The colossal structure of granite standing in the center of the cemetery reaches skyward 44 feet-7 inches, weighs 250 tons, and is made up of 27 pieces. The soldier, made of two pieces joined at the waist, depicts a Union infantryman standing "in place, rest" facing homeward to the north. The soldier itself is 21½ feet tall and weighs about 30 tons and is made up of two pieces joined at the waist.
Designed by James G. Batterson of Hartford, CT, and sculpted by James Pollette of Westerly, RI, for a cost of over $32,000, the "Private Soldier" first stood at the gateway of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA, in 1876. It was disassembled again for the long journey to Sharpsburg.
On September 17, 1880, the statue was finally in place where it was formally dedicated. The journey of "Old Simon," as he is known locally, had been delayed for several months when the section from the waist up fell into the river at Washington, D.C. When retrieved, it was transported on the C&O Canal, and dragged by using huge, wooden rollers through Sharpsburg to the cemetery. The inscription on the monument reads, "Not for themselves, but for their country."
Substitute numbers from the date of dedication on the pedestal into the following Coordinates: N 39° 27.ABC W 077° 44.DAE where:
A = the second number in the date of dedication.
B = the first number in the date of dedication.
C = the third number in the year of dedication MINUS one.
D = the fourth number in the year of dedication.
E = the second number in the year of dedication PLUS one.
The cache you seeek is hidden just a short drive away from this historical marker. The container you seek is a large sized pill bottle containing a few logsheet/stashnote combinations but no room for a stylus so be sure to BYOP!