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Robert
PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 6:59 pm 
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This past Saturday the 20th I joined members of the SCV Camp 1398 for their annual crossing of the Potomac River at Whites Ford, members from several other SCV camps as well as a bus load of history buffs also attended. This is the actual location that the Army of Northern Virginia crossed Sept. 5 thru 7 1862.
Water levels were about normal for this time of year, waist deep in some of the deeper channels, knee deep and lower in the shallows. very interesting experience, I managed to get tripped up and go down a few times in the rockier sections but made it across and back. I hope to do it again next year for the 150th anniversary.

Here's a link http://www.mdscv.org/1398/river%20crossing.htm to a video of a past crossing Camp 1398 has posted, it stopped playing about a third of the way through on me, but you can get an idea of how wide the river is at the ford. The ford enters from the Virginia side just to the right of the last frame.
Another link http://antietam.aotw.org/exhibit.php?exhibit_id=40 with information on the 1862 Maryland Campaign from White’s Ford to Sharpsburg.

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Joe Meyer
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:26 pm 
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What a great excursion and piece of living history! How long did the crossing take, Bob?

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Ernie Sands
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:30 pm 
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It took Bob two DAYS! He had to rest up before crossing back over to the southern side! :lol:

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Robert
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:37 pm 
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Joe,

Yeah you can get a glimpse of what these men went through and an appreciation for the logistics of such a crossing. This area along the river hasn’t seen any development for 150 years, if it wasn’t for the occasional airliner making it’s approach into Dulles Airport you wouldn’t know what year it was.
The Potomac is about 250 yards wide at the ford which cuts across the river at about 30 degrees. I didn't time it but it probably took me about 20 minutes or less, when going over I stopped about halfway for a few minutes, we had to walk a mile to get to the ford so my old legs were get’n tired, did the return trip nonstop. Starting out from the Maryland side the river bed was gravel and smaller rocks while the last 120 yards was almost all rocks so you had to pick your footing. I’m sure the men that crossed there in 62’ who had a lot more “experience” at walking did so quicker than I did.
Once across the river into Maryland the army moved 3/4 of a mile north along the C&O Canal tow path and crossed by improvising a bridge across lock #26, we passed this lock where a Silver maple “witness tree” still stands.

Ernie,

Well...we left from the Maryland side and after a short :roll: rest returned from the Virginia side....being a Marylander by birth I’d have to say both sides are Southern! :wink:

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland,_My_Maryland

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warbison
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:52 pm 
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Bob,

I am sooooo envious of your outing! I took a trip to Shepherdstown back in 2006 and drove along the Maryland side of the Potomac to view the crossing. I also stopped at Kelly's Ford along the Rappahonnock River, again you wouldn't know what time period it was if no cars drove by.

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