“My goodness, it’s about time!” Miss Van Lew exclaims. “I’ve been begging old Butler to organize a raid on Richmond to free Libby Prison–as well as those in those equally-horrid Belle Isle and Castle Thunder Prisons–before the soldiers remove them to Georgia. I had almost given up all hope! He must have finally forwarded my letters to Stanton—a competent man, but an unjustifiably difficult one, as he has been so slow to accept that I am a true and reliable Unionist. Thank goodness he appears to have finally seen the light! But I fear it may already be too late….”
Miss Van Lew pauses a moment, then asks you to stay where you are for a moment. She removes her gardening gloves and with a swish of her skirts, hurries into the mansion. After a brief while, she returns with two monetary notes. She has written on the back of one a series of numbers.
“This is an important message that you must deliver to General Butler overnight. If it does not arrive by morning, the raid will without a doubt fail. You must take the first train to New Orleans. I am giving you two bills—one has the coded message for Butler and the other will cover the cost of the ticket and any incidentals. My driver will arrive at any moment to transport you to the station. If you are waylaid, the message will remain safe, as only Butler and I have the key. And I keep my copy buried in the garden here. Travel safely! You are on the right side of history!”
You arrive in New Orleans as evening is setting in and go directly to the dock where Major Butler’s boat is moored. Major Butler is eating his supper when you arrive. “Yes?” he asks, looking at you quizzically.
“Babcock has sent me with an important message,” you explain hurriedly. “She received your message about the impending raid on Richmond and has asked me to present this to you immediately!” You hand him the bill with the numbers.
Butler sits back and regards you carefully. “I’ve been expecting this message. Babcock has recently notified me that many of the Confederate troops are distracted as they relocate the prisoners from Belle Isle and Castle Thunder to Georgia to evade us. I have convinced President Lincoln to approve our plan: to free the prisoners, incapacitate all of Richmond’s railroad infrastructure, and, most importantly, to arrest President Jefferson Davis. I hope the news in this message will not dissuade us!”
Butler studies the numbers carefully. He gets up, moves to a large bookshelf, and pulls down a thick volume. Furrowing his brow, Major Butler next moves to his desk and rummages through the top drawer but does not appear to find what he is looking for. “I know our Miss Van Lew is meticulous in maintaining secrecy with her ciphers. I have this one piece to solve it and if I know her, you have the others. She likes to ensure that no one capture can ever reveal the code. I give you my piece and hope you have the rest to solve this cipher!” He hands you a scrap of paper that only reads:
6
3
1
5
2
4
“I don’t know what it means, but trust that you can now put together the pieces.”
Butler hands the bill back to you and leaves the room. You are left to determine Miss Van Lew’s message.
*Enter the largest number in Miss Van Lew’s hidden message on the bill (numerals) at https://theresystance.com/money