The 17th CVI spent the early months of 1863 camped in the area surrounding Brooks Station, Virginia. In April 1863 the regiment broke camp and marched with the XI Corps en route to their first engagement at Chancellorsville.
In 2008 I spent 10 weeks at Quantico, which afforded me the opportunity to spend weekends during the spring months roaming the back roads (and not so back roads) from Aquia Landing to the west of Chancellorsville and back again, retracing as best as possible the route taken by the 17th CVI in late April 1863. My first excursion to this area was in 1980/81. Needless to say, and not to the surprise of anyone, there were significant changes in the intervening 3 decades between those trips. On the positive side, a great deal of acreage has been saved through the efforts of several preservation groups.
I will add some of the photos I took further down Route 3, near the site of the old Talley farmhouse, at a later date.
I’ve added narrative from those soldiers who marched with the regiment where I can.
Click on the back or forward arrows or on the thumbnails to view.
