The Battle of Shepherdstown, also known as the Battle of Boteler's
Ford, was the final battle of Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign,
his first invasion of the North. This cache, like
Shepherdstown Battlefield #1 is a cache placed simply to
highlight an area of Jefferson County that has some interesting
Civil War history.
From the moment I first spotted this large ruin on the hill, I
just knew it needed a cache nearby. In fact, as I researched this
spot further, it really only grew more interesting. The parking
coordinates given will bring you an area where the ruins of
Boteler's Cement Mill can be seen. Although not in service in 1862
(when the Battle of Shepherdstown occurred), this mill began
operating in 1829, supplying cement to nearby businesses and
structures, and to the growing city of Washington by way of the
C&O Canal across the Potomac. The mill stood throughout the war
and Union soldiers crossed at its dam and used the buildings for
shelter during the Battle of Shepherdstown.
Follow the coordinates towards gz and you will most certainly
spot what caught my attention in the first place. This kiln was one
of the largest of the cement mill. At the top (note: be extremely
careful if you choose to climb up there!) you can still see the
large opening where limestone was loaded from above into the
fire.
The cache itself is located in a spot slightly away from the
kiln, as not to disturb the ruins. It's a regular sized lock-n-lock
that should be a fairly easy find.
Now, if you've chosen to follow the Shepherdstown Civil War
Podcast Tour, stop 2 on the tour is somewhere near the parking
coordinates (the wooden marker sadly seems to be missing). To
locate the trail to stop 3, head up the path towards this cache.
Once at gz, you should be able to spot the bright pink flagging
which is used to mark the Shepherdstown Battlefield Trail. Continue
uphill, along this trail to stop 3. Please note, while this area
does border private property, the trail is open to all hikers.
For parking, roadside parking is permitted along River Road,
however, please do access caution when parking and exiting vehicles
as there isn't a lot of room to pull off the road.
