Battles Along the Ridgeline
This cache is NOT at the posted coordinates. The posted coordinates are at a site on Rt # 40A nearer to Boonsboro and will figure later in this exercise.
General Robert E. Lee invaded the North in the fall of 1862. Two grievous errors would haunt him, one of his doing, one not. First, he divided his army, sending General ‘Stonewall’ Jackson to Harpers Ferry to capture the U.S. Arsenal. All things being equal, not a bad idea. Second, and more grievous, a courier lost Special Order # 191 that detailed ‘the split,’ and the order of troop movements to eventually rejoin in the Hagerstown area. The Special Order fell into Union hands. Lee, sitting with his army in Frederick, thought Union General McClellan would bide his time between Lee and Washington, D.C, dawdling as he was wont to do.
But no! Thanks to the special order, McClellan set his army on a quick-time march toward Frederick. Lee’s butt was in a sling, and had no option but to set the remainder of his army to the ridgelines of South Mountain and beyond. The point of resistance would occur at the mountain passes - Crampton’s, Fox’s and Turner’s Gaps. He was hoping to gain time for General Jackson to finish with Harpers Ferry and return. Of Lee’s army marching through Frederick, an unnamed citizen wrote:
"I have never seen a mass of such filthy strong-smelling men. Three in a room would make it unbearable, and when marching in column along the street the smell from them was most offensive... The filth that pervades them is most remarkable...”
The resulting battles in all three gaps were sharp and deadly. Lee’s stand in these gaps allowed General Jackson time to take the Arsenal and return in time for the Battle at Antietam / Sharpsburg. Lee was in luck, but barely. The subject of this caching exercise is with Fox’s and Turner’s Gaps.
This is a virtual tour. A desktop adventure, the marvels of birds-eye navigation, use of zoom and virtual travel at street level lend themselves nicely to the geocaching experience. There are a “g**gle” of internet tools to assist with what I like to call ‘vicarious celestial navigation’. There are also elements of letterbox here. Or, you may choose to visit the sites in person. This cache was conceived during the Covid-19 epidemic. Enjoy!
Let’s begin. Plug the numbers you glean along the way into the following coordinate equation –
N 39 30. A B C , W 077 39. D E Z
Stage # 1 – “Up On The Corner” ( N 39 28.211, W 077 37.122 )
All history aside, using your tools and stage # 1 coordinates, alight at street level on a mountain road. Follow it up (eastward) and stop in the middle of an intersection. Pan around and find a street sign on the corner near a small dirt parking lot. Note the number of letters in the second word on the yellow and black sign = A.
Stage # 2 – Reno Monument ( N 39 28.238, W 077 37.024 )
Continue eastward along the road from the yellow sign. Stop adjacent to the stone wall that surrounds General Jesse Reno’s monument.
“As evening fell and the Confederates fell back through the gap and off to the north, Union Gen. Jesse L. Reno rode by here and into the field across from Wise’s cabin to investigate what he believed was a delay in the push for Turner’s Gap. Just then, Gen. John Bell Hood’s Texans arrived on the field and fired the final Confederate volley, mortally wounding Reno. Carried on a stretcher to his friend General Samuel Sturgis’s headquarters, Reno called to him. “Hallo Sam. I’m dead!” A few minutes later he died, the first Union Corps commander killed during the war.”
Solve for “B.” Count the number of contiguous steps (x) leading up to the grassy cemetery. x = B
Stage # 3 – North Carolina Monument (39 28.059, 077 37.063)
This monument is in the woods, a quarter mile south on the ridgeline. You may go there in person, or attend to some research. A good place to begin is www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=4325 . Photos can be viewed at normal size or enlarged for reading and seeing detail. The fighting at Fox’s Gap was brutal, grisly and hand-to-hand at times. Solve for “C.” How many stars (x) are visible on the battle flag (front view) being held up by a dying soldier? (x + 3) = C. The above photo is too small for positive results!
Stage # 4 – Turner’s Gap, A Natural Barrier (N 39° 29.063′ W 77° 37.204′)
Solving for D will again require research at the follow link- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=1519, or you can motor to the coordinates above. Use the enlarged photo and find a map on the right side of the historic marker. A green line kind of divides the map top to bottom. D is the number of letters (x) in the second word in the name of that line. (x - 1) = D.
Stage # 5 - Turner’s Gap, 1862 Antietam Campaign
Research continues – https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=1520 . By all means read the history here, but to solve for “E,” use the zoomed picture and find the number of buttons (x) on General McClellan’s uniform blouse. ( x – 14 ) = E.
Stage # 6 – The Route 40A / Clevelandtown Split ( Posted Coordinates N 39 29.449, W 077 38.243 )
Alight to street view using the coordinates above, or proceed by vehicle. The history here is the roadway, known as The Old National Pike. Also called the National Road, or Cumberland Road, the Pike was the first road built by the United States federal government. Construction was authorized in 1806, begun in 1811, at Cumberland, Maryland, and stopped at Vandalia, Illinois in 1838, a distance of about 620 miles. Obviously this road predates the conflicts that occurred in the mountain passes above.
Let’s wrap this up. Solve for “Z.” Zoom if you must. Find the little island with the drainage grate. Count the number (x) of reflector poles. (x - 4) = Z.
The direction taken for Stage # 6 has you traveling in right direction for the final. Your destination is Shafer Park in Boonsboro. The cache is medium in size, hidden in a woodline.
Thanks for tagging along the ridgelines. The checksum of the numbers gleaned along the way will be 22. Cheer!s