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The Commodore Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

offline.cacher: CO too far from cache to maintain this cache. Also do not need any ruffled feathers.

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Hidden : 3/11/2012
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

This is a simple cache a short walk from Main Street in the beautiful town of Onancock.

It is 1782, a full year after the British surrender at Yorktown. Tory ships continued to maraud up and down the Chesapeake Bay. And when Maryland patriot and Commodore Zedekiah Whaley and his crew put into Onancock Harbor seeking aid against the Tories, local Colonel John Cropper and twenty-five of the Accomack militia volunteers show up to help Commodore Whaley's men.

They set sail in a fleet of barges that Whaley had assembled and so began the Battle of the Barges which occurs above Smith Island in Maryland on November 20, 1782. At the first sign of battle, most of the American ships desert, leaving Whaley's ship, The Protector, to bear the brunt of the battle. The British quickly take control of the engagement after an ammunition chest aboard The Protector explodes. The men who are not killed outright are either thrown from the ship or jump in an attempt to put out their blazing clothes.

When the boats return to Onancock wharf, 25 Americans are dead, including Commodore Whaley. He is buried in the town he sought help from, and his grave is easily accessible from the cache site.

After his death, an official government investigation was launched to look into the cowardice of the other American officers.

Of course, it's possible that the commodore has taken that in his own hands. To this day, there is a reported ghostly presence at the adjacent Scott Hall which lurks in the trap doors and hidden alcoves there, and sometimes causes three doors of a certain room to open at once of their own accord.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Lbh zvtug or onexvat hc gur jebat gerr.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)