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FOLLOWING the December 1862 Federal debacle at Fredericksburg, and the infamous Mud March of January 1863, both armies settled into winter camps on opposite sides of the Rappahannock River. Several cavalry raids and skirmishes broke the dull routine of camp life during the long winter. The largest and most important of these occurred on March 17, 1863, near the Rappahannock crossing at Kelly's Ford. This was "the first purely cavalry fight east of the Mississippi River" of any appreciable size - 3,000 Yankees confronted 800 Rebels. The battle was the first opportunity for the Union cavalry to amass a significant force, because the horsemen had been concentrated into a corps only a few weeks earlier.
- Newby's or Dean's Shop: Once the place of a blacksmith shop, where Fitzhugh Lee's last charge of the battle began.
- Carter's Run: The final charges of the battle occurred at Carter's Run, first a Confederate charge followed by a Federal counterattack.
- Level Green - the Brannin House: The original portion of this privately-owned English-style farmhouse was built c. 1780. Owned by Fielding Brannin during the war, a bloody footstep on every step of a stairway serves as testimony to its use as a hospital.
 Stone Wall and Mortal Wounding of Pelham Monument: Most of the fighting occurred in this vicinity. Union troopers were positioned behind the stone wall along a path, and Confederates attacked across what was once an open field. About 300 yards down a path is a marker near the spot of Pelham's fatal wounding.
- Kelly's Ford: The river crossing was about 300 yards downstream from today's modern bridge. The west bank of the Rappahannock River was occupied by Confederate defenders when the battle began.
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