Near Fredericksburg in Stafford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Mud March
Photographed By Kevin White, August 30, 2007
1. The Mud March Marker
Inscription.
The Mud March. . In Jan. 1863, after the Federal defeat at the First Battle of Fredericksburg on 13 Dec., Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside sought to restore the army’s morale by crossing the Rappahannock River at Banks’s Ford two miles south and attacking the rear of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army. The march began on 19 Jan.; that night a warm front thawed the frozen road with 48 hours of pouring rain. Confederates across the river taunted the sodden Federals with large signs: “This Way to Richmond” and “Burnside Stuck in the Mud.” Burnside canceled the march on 23 Jan., and two days later President Abraham Lincoln replaced him with Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker.
In Jan. 1863, after the Federal defeat at the First Battle of Fredericksburg on 13 Dec., Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside sought to restore the army’s morale by crossing the Rappahannock River at Banks’s Ford two miles south and attacking the rear of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army. The march began on 19 Jan.; that night a warm front thawed the frozen road with 48 hours of pouring rain. Confederates across the river taunted the sodden Federals with large signs: “This Way to Richmond” and “Burnside Stuck in the Mud.” Burnside canceled the march on 23 Jan., and two days later President Abraham Lincoln replaced him with Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker.
Erected 1998 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number N-6.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1863.
Location. 38° 21.616′ N, 77° 31.191′ W. Marker is near Fredericksburg, Virginia, in Stafford County. Marker is on Warrenton Road (U.S. 17) 0.1 miles east of Greenbank and Berea Church Roads (County Route 656), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 29 Banks Ford Pkwy, Fredericksburg VA 22406, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. This marker replaces a marker dating from the 1940s with the same number and title that was located on the old alignment of Route 17, now Fleet Road, just north of Berea Church Road. It read, “Here passed a part of the Army of the Potomac moving westward toward the fords of the Rappahannock, January 20-21, 1863. Burnside, commanding, sought to get in the rear of Lee, who was at Fredericksburg. A storm, making the roads deep in mud, forced the abandonment of the movement.”
Photographed By Kevin White, August 30, 2007
2. The Mud March and two other Markers
Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,362 times since then and 35 times this year. Last updated on August 7, 2023, by Anonymous of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 30, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
