Wildcat Highway Traditional Cache
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Size: 
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You seek a camo'd pill bottle with log and swag. Park on a sidestreet and walk to the area. Use extreme stealth when you do!! Anyone who has driven through Wadesboro on Route 74 has probably seen this marker. The amateur historian in all of us, though, sees something like that and wonders "Why is it there?'
Here's why....
The history of the U.S. Army 81st Regional Support Command began on August 25, 1917, when the 81st Infantry Division was organized at Camp (now Fort) Jackson, South Carolina. The division was initially called the "Stonewall Division" in honor of Confederate General T. J. Jackson but was later renamed the "Wildcat Division."
The 81st Division began a practice which was unheard of in those days. A distinguishing shoulder patch - a black wildcat on an olive drab circle - appeared on the 81st Infantry Division uniforms,the first insignia worn by troops in the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). This caused other units to protest loudly. The matter reached the attention of General John J. Pershing, who approved the Wildcat trademark. Moreover, he praised the espirit de corps exhibited by the 81st and suggested that other Army divisions adopt distinctive patches.
The 81st Division was delayed from service in France even though it was one of the first national army divisions to be organized.
It wasn't until November 6, 1918, that the wildcats saw any significant action. The division entered the front lines east of Verdun, on the east side of the Meuse River. On November 8 the division attacked German positions on either side of a heavily defended forest. When the assault was ordered, American commanders wrongly believed that the Germans were withdrawing. From the outset the 81st Division's troops were met with heavy German machine gun and artillery fire. But by midday, the division had slowly pushed the Germans back. Attempts to advance farther were stopped by intense enemy fire. By late afternoon the soldiers were ordered to withdraw to safer positions.
The division continued its attack on November 10, but by evening was forced to withdraw again because of intense enemy artillery fire. During the night, rumors reached the 81st Division commanders that an armistice might be signed the following day, November 11. But because no official word was received about a cessation of hostilities, plans were made for an early morning attack.
At daybreak the 81st Division soldiers were ordered "over the top" to attack the German trenches. The troops slowly advanced through the heavy fog and German shell and machine gun fire. The soldiers fought their way across no-man's-land and through barbed wire to the German trenches. Then, at 11:00 A.M., the firing abruptly stopped. The war was over. The 81st Division suffered 1,104 casualties, 248 killed or dead from wounds and 856 wounded, during the short time it was in combat in November 1918.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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