Civil War 150 Challenge Mystery Cache

One cannot geocache for long in Alabama, or in the South for that matter, without coming across a significant number of Civil War sites.  Whether it is the grave marker of a Civil War veteran, a historical marker, or a major battlefield, reminders of the Civil War are spread across the nation. The history of that bloody conflict helped shape our nation for better or worse, and the repercussions still affect each American today.

From April 2011 to April 2015, we are passing through the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War.  This geocaching challenge is about experiencing Civil War history.  To log it, you will have to visit a number of Civil War sites, but the sites you choose are up to you.  However, you must reach 150 points to achieve the challenge and log the cache.  Points are accumulated in this fashion.

Log a cache recognizing the grave of a Civil War veteran – 1 point

Log a cache at a Civil War historical marker (or a location that should have one) – 2 points

Log a cache at a Civil War memorial, museum or monument – 3 points

Log a cache at a Civil War fort – 5 points

Log a cache at a Civil War battlefield (any type) – 7 points

Log a cache at a Civil War major battlefield (see list below) – 15 points

Civil War battles were fought in 23 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia, as well as the following territories (Arizona Territory, Colorado Territory, Dakota Territory, Indian Territory, New Mexico Territory, and Washington Territory).  There were also numerous naval engagements.  There were an estimated 8,000 occasions of hostilities in the war, and the significant sites are almost innumerable, so there are plenty of places to choose from.  However, there are a few rules for counting your caches.

1. For the purposes of logging points, you may only count caches that are actually Civil War-themed.  Location is not sufficient.  For example, logging a cache about the U.S.S. Alabama World War II battleship would not count for the Battle of Mobile Bay.
2. You cannot count the same cache find multiple times.  For instance, the Vicksburg National Military Park virtual cache takes you to several different Civil War memorials, but you could not count it as a major battlefield plus some number of memorials.  It can only count as 15 points.
3. You can count battlefield caches only once per battle site.  There are a number of virtual caches at Gettysburg, for example, but only one of them can count for 15 points.  The others, however, may count toward the memorial or historical marker totals.
4. Finds prior to the listing date of this cache, provided that they meet the other requirements, are allowed.
5. For each 150 points accumulated, you may log this cache again.  However, you must find new caches to qualify.  No repeat cache finds are allowed.
6. I read back over the cache page and I will add this clarification. I intend for major battles to only be counted once - for instance, there is only one Gettysburg or Antietam. However, a major battle is usually composed of many different clashes or skirmishes. Therefore, I would allow 7 points per individual battle site that composed a major battle (at Gettysburg, for instance, if there was a 7-point cache for Little Round Top, there could also be one for Pickett's Charge. But there would only be one 7-point cache allowed for Little Round Top. The one exception would be if two separate battles happened in the same relative spot.) The intent is that there would only be a one-to-one relationship between a cache and any particular feature.
7. For the purposes of this geocache, a battlefield is defined as any place where Civil War soldiers fought.  However, a major battlefield is defined according to the 1993 Civil War Sites Advisory Commission classification of a Class A site – decisive battles with a direct, observable impact on the direction, duration, conduct, or outcome of the war.  See link here for more info <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_Civil_War_battles>.  As such, these are the only battles that qualify as major battlefield sites:

• Battle of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
• First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas, Virginia
• Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Missouri
• Battle of Fort Donelson, Tennessee
• Battle of Island Number Ten/New Madrid, Missouri
• Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas
• Battle of Glorieta Pass, New Mexico
• Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee
• Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, Louisiana
• Siege of Corinth, Mississippi
• First Battle of Winchester, Virginia
• Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia
• Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia
• Second Battle of Bull Run/Manassas, Virginia
• Battle of Antietam, Maryland
• Battle of Perryville, Kentucky
• Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia
• Battle of Stones River/Second Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
• Battle of Champion Hill, Mississippi
• Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi
• Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana
• Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia
• Chattanooga Campaign, Tennessee
• Battle of Mansfield, Louisiana
• Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia
• Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia
• Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia
• Second Battle of Petersburg, Virginia
• Battle of the Crater, Virginia
• Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama
• Battle of Jonesborough, Georgia
• Battle of Opequon/Third Winchester, Virginia
• Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia
• Battle of Westport, Missouri
• Battle of Franklin (1864), Tennessee
• Battle of Nashville, Tennessee
• Second Battle of Fort Fisher, North Carolina
• Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina
• Battle of Fort Stedman, Virginia
• Battle of Five Forks, Virginia
• Third Battle of Petersburg, Virginia
• Battle of Fort Blakely, Alabama
• Battle of Appomattox Court House, Virginia

So, to finish this challenge you may have as few as ten caches or as many as 150.  Once you have accumulated at least 150 points, you must provide documentation to show you qualify for this challenge.  You can do this one of three ways.

1. Create a bookmark list of your finds, making note of it in your cache log.  In the notes for each cache, make you sure include the points for each item.  (Preferred method).
2. List each of your finds in your log making sure you provide the following for each geocache that you found: GC Number, Cache Name, Point Count and Date found.
3. Create a screen capture or jpg image showing your finds, including the point count for each and email it to me.      

The difficulty/terrain rating is based on the requirements of meeting the challenge; the cache find should be pretty quick and easy.   Enjoy your hunt and the challenge!