The mystery of the carvings at McGuffin's Bluff is one of the more interesting local tales of the Civil War. Unfortunately, the actual McGuffin's Bluff location is off-limits so I cannot tell you how to get there, but I can lead you on a seriously demented quest to discover the secrets of the Bluff and if you are lucky you may even solve the mystery and discover the final resting place of the Pentia. But first you better get to working on finding the lieutenant's cryptography tools, I am sure they are on this cache paghe somewhere. While you are poking around you will probably want to take every opportunity you can to learn more about McGuffin's Bluff.
Just to get you started, I have decided to give you this little encrypted document to keep you busy, there may be something helpful in it, there may not, you be the judge...
HLIFX GJNUA XWOEV ATFIU HNAYE KMQMR GZJKO VQRKY ZRFTV MYWHO DZSLO VKHEH KARQO NUNBP TKXKM WJYHI WRPBG ZAOMR DADLP JJHTL BDPQJ DOVJF WXKTM EKHOS FDJHX LNJNW SCEEK VGFAW AJZOR EITKU XKVCR OIIFJ WBLFV JTHHY CHOCH QXXWJ PESCE VCVQS GNIOP UANRT JHXMH ZDKCP VBIBC UZKQX QEYCW UEOZF LHYKE KGUJC MFAPX XKIKV XGTHV FXBYV NKYJP FFHNL RNRZV YOYVU LNLAX QYNLW OEMBY VQEOI EWFNM WAUPA XKHLE JPXLJ HYIMT AMYSL VUTEB DPQBD MDGZJ KOVQI TDBVT RVUAU FDHZJ DLBOF SHAOG IEDCN AYOUJ FJNQM CMYOY WZUZB QXMIY RHFJB JRHNE QCSYM HDIZA OMXON XHOSV SBXIG OMXSU PULGZ OYQRK XGNMF JHXGV KYOQT FBCOG SKVRI SLBQX FJABA ODOEI SYNEJ HKLPW ORAHR FXVGL SJAOL DOLPW CGYOJ MRTDB VOGHK YLFJP BKOOT WDSHI OGIHM WSQGJ HXBXR QIDFN USFCN LPKJW XKWCP DPLYI GIQBA UUCVA JHFYJ XABWJ PJACC QDFGR NYVUZ GSGNI OPUAW CUGJX CNDXG JZGOW FWFNF WPOLN HTZJJ YBJJN QHMIB HLPQM LWNRL ZHMQV SVWHK PRRRO NSOGH KTCKG EUSCG EGQLX IXOHR UBUWY NAOVS ZUHNA UNCDU FWPBM MGOWK GFCAM ZPZOU GVWAB LWCQI DTFBS FSHOF QRDTQ AQWKX ZRFGK LLDSB IOPDQ VXBIF UNFZJ AKFLS DZSFU EQFXC YYMEO IKRRU HJDFG BEKEE OTKXT KGWIY IPVYO YQGHZ LNYKQ DEXCV IVYCF VONMP WUMWT MNAGM STOCK QFNHF VLQBS TXISL LRZDI OISTR PSZMK HZVHE PSJZT WLYVO DBSRF DQBOR CANZZ OYTXF JHXKH HDRPQ GOGXL JWOAJ IPDSS XVGJR FRDZQ ANWOE GXVMV NDLRV ICHUT EMAJP ISUGI XXMCH MISPT SRUFS DLHGO RMETP OFZMO VOKOU AUOTH MXKMD KKMQD JVXWB GYQZZ QDRYG ZWCKI REKHK OILFC HOIMS DUERU GVEWZ ADJRR ATJPO MHKHG IEIQN DYEKW ZPDHR CMUBP CGGAW LSIED NQGJH XKHWA RPESP ODQUZ LQWAA DCOIJ WNZFO EKSCE QNSZA HRGVW JMCKZ GKXCZ DJDCM DBWFC HOIMB HIXAM FJWJS ADHQC NNRPC UABCU NIAZG XIXSZ UBNYA JUEZJ LCMSL GMIUA GTFJA HUNJN PPDYE CVXUZ AXVBP DBFDM SJXMW JBLRO TUFCH HWUDD UYYXI JHXBO MARPL HUWFW DTWDS ONZFT GZWFY LWORY NMNXQ MZTPY TEDBN BUUHX KLDJD HOPBI VXZKI MYKXB WYUGS KRNDO GIASO CCZMC YNYOR CSRGQ IDNMD KKQTO DQPQA UPYID UQBFX FBMAR JQQSC ENQHM JILAN NUEPI IDWVM HHROM LUGCD CHYFU WHEVG TFWBJ MRAGS PIETV XLJWO AJIPH NMXQM XFLDI BLAUB BGWUT YPNAI MPFZT WCHMW SBLBY GXQZJ JMXCL JPEOW XABAV MYYBD STKQK BGHXR IUBBF CQADM GZXSQ DUGCT HXHRQ XQTYF RTGKC EGNYQ BDUTX FXFKV RJZOS RAYEN LYHYX GQDUT ILPUL OMYRU AUITE LJRFN PRHIG OWKMZ GWWIO GBCWU EOZFL HYKEK GUJCM FAPXX KIKET SEGWL IOOIC QTVHV MHALW DIPYP QJFGY CYDJQ MISRH DWJJO MYRUA UOSFB KLNIY QPAIL QGCUY HYNGA CVOKV CJFWW ZGXAL TCDFD ZLGVT KQQFX QKDRE AHLKL VOKWQ HNLKZ NPKRG XQMXP GMCRR SOGIV FHVJA JMWVB ZJGKT KHHDR PQGOG WTXZB JDDPF SBNJH YCYUK SLDEE WSJNU KRQON MPWUH JTELA XYXNN VJFCB GOMHK SQNRT HYMLN GYRRD DUQPG KOTUN RDYUT GSSVD NJPEI RYDJF UBMLG XNQVY SGZWA UBQYP MEUGC NGDAO MIOGB NRTJH XDHUT LPIYM KJSSK VRRHJ YFQPD XYAOM YLTTU GCBTU ZKQXK EQB
There, that should keep you busy for a while.
Since we started on this project, I have been trying to learn more about the circumstances that led to the events at mcGuffin's Bluff. In my travels, visiting the sites, I got over to the little park maintained by the Sons of Confederate Veterans near the bluff. They have installed a fancy board giving some of the history and the actual text of the carving.
On the way over I also noticed that someone finally put a marker up in the woods where the ambush occurred, so I thought I might as well snap a picture of it and include it as well.
i don't know how helpful those will be, but I thought they were interesting and they might save you a drive out to check out the area.
Seth and Robert also let me know that Ken Burns touched lightly on this subject in his incredible documentary "The Civil War". Seth found a link to the video so I figured I might as well include it too. If you have not watched this incredible documentary, you really should. Ken Burns does an incredible job of making the history of the war come to life and makes it relevant for modern audiences, using what has become his signature style. All of his documentaries are worth watching, but "The Civil War" is still his best work, in my opinion.
The Civil War: McGuffin's Bluff
I think that is about all. I am still researching this myself, so as I learn more I may continue to add things to this page, but for now you have everything you need to solve the mystery, plus a bunch of extra stuff to check out. I hope you enjoy!
One last thing, this really has nothing to do with solving the cache, but I thought I would include a collage of images from the "interactive" version of this cache that was presented as part of a hayride at our 4th Annual Haunted Hayride and Caching Cookout. Several folks put a lot of work into making the interactive version of this cache a huge success, so I wanted you to see their handiwork. I should also point out that the folks on the hayride had to work all of these codes out for themselves in order to find the cache at the end of the ride, the ghosts may have helped to push them in the right direction a couple of times, but they had to do the work and they did a fine job.
