155 years ago, in the spring of 1863, this Virginia farm was one of several caught between the Confederate and Union armies in the first days of the Battle of Chancellorsville. Today it’s wedged between a four lane highway and a subdivision.
![Battle of Chancellorsville Leitch farm ©SHP 01272018-0269.jpg](https://sharonhoustonphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16470/2018/01/BattleofChancellorsvilleLeitchfarmC2A9SHP01272018-0269.jpg)
As I walked the land preserved by the Civil War Trust, I heard the constant rumble of traffic from the highway. Was this similar to the sound of canon fire that these families heard? What must it have felt like to be in the middle of a battle, caught between the advancing armies?
![Battle of Chancellorsville Leitch farm ©SHP 01272018-0274.jpg](https://sharonhoustonphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16470/2018/01/BattleofChancellorsvilleLeitchfarmC2A9SHP01272018-0274.jpg)
![Barn door ©SHP 01272018-0276.jpg](https://sharonhoustonphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16470/2018/01/BarndoorC2A9SHP01272018-0276.jpg)
No homes remain and I doubt this barn is original but the deserted structure and stone foundation from a house provide visual clues to help us imagine and wonder about the Leitch family that lived here.
![Battle of Chancellorsville Leitch farm ©SHP 01272018-0278.jpg](https://sharonhoustonphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16470/2018/01/BattleofChancellorsvilleLeitchfarmC2A9SHP01272018-0278.jpg)
(for more information on the battle you can visit the Civil War Trust website)
That’s amazing! Gives me chill bumps thinking about what they lived through!