Indiana Spirit Quest #10: Civil War POW Traditional Cache

Down by the River...

The muffled drums sad roll has beat, the soldier's last tatoo; No more on life's parade shall meet, the brave and fallen few. On fame's eternal camping ground, Their silent tents are spread, And Glory guards, with solemn round, THE BIVOUAC OF THE DEAD." --Theodore O'Hara.

edited 8-22-11 8-28-11

The Indiana Spirit Quest series of geocaches will take you to a number of small, rural, historic cemeteries built by Hoosier Pioneers in central Indiana. If you’re clever, you can map out a route and get a bunch of ‘em in one trip!

Welcome to Riverside Cemetery, Dallas Township, Sec. 33 in Huntington County on the banks of the beautiful Wabash River, northeast of the town of Andrews, Indiana.The cemetery was established in 1871 and is active with over 2,000 burials.

You will be seeking the final resting place of Lessel Long (1838-1915), one of the many Civil War vets buried here. A member of Company F, 18th Indiana Infantry, Long was interred for a year at the infamous Andersonville Prison (Camp Sumter) where over 13,000 Federal Prisoners of War perished, primarily due to sickness from lack of proper nutrition and sanitation. After the war, Long became a manufacturer and merchant in Andrews, and published a book about his experiences as a P.O.W., Twelve Months in Andersonville Prison. His 1880 Italianate-style house can be viewed at 330 N.Main St. in town.

The oldest of seven children, Long was born in Randolph County on Feb 20, 1838. His family moved to Huntington County in 1846. Apprenticed at age eighteen to learn the blacksmith trade, Long became a journeyman and then proprietor of his own shop until 1862, when he began manufacturing carriages. He had by this time served a three month enlistment with Co. F, 13th Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry.

He re-enlisted in October 1862 in the same company and regiment. At the Battle of Chester, Long was taken prisoner on May 10, 1864 and spent twenty one days in Libby Prison at Richmond. He was confined at Andersonville until the end of the war.

After his discharge from the war, Long engaged in the carriage business until 1877 when he open a store in Andrews selling hardware and farm implements. Later he opened the Old Reliable Grocery. He died of heart trouble, at home, on Sunday morning, May 30, 1915, survived by his wife Mary and one of four sons. In addition the cemetery is the final resting place for at least 4 Servicemen who died in Vietnam, which would seem a rather large number for such a small town…

There are 29 Government Tombstones for Civil War Soldiers.

If you can find the Stone for Eliza Ann and Jonas H. Lee, you will see that from 1859 to 1872, they buried 5 children, none of whom survived past three years of age -- Cora, Dora, Nora, Sarah and Infant. There are a number of Family Monuments,with a circle of tombstones surrounding them... UPDATE JAN. '06: Your mission, should you accept it, is to find the Long family Monument at 40° 52.212' and 85° 35.865'. After paying your respects, go search for the cache. This time you only get minutes to hundredths, just to make it interesting...heh,heh.

Andersonville, (Camp Sumter) , was one of the largest of many Confederate military prisons established during the Civil War. It was built early in 1864 after Confederate officials decided to move the large number of Federal prisoners kept in and around Richmond, Virginia, to a place of greater security and a more abundant food supply . During the 14 months the prison existed, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were confined here. Of these, almost 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, or exposure to the elements.

Today, Andersonville National Historic Site is the only park in the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war throughout the nation's history. The 515-acre park consists of the historic prison site and the National Cemetery. Congress stated in the authorizing legislation that this park's purpose is "to provide an understanding of the overall prisoner of war story of the Civil War, to interpret the role of prisoner of war camps in history, to commemorate the sacrifice of Americans who lost their lives in such camps, and to preserve the monuments located within the site". In 1998 the National Prisoner of War Museum opened at Andersonville, dedicated to the men and women of this country who have suffered captivity. Their story is one of sacrifice and courage.

The cache container is a plastic 35mm film canister. Please replace the cache camouflage when you’re done. If you find a fallen U.S. flag, please stick it back in the ground, preferably next to a Vet’s Marker.

Dogs Allowed Available year-round Less than 500 ft. from car to cache No restrooms available Check Tide Before Caching

Patrick Says Good Luck!

NOTICE, 7-29-05: NIGHT CACHING IS NOT ALLOWED ON ISQ's. .