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Old Rough and Ready Virtual Cache

Hidden : 6/2/2003
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   virtual (virtual)

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Geocache Description:

In Zachary Taylor National Cemetery located at 4701 Brownsboro Rd., Louisville, KY. Gates are open all day, every day except for a brief period on Memorial Day. Park anywhere once inside. NOTE: No more grace period for answers and I will accept ONLY find logs accompanied with answers emailed to me via the website from the person claiming the find at the time he/she submits his/her log.

Veterans of many wars and conflicts have come to rest at this hallowed spot. It's entirely fitting that so many should rest side by side with one of this country's greatest soldier-presidents. The twelth President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, was born in Virginia in 1784 and was a member of several prominent families. A straight-forward man with no formal education, he opted for a career in the military. He never voted, not even in his own election, and he served fewer than 500 days in office.

Zachary Taylor's political career pales in comparison to his military achievements, which, like Eisenhower generations later, paved the road to the presidency. In 1808 he was commissioned a first lieutenant of infantry, then, as a captain, won his first distinction in September 1812 for his defense of Fort Harrison in Indiana Territory against Indian attack. He acquired his nickname, the title of this cache, fighting the Seminoles in Florida Territory from 1837 to 1840.

After spending a quarter of a century policing the frontiers against Indians, Taylor was called into action against Mexico, as tensions, primarily over the status of Texas, erupted into the Mexican War. Taylor's victories at Monterrey and Buena Vista, followed by a victory over Santa Anna, where he was outnumbered four to one, elevated him to the status of national hero.

Taylor's 40 years in the army made him a strong nationalist. The young nation, on balance, heeled to his views and elected him President in 1848. At this point in pre-Civil War America, Northerners and Southerners disputed sharply whether the territories wrested from Mexico should be opened to slavery, and some Southerners even threatened secession. Standing firm, Taylor was prepared to hold the Union together by armed force rather than compromise. More than anything else, he believed in the sovereignty of the Union. Ironically, although he owned a plantation in Mississippi, along with slaves to work it, he was vehemently opposed to the spread of slavery outside the South. Although both a Southerner and a Westerner in personal principle, he did not defend slavery or Southern sectionalism. In 1850 during a stormy conference with Southern leaders who threatehed secession, Taylor told them that, if necessary, he would personally lead the Army against them to enforce the laws and that persons "taken in rebellion against the Union" he would hang "...with less reluctance than he had hanged deserters and spies in Mexico."

Taylor died in Washington, D.C., on July 9, 1850.

Coords for this virtual cache will put you in the center of three sites that will provide the answers for the following questions:

(1) The plaque for the first burial site of the twelth President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, is dated what date?

(2) What is the name of the campaign between Fort Harrison and Okeechobee?

(3) On what object is inscribed the quotation, "We live in deeds not years?"

Go ahead and log this cache as a "find," then IMMEDIATELY email me your answers. If your answers are not correct I'll be in touch by email and probably ask you to enroll in some kind of extensive remedial course. Note, too, that only YOUR answers will be accepted, not those of a "representative." I can no longer tolerate abuse of basic Virtual Cache protocols….

Good luck, and have fun!! If you have a chance, drive by the Zachary Taylor house, Old Rough and Ready's actual residence, at 5606 Apache Rd., N38*16.762,W085*38.845. History right in the neighborhood!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Abg n punapr!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)