Kelly’s Ford in 2008. The modern bridge crossing the ford is to the left. The 17th crossed here at about 4AM on April 29, 1863.
After marching from Hartwood Church, the 17th marched throughout April 28th until it reached the area of Kelly’s Ford at the Rappahannock River. With two army corps marching on the same route traffic jams ensued and the regiment, halted a couple of miles away from the ford and soldiers being soldiers, it seemed a likely place to spend the night, so soon afterwards tents were put up. The army, being the army, of course had a different plan and the tents soon came down as the regiment moved forward once again in the middle of the night – crossing the river at around 4 AM. Fires were built to ward of the chill and a few hours of sleep were grabbed.
The photo shows Kelly’s Ford (at fairly high water, as you can see) in 2008. The modern bridge is to the left of the photo. I took this and the other photos in early May 2008 while retracing the regiment’s route to Chancellorsville. It was soon after this stop while on my way to Germanna Ford that I took an extended tour of this section of Virginia – a euphemism for “I got lost.”
Soon I’ll get all the photos posted in a series much like the route to Gettysburg shots – although there are fewer of this route thanks to modern “progress.”