By evening of April 30th the regiment was camped on and around the Talley Farm (or, as it is usually referred to in their accounts, the Hatch house). May 1st the members of the regiment heard the sound of battle coming from the direction of Fredericksburg as leading elements of the Army of the Potomac engaged elements of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. You can find those accounts on this site.
Today, a large portion of this ground is buried below modern VA Route 3, and by all accounts the roadwork drastically changed the immediate area around the farm. Still, portions of the farm remain and efforts are underway to preserve it.
Over the last 25-30 years I’ve had plenty of occasions to wander around the area where the 17th was stationed and I’ve seen the changes that have happened. It’s always taken some imagination to picture the scene as it was on May 1-2, 1863. Without the support of preservationists, historians, descendants of the soldiers that fought there and those who are just tired of over-development of historical sites it will become even harder.
Need some more proof? Drive a bit further east on Route 3 and spend some time at Salem Church. The first time I visited there it was still relatively rural Virginia countryside. Comparing photos I took back then to what I took in 2008, it’s hard to believe it is the same area. Progress isn’t a bad thing, but it’s also not a bad thing to preserve the past. 150 years removed from the eve of the 17th’s indoctrination into the horrors of Civil War battle, it’s a good time to do our part to preserve it.