Last Full Measure Multi-Cache
Mr.Charlie: This cache lasted twice as long as the Civil War. Thanks to everyone who visited the cemeteries and found the cache.
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The coordinates above will take you to the first of three
cemeteries. Please see the additional waypoints below for all three
locations.
Illinois sent 259,092 of her sons to fight in the Civil War. Nearly
35,000 of them died serving their country. In the words of
President Lincoln, they gave the last full measure of
devotion.
Many remain on far off battlefields but some were brought home to
rest in their native soil. You will visit and learn the story of
three of them. The posted coordinates are for the grave of one of
the soldiers. Please see the additional waypoints below for the
location of all three cemeteries. You may visit them in any order
and will need to take with you some information that will lead you
to an ammo can in a park nearby. Perhaps you will take away a
little more than that.
Soldiers in the Civil War were twice as likely to die of disease
than battle wounds. Two out of every three deaths occurred from
typhoid, dysentery, malaria and other illnesses. Medical care in
the 1860’s was still relatively primitive. Sanitary
conditions did not meet today’s standards. Young men raised
on rural farms had never been exposed to many diseases and their
immune systems were not prepared for what they would face. When
they were brought together in dirty crowded camps these diseases
quickly spread and took their toll. Many boys died before reaching
the battlefields in the south. Their bravery was never tested, they
succumbed to an enemy they were not equipped to fight. Only one of
the three soldiers you will visit was killed in battle. The other
two died of disease, but that does not diminish the sacrifice they
made.
Battle Cry of Freedom
The day after celebrating his twenty-second birthday, Private Esau
Rich enlisted in the 96th Illinois in Avon Township. The date was
August 9th, 1862. He was enrolled on the muster list of Company B.
The regiment was sent south after training in Springfield. It
arrived on the Cumberland River by way of Louisville, KY in
February of 1862. From there the men moved with the Army of the
Cumberland in the summer campaign to push the Confederates out of
Tennessee.
Thinking that the Confederates had retreated into Georgia, General
Rosecrans split the Army of the Cumberland into three corps and
sent them on separate routes to trap the rebels. Little did he know
that the enemy had not retreated, but in fact had been sent
reinforcements and now outnumbered his own force. Divided in the
face of superior numbers the Union Army stood little chance when
General Bragg attacked at Chickamauga on September 19th. On the
second day of the battle, under the mistaken impression that there
was a gap in the center of his line, Rosecrans ordered a shift in
his troops which opened a hole exactly like the nonexistent one he
was trying to close. At that very moment, Confederate General James
Longstreet’s corps was moving into the breach vacated by the
moving troops. He was able to punch through the Union lines and
throw the Federal forces into complete disarray. The crumpled line
was routed and fell back in pieces to Chattanooga. The few units
that rallied under General George Thomas managed to keep the Army
of the Cumberland from being completely destroyed. One of those
units was the 96th Illinois. Over 50% of the regiment were killed,
wounded or missing. The next day, while continuing to fight a
delaying action to save the Army, Companies C and H were captured
in their entirety by the rebels.
Trapped in Chattanooga for two months, the Federal forces were
starving. Their rations reduced to a single ear of corn per man
each day, they were finally reinforced by General Grant in
November. On the 24th, orders were given to drive the enemy off
Lookout Mountain which dominated the hills surrounding the town.
The 96th Illinois was on the extreme right flank of the entire
Union force. With a shout, they advanced into position and took the
first line of defenses. They briefly paused there under fire while
waiting for further instructions. In one of the most dramatic
moments of the war, the men moved forward without direct orders.
Eager for action and revenge, on their own initiative they stormed
to the top of the mountain and forced the Confederates into
retreat. In the bloody advance on the summit Private Esau Rich was
shot and killed.
100 Days Regiment
Late in the war some regiments were recruited to serve only 100
days. They typically were used as garrison troops to free up
veterans for combat. Seventeen year old Private Erastus E. Thompson
enlisted in May of 1864 for a term of 100 days. He was mustered
into service in the 134th Illinois Volunteers on May 31 and
assigned to Company I. The regiment spent its entire service
stationed on garrison duty at Columbus, Kentucky. Their time was
uneventful, yet one officer and twenty enlisted men died of disease
before the regiment was mustered out almost five months later on
October 25, 1864. Private Thompson died of typhoid fever on
September 7, after serving exactly 100 days.
Hornet’s Nest
Levi Griswold was an old man by the standards of the day. He was
likely the oldest soldier in Company I of the 15th Illinois
Volunteer Regiment. At 38 years old, he would have stood out among
the young boys around him, but his patriotism was the same as
theirs. Enlisting in Wauconda on May 24, 1861 he was a member of
one of the earliest regiments raised in the Civil War after the
initial call to arms following the attack on Ft. Sumter in
April.
Along with other units of the Army of the Tennessee the 15th
Illinois arrived at Pittsburgh Landing in April of 1862. In the
following days the Army would fight a battle that would shock the
country with its ferocity, and forever dispel the notion that it
would be a short war. Confederate Gen. Albert S. Johnston attempted
to defeat Union General Grant’s Army of the Tennessee before
the Union forces could be reinforced. At dawn on April 6,
Confederate troops let out a rebel yell that echoed through the
forest and attacked the Federal line. The shocked Union regiments
gave way and fled, but some managed to hold a line at a sunken
road. They offered a stiff resistance. The 15th Illinois, flanked
on the right by the 53rd Ohio, held its ground. After the Ohio
regiment broke and fled in a panic, the 15th Illinois was alone,
but managed to maintain its position for three hours. Regrouping
along with other units, they fought in what would forever be known
as the “Hornet’s Nest.” While the stiff
resistance eventually was forced to yield to massed artillery and
repeated frontal assaults, the more than 2,500 casualties suffered
by the rebels convinced them that victory did not lie along this
path. The attempt to drive the Federal line into the Tennessee
River had failed, due in large part to the valor of the 15th
Illinois.
The battle was continued the next morning and the newly arrived
reinforcements turned the tide. At the end of another day of brutal
fighting, General Grant personally led the 14th and 15th Illinois
in a charge that broke the last resistance of the southern forces
and closed the bloodiest battle to date in the war. The Union Army
suffered over 13,000 casualties, more than 250 of them from the
15th Illinois. The Confederate losses numbered more than 10,500.
There are more headstones in the hallowed ground of the National
Cemetery at the Shiloh battlefield that read “15th Illinois
Infantry” than any other regiment.
Shortly after surviving the battle, Pvt. Griswold became ill. He
was sent home on a medical leave, but died on May 28, 1862. He had
been in the Union Army for just over a year.
After the passing of Pvt. Griswold, his comrades continued to
distinguish themselves, playing prominent roles in the Siege of
Vicksburg, the capture of Atlanta, and taking part in
Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Last Full Measure
These three men from Lake County gave their lives in the defense of
their country. They fought for what they believed was right, to
preserve a government of the people, by the people, and for the
people. They fought that that government, born on the principle
that all men are created equal, would not perish. In so doing, they
gave the last full measure of devotion.
We are playing a simple game, which pales in the light of their
sacrifice. Please tread quietly and respectfully in the place of
their final rest.
To find the cache:
The final coordinates for the ammo can are as follows:
N42 AB.CDE
W88 FG. HJK
Private Rich’s parents each have G letters in their first
names.
6 paces to the northwest of Pvt. Rich’s grave are two
military headstones. Look for Trooper Jerry Smith who served in the
Cavalry. His unit was the Co. E of the ST Illinois Cavalry.
S+T=K.
After paying your respects to Pvt. Rich, look along the fenceline
near the southwest corner of the cemetery . Lying over his grave is
the toppled marker of Corporal Charles O. Hendee. He died shortly
after enlisting in the XHJth Illinois Infantry.
Near the grave of Pvt. Thompson is a flagpole erected to the memory
of the Civil War soldiers buried in the cemetery. It was erected by
a member of the DEF American Legion post.
When you pay your respects to the last earthly remains of Pvt.
Griswold, look over your right shoulder. You should see a red
granite tombstone. Move over for a closer look. Pvt. Jay Bennett
served in another 100 days regiment, the “CX” Wisconsin
Infantry.
If you turn around at Pvt. Bennett's grave you will see a military
marker for a musician. Reuben O. Hill was a Musician 3rd Class in
the “BA” Illinois Infantry. He was likely a relative of
and named after Reuben Hill, a Revolutionary War soldier buried
150’ to the west of Private Griswold.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Cig. Evpu vf arne gur gerr jvgu n gnyy zneoyr urnqfgbar gung ur funerf jvgu uvf cneragf.
Cig. Tevfjbyq vf npebff gur ebnq sebz gur jngre chzc.
Gur svany vf oruvaq gur ynetr qrnq bnx.