from the 2nd, Ath, and 7th Wisconsin, the BCth Indiana, and 2Dth
Michigan Volunteers. The BCth Indiana consolidated with the Eth and
20th Indiana on October 18, 1864.
The second monument’s coordinates are N 39 DE.ECD W 77
BD.EA5
The second monument commemorates a regiment that fought on this
line on July 2, 1863 from 4 until 6 p.m. Total listed enrollment
was FGH5, losses of 6JH men. The regiment was mustered Oct. KG,
1861, re-enlisted Jan. G, 1864, and mustered out June KL, 1865.
The third monuments’ coordinates are N 39 G9.JJG W 77 FK.LLH
The final monument is visible from the road, but requires a
short walk. The monument takes the form of a piece of soldiery
equipment, and reposes in a quiet spot. To take credit for your
find, email me the number and state of the regiment (i.e., the
____th ______ Infantry) and the times listed for their deployment
on July 2.
Upon receipt of your submission, I will send more detailed
information about the regiments commemorated by these memorials.
Please do not post the answers in your log. Thanks are extended to
Zinnware for constructive suggestions.
If the weather has been unusually wet (rains, spring thaw, etc.)
be advised that the third monument, which is in a low-lying area,
may have a lot of mud and/or water in the vicinity. Normally this
will not be a problem. If the water is a problem, just email me a
description of the monument--viewable from a distance--and don't
worry about the details.
