Route 3 and other stuff

I was thinking about some of the most significant roads in the quest for our country as we know it. Journey Through Hallowed Ground (a most important organization) is working to save the Route 15 corridor. The area that they are preserving runs from Gettysburg all the way down to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's mountain home). But I thought about some other roads that played a very important part in the history of our country. The one road that came to mind was Route 3 in Virginia.

Route 3 runs all the way from Fredericksburg to the area around Brandy Station. There are around 5 battlefields along the way: Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Culpeper. From there, you can easily get to Cedar Mountain, Brandy Station, The Jackson Shrine, and Richmond and all that that encompasses. Not to mention the fact that Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and George Washington all had homes within a short distance of this road.

I've been down in that area twice now and I can't seem to pull myself away from Chancellorsville. I'm not really sure why, but that is the one place down in that area that intrigues me the most. So, because of being drawn to Chancellorsville, I don't really get to see all the other sites that I really need to get to. One day I'm going to hit Richmond and all that Richmond has to offer.....Hollywood Cemetery, Yellow Tavern, Petersburg, and on and on the list goes. One day.....

Until I reach that "one day", I will take pleasure in reading and learning all I can. It only makes sense that if you are going to visit a battlefield, you should know as much as you possibly can about that battle so that you can maximize your visit. I've learned this the hard way. I showed up at Chancellorsville about three years ago with absolutely NO knowledge of the battle and it took me forever to get around and understand. I've since read up on it and then when I showed up in March, I was able to move from spot to spot in a more fluid movement....understanding what I was seeing, who did what, and what the significance of each spot was. It made my visit much more pleasant.

Route 3 is on my list of destinations. I have yet to see Spotsylvania or Fredericksburg. So when I do head down that way again, that is where I will be heading. I got fairly close to Fredericksburg when I went to see Salem Church (which is where my Great Great Grandfather fought) but I haven't gone past that point.

Oh the places I would go, if I only had the time! My dream vacation would be to hit every single battlefield in the United States (and I realize that it would take me 5+ years to do it) but someday....when I'm rich, and don't have to work....well....I'm not planning that vacation just yet.