Indiana Spirit Quest #221: 7th Cavalry Traditional Cache

The Indiana Spirit Quest series of geocaches will take you to a number of historic cemeteries built by Hoosier Pioneers. In just a year and a half, the quest has grown to over two hundred twenty caches hidden in twenty-two Indiana counties, and two Ohio counties, and the hiders have grown to eight cacher teams, six of which are comprised of A Man and His Dog... One who is a man and his Cat, and one who is a Dog and her Woman. Over 395 cacher teams have logged over 4,560 finds. One cache machine found 102 ISQ caches in a single day.

Photos by SHADOW

THE SHADOW, Mysterious character who aids the forces of Law & Order, learned, while in the Orient, the power to cloud mens’ minds so they cannot see him. On weekends he may be lurking about in rural northeast Indiana cemeteries. If you visit these places, you will not see him, but you may hear his maniacal laugh: “HEHEEHEHEHEHEHEEEE”. This is the same laugh that strikes fear in the hearts of criminals and evil-doers everywhere. But you, if you are pure in heart, have nothing to worry about… or do you???

Hear what THE SHADOW has to say about this cache:

Welcome to Bethel Cemetery, Richland Twp., Steuben County, Indiana. This is a remote cemetery, Mid sized and active , although recent burials are few. The area surrounding it is open, giving long distance views.It is located beside a paved roadway with little traffic.

I found the graves of at least 3 Civil War veterans, representing Ohio, Michigan and Indiana regiments. Later veterans are also here, of course. Once again, as nearby, I found a single plot occupied by two siblings of different ages; One stone to remember both. This may have been more common than we think. Also a rare case of age given in hours, instead of the usual years, months, days. – THE SHADOW

No folks, the name of this cache doesn't refer to Col. Custer's famous 7th U.S. Cavalry, part of which was wiped out to a man by a vastly superior Hunkpapa and Oglala force at Little Big Horn..This cache refers to the 7th MICHIGAN Cavalry of the Civil War. The 7th Michigan was at Gettysburg and Appomattox and coincidently saw action against the Indians in the Dakota Territory in 1865, just as the 7th U.S. did on that fateful day eleven years later...<<p>

Organized at Grand Rapids, Mich., October, 1862, to June, 1863. 1st Battalion left State for Washington, D. C., February 20, 1863. Balance of Regiment May, 1863. Attached to Provisional Cavalry Brigade, Casey's Division, Defenses of Washington, 22nd Army Corp., to April, 1863. 1st Brigade, Stahel's Cavalry Division, 22nd Army Corps, Dept. of Washington, to June, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, to March, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac and Middle Military Division, to June, 1865. District of the Plains, Dept. of Missouri, to September, 1865. District of Dakota to December, 1865.

SERVICE.-Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C., till June, 1863. Action at Thoroughfare Gap, Va., May 21, 1863. Greenwich May 30. Expedition up the Catoctin Valley June 27-28. Occupation of Gettysburg, Pa., June 28. Hanover, Pa., June 30. Battle of Gettysburg , Pa., July 1-3. Hunterstown July 2. Monterey July 4. Smithburg July 5. Williamsport and Hagerstown July 6. Boonsboro July 8. Hagerstown July 11-13. Falling Waters July 14. Snicker's Gap July 19. Expedition from Warrenton Junction, between Bull Run and Blue Ridge Mountains, August 1-8. Hartwood Church August 15. King George Court House August 24. Expedition to Port Conway September 1-3. Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan September 13-17. Culpeper Court House September 13. Raccoon Ford September 14-16. Raccoon Ford September 17. Reconnoissance across the Rapidan September 21-23. White's Ford September 21-22. Orange Court House September 22. Bristoe Campaign October 8-22. Robertson's River October 8. Jams City October 8-10. Bethesda Church October 10. Near Culpeper and Brandy Station October 11. Gainesville October 14. Groveton October 17-18. Gainesville, Catlett's Station and Buckland's Mills October 19. Near Falmouth November 6. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Stevensburg November 8. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Morton's Ford November 26. Raccoon Ford November 26-27. Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6-7, 1864. Kilpatrick's Raid on Richmond February 28-March 4. Fortifications of Richmond and Atlee's March 1. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River May 3-June 24. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7. Todd's Tavern May 5-6. Brook Road and the Furnaces May 6. Todd's Tavern May 7-8. Sheridan's Raid to the James River May 9-24. Beaver Dam Station May 9. Ground Squirrel Church and Yellow Tavern May 11. Meadow Bridge and fortifications of Richmond May 12 Malvern Hill May 16. Hanover Court House May 21. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Hanovertown Ferry, Hanovertown and Crump's Creek May 27. On line of the Totopotomoy May 28-31. Haw's Shop and Aenon Church May 28. Old Church and Mattadequin Creek May 30. Bethesda Church, Cold Harbor, May 21-June 1. Bottom's Bridge June l. Sheridan's Trevillian Raid June 7-24. Trevillian Station June 11-12. Newark, or Mallory's Cross Roads, June 12. Black Creek, or Tunstall's Station, and White House, or St. Peter's Church, June 21. Jones' Bridge June 23. Fort Stevens and along Northern Defences of Washington July 11-12 (Detachment). Demonstration North of the James River July 27-29. Deep Bottom July 27-29. Ordered to Washington, D. C., August. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Toll Gate, near White Post, and near Winchester August 11. Cedarville, or Front Royal, August 16. Kearneysville August 23. Kearneysville and Shephardstown August 25. Leetown and Smithfield August 28. Smithfield Crossing of the Opequan September 29. Locke's Ford, Opequan Creek, September 13. Sevier's Ford, Opequan, September 15. Battle of Opequan, Winchester, September 19. Fisher's Hill September 21. Milford September 22. Luray September 24. Port Republic September 26-28. Mt. Crawford October 2. Salem Church October 6. Luray Valley October 8. Tom's Brook("Woodstock Races") October 8-9. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Edenburg November 7. Near Kernstown November 11. Expedition into Loudoun and Faquier Counties November 28-December 3. Raid to Gordonsville December 19-28. Madison Court House December 21. Liberty Mills December 22. Near Gordonsville December 23. Expedition to Little Fort Valley February 18-17, 1865. Sheridan's Raid from Winchester to James River February 28-March 25. Occupation of Staunton and action at Waynesboro March 2. Duguidsville March 8. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Dinwiddie Court House March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Scott's Cross Roads April 2. Tabernacle Church, or Beaver Bend Creek, April 4. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox Station April 8. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Expedition to Danville April 23-27. March to Washington, D. C.; May. Grand Review May 23. Moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, June 1. Powder River Expedition and operations against Indians in District of the Plains and Dakota till December. Regiment mustered out December 15, 1865. Veterans and Recruits transferred to 1st Michigan Cavalry.

Regiment lost during service 4 Officers and 81 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 256 Enlisted men by disease. Total 343.

The cache container is a match container. BYOP.Park with CareThe cache is not located near a grave... If you find a fallen US flag, please stick it back in the ground. As always, please be respectful, and cache in, trash out.

"Indiana Spirit Quest" is brought to you by the following fellows of GEOISQ*: The SixDogTeam, Kodiak Kid, THE SHADOW, Team Shydog, Rupert2, Torry, ~Mystery Dog~, Team Tigger International, and Cache Commando. If you are interested in spreading the Quest to your neck of the woods AND WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US, email SixDogTeam.

*Grand Exalted Order of the Indiana Spirit Quest

** THIS IS A GENUINE INDIANA SPIRIT QUEST CACHE**