On the march to Chancellorsville, the soldiers of the Union Army of the Potomac each carried nearly sixty pounds of clothing, rations, weapons, and ammunition. For two days, they marched in the rain. After crossing the Rappahannock on pontoon bridges they waded the Rapidan. The water was chest-high, and that night they went to sleep muddy, dripping wet, and cold. Up at dawn on the third day of the march, they faced the daunting Wilderness, with its tangled undergrowth of brambles and vines. With each step, their packs felt heavier. With each step they walked closer to battle.

Even with the hardships, sometimes life on the march was better than camp. Marching meant something was happening. In camp, the days were long, especially in winter. Months of rumor about the War's progress came to a blessed end when the soldiers receieved a few days’ worth of marching rations. Then they knew the time had come to pack up and go. They seldom knew where the march would lead them, but it felt good to go anywhere.

The night before a march they pared down their belongings. With all the weight a soldier carried, every ounce mattered. If there was time, they were allowed to pack personal items in a box and ship them home. If not, anything they couldn't carry was burned or abandoned. The soldiers slowly reread letters, then burned them in the campfires, maybe keeping one special letter in a shirt pocket close to their hearts. In the morning when the bugle sounded, tents were struck in moments. The men doused their campfires, shouldered their belongings, joined their regiments, and fell into line. At the signal to move forward the march began.

Soon, long lines of men were strung out along the country roads. Flankers walked on either side of the marching column to keep a lookout for enemy troops. The supply trains followed—hundreds of mule-drawn wagons

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carrying ammunition, medical equipment, fodder for the animals, and food for the troops. There were wagons carrying pontoon boats and hospital wagons carrying the sick. Ambulance wagons also followed, a grim reminder to the men of what lay ahead. The wheels of these wagons wore ruts in the dirt roads. The men were ordered to keep in formation but often they dropped out to fill a canteen at a stream or well. At noon, they stopped for a meal.

Hooker loaded his men down with eleven days’ worth of rations on their march to Chancellorsville but more often three days' worth were carried. These were packed in men’s “haversacks,” cloth bags hung over the shoulder from a strap. A wallet, a bone toothbrush, tobacco and a pipe, a knife, and an extra supply of hardtack were among the items a soldier might keep handy in his haversack. The soldiers also shouldered their knapsacks, and carried tin canteens, mess gear, and cartridge boxes filled with ammunition. In the winter they might also have a pair of blankets and an overcoat. If they had tents, each soldier would carry half of a tent. When they stopped for the night each would pair up with another soldier to put two halves together. Of course, they all had