Heroics of the Union Cavalry

Heroics of the Union Cavalry. A Heart of Hanover Trail Stop. , The heroic achievements of the Union cavalry during the Battles of Hanover and Gettysburg were impressive. At Hanover, on June 30, 1863, Confederate Gen J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry division of 5,000 men outnumbered Union Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick's cavalry of 4,000. You are facing a little stream that made a big difference. , After the Union counterattack successfully reclaimed Hanover, Stuart and his mare Virginia, in this area around 11 a.m., leapt the Plum Creek tributary that you face. They were fleeing 25-to-30 Union horsemen firing pistols at them in hot pursuit. Pursuers knew that nabbing Stuart would be big for the Union cause. , Some Confederate mounted horses were not so fortunate; they had to scamper through water to reach the other side. , At the time, this stream was up to fifteen feet wide and three-to-four feet deep. , Afterwards, Stuart regrouped his men in farmland that stretched before you. By mid afternoon, Stuart withdrew east of town toward Jefferson and Seven Valleys, then north to New Salem (now also known as York New Salem) and eventually Dover. The last Confederates left Hanover at dusk. , The next morning, July 1, Stuart still was dangerously out of touch with commanding Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who was about to run into the full force of the Union army in Gettysburg. , On July 3, the two cavalries clashed again in fields east of Gettysburg, where the outnumbered Union cavalry fought Stuart's forces to a standoff. A daring, newly minted general, George A. Custer bravely led two Union mounted charges. , To learn about individual Union acts of valor, visit the park on the other side of this stream. Continue forward on Stuart Avenue to Boundary Avenue. Take a left on Boundary, and proceed about a block to the park, which will appear on your left. Please respect our neighbors.