The "Crazy Bet" Van Lew Civil War Cipher Cache Mystery Cache
The "Crazy Bet" Van Lew Civil War Cipher Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The cache is not at the posted coordinates. Those coordinates however are within 2.0 miles of the cache. The cryptogram attached to this log will provide you with the actual cache location. Bring your own pen/pencil.
Recently, while researching yet another lecture on Civil War codes and ciphers for the CWRT-NH (The Civil War Round Table of New Hampshire), I came across the interesting story of "Crazy Bet" Van Lew.
Elizabeth Van Lew was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Van Lew's father ran a hardware business and owned several slaves. Unlike most of her neighbors, she was educated at a Quaker school in Pennsylvania where she was exposed to the ideas of the abolitionists. As a result, after the death of her father, Van Lew and her mother freed the family's nine slaves.
Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Van Lew began working secretly on behalf of the Union. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper, and other things to the Union soldiers imprisoned there (Obtaining the nick name "Crazy Bet" for her odd activities). Unsuspected by the CS authorities, she both aided prisoners in escape attempts, and obtained information from the prisoners concerning CS troop levels and movements, which she was able to pass on to Union commanders.
By the end of the war, Van Lew was operating a spy ring in Richmond,which included clerks in the war and navy departments of the Confederacy and a Richmond mayoral candidate. This spy network was so efficient that on several occasions she sent Grant fresh flowers from her garden and a copy of the Richmond newspaper.
Van Lew's work was highly valued by the Union Army. The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau of the Army of the Potomac credited her with providing "the greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65". In fact, her work was so successful that she has been named a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame by the Military Intelligence Corp of the U. S. Army.
To communicate with Union forces, Van Lew developed her own cipher system and often smuggled messages out of Richmond in hollow eggs. To find this cache, you will have to decrypt a message enciphered with the Van Lew cipher system using "Crazy Bet's" original key.
The message is as follows:
0042352635115516541343341515
+ 11361122544122551111455511
+ 11344222552626135442155643
+ 12555526132235115522631346
+ 35364116113636541341243546
+ 36223611113445551134123646
=========================
0149201233571582435894951207
As with all my puzzle caches, I encourage you all to work in teams to solve the cipher and/or to exchange hints with other cachers. Feel free to contact me with questions and/or to confirm your decrypt. Good luck!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pelcgbtenz: Qbhoyr Pbyhzane, ahzrevpny fhofgvghgvba pvcure.
Pnpur: Uvag va pelcgbtenz.