Stuart's Fruitless Odyssey

Stuart's Fruitless Odyssey. A Heart of Hanover Trail Stop. , After disengaging from the Union cavalry in the late afternoon of June 30, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry division, bogged down by 125 fully loaded Union supply wagons and 600 mules saddled with Union materials, left Hanover. Stuart and his men embarked upon a half-circle odyssey south then northeast around town. Gen. Wade Hampton's cavalry brigade, Stuart's rear guard, did not depart Hanover until after dark. , Still out of touch with Confederate commanding Gen. Robert E. Lee, Stuart marched through the heart of York County , Jefferson, then to New Salem (also known today as York New Salem), and, well after midnight, Dover. His men raided farms for supplies and horses along the way. , The next day, July 1, Stuart and a portion of his exhausted troops advanced to Carlisle searching for supplies and information. Hampton's brigade stayed in Dillsburg. Gen. John R. Chambliss' brigade stayed in Churchtown in Cumberland County. , After shelling Carlisle for several hours, Stuart learned that fighting had broken out at Gettysburg. After setting fire to the Carlisle Barracks, Stuart began to move toward Gettysburg about 1:00 am on July 2. , Some historians contend that Lee suffered an "information blackout" during the first two days of the Battle of Gettysburg. According to this argument, without Stuart, his ablest cavalry officer, and Stuart's three cavalry brigades, Lee was without his eyes and ears, thereby depriving Confederates of strategic high points and information during the Battle of Gettysburg. , What’s in a Name? , Odyssey: A long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune. , Cavalry: An army component mounted on horseback. , Brigade: A large body of soldiers bigger than a regiment but smaller than a division. , Barracks: A building or group of buildings housing soldiers. , You Decide! , Criticism of Stuart's performance is standard, but is Lee also to blame? On June 22, Lee gave Stuart somewhat flexible orders to create havoc moving north from Virginia and to screen his army's right flank. Finding his desired path blocked by the Union Second Corps, Stuart swung farther east than intended and rode toward the outskirts of Washington. Pushing north, Stuart destroyed telegraph stations and rail lines and captured more Union supply wagons, which he brought with him into Pennsylvania. , Did Stuart fulfill Lee's commands? Or should he have been more restrained in his acquisitions and agile in his movements while keeping closer to Lee? , Yet even without Stuart's three cavalry brigades, Lee still had four cavalry brigades of his own. Could Lee have more ably deployed them? What do you think? . This historical marker was erected in 2022 by Main Street Hanover; and Heart of Hanover Trails. It is in Hanover in York County Pennsylvania