Battle of Hanover The Battle of Hanover took place on June 30 , 1863 , in Hanover in southwestern York County , Pennsylvania , as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War . Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart ' s Confederate cavalry , which was riding north to get around the Union Army of the Potomac , attacked a Federal cavalry regiment , driving it through the streets of Hanover . Brig . Gen . Elon Farnsworth ' s brigade arrived and counterattacked , routing the Confederate vanguard and nearly capturing Stuart himself . Stuart soon counterattacked . Reinforced by Brig . Gen . George A . Custer ' s Michigan Brigade , Farnsworth held his ground , and a stalemate ensued . Stuart was forced to continue north and east to get around the Union cavalry , further delaying his attempt to rejoin Robert E . Lee ' s army , which was then concentrating at Cashtown Gap west of Gettysburg . Background . As Robert E . Lee moved his Army of Northern Virginia northward in June 1863 through the Shenandoah Valley towards Pennsylvania , portions of his cavalry under J . E . B . Stuart slipped eastward across the path of the Union Army of the Potomac . A series of raids in eastern Maryland netted prisoners and supplies , as well as disrupting Federal communications and telegraph lines . However , Stuart was not in position to effectively screen Lee ' s advance or to provide intelligence on the movements of the Federal army . As Stuart headed north in an effort to link with Lee , Union cavalry commander Maj . Gen . Alfred Pleasonton , riding towards Pennsylvania to the west of Stuart , ordered his divisions to fan out across a wide swath , keeping an eye out for Confederates . Brig . Gen . Judson Kilpatrick ' s division was on the Union right flank . The majority of his men passed through Hanover early in the morning of June 30 , pausing briefly for refreshments and to receive the greetings of the jubilant townspeople . Their town had been raided three days before by Confederate Lt . Col . Elijah V . White ' s cavalry , attached to Maj . Gen . Jubal Early ' s division that had occupied York County . White ' s Virginians and Marylanders had followed the railroad to Hanover from nearby Gettysburg , and taken horses , food , supplies , clothing , shoes , and other desired items from the townspeople , often paying with valueless Confederate money or drafts on the Confederate government . White ' s raiders had destroyed the area ' s telegraph wires , cutting off communications with the outside world , before sacking the nearby Hanover Junction train station . The unexpected arrival of Kilpatrick ' s column was a pleasant surprise to the residents of Hanover , who warmly greeted the Union troopers with food and drink . Most of Kilpatrick ' s men remounted and passed through town , heading northward through the nearby Pigeon Hills towards Abbottstown . He left behind a small rear guard force to picket the roads south and west of Hanover . In the meantime , Stuart had left his billet at Shriver ' s Corner , Maryland , and was proceeding northward across the Mason - Dixon Line into Pennsylvania . Hearing that Federal cavalry had been spotted near his intended destination , Littlestown , Pennsylvania , he instead turned towards Hanover in adjacent York County . His progress was slowed considerably by a cumbersome train of over 125 heavily laden supply wagons that he had captured near Rockville , Maryland . In addition , he had skirmished with Delaware cavalry on June 29 at Westminster , Maryland , further delaying him . Battle . Shortly before 10 : 00 a . m . on June 30 , the rear guard of the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry encountered Confederate videttes about three miles ( 5 km ) southwest of Hanover at Gitt ' s Mill . In the ensuing exchange of small arms fire , a Confederate cavalryman died and several were wounded . Shortly afterwards , 25 men from Company G of the 18th Pennsylvania were captured by the 13th Virginia from John R . Chambliss ’ s brigade , the vanguard of Stuart ' s oncoming cavalry . Also that morning , a series of minor engagements occurred near Littlestown and elsewhere along Stuart ' s path . Southwest of Hanover at a tiny hamlet now known as Pennville , the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry struck the 18th Pennsylvania ’ s main column and split it in two . Union survivors retired in disorder through the streets of Hanover just as Stuart ' s horse artillery arrived , unlimbered , and opened fire . As the Confederates occupied the town in the wake of the fleeing Pennsylvanians , General Farnsworth wheeled the 5th New York Cavalry into position near the town commons and attacked the Rebel flank in the streets , forcing the Tar Heel s to abandon their brief hold on the town . The commander of the 2nd North Carolina , William Henry Fitzhugh Payne , was captured after his dying horse pitched him into a nearby tanning vat . A Union soldier pulled Payne out and took him prisoner . As more of Chambliss ' s men ( and General Stuart ) arrived on the scene , they were met by additional Federals near the sprawling Karle Forney farm , just south of Hanover . Nearly surrounded in the confused fighting , Stuart and a staff officer made their escape cross - country through the hedges bordering the country lane , at one point leaping their horses over a wide ditch . Hearing the unmistakable sound of distant gunfire , Judson Kilpatrick raced southward towards Hanover , with his horse dying in the town square from the severe ride . The young general began to deploy his men in and around Hanover , barricading some streets with barrels , farm wagons , dry goods boxes , and anything else that might provide cover . Shortly before noon , fighting at the Forney farm ceased as the Rebels broke off contact . Kilpatrick positioned Custer ' s newly arrived brigade on the farm and awaited developments . When Fitzhugh Lee ' s Virginia brigade arrived , Stuart moved his and Chambliss ' s men into a new position on a ridge extending from the Keller Farm southwest of Hanover to Mount Olivet Cemetery southeast of town . Meantime , Kilpatrick repositioned the brigades of the newly promoted duo of Custer and Farnsworth to form a better defensive perimeter and then brought up his guns . Leaving the captured wagons two miles ( 3 km ) south of town under heavy guard , Wade Hampton at 2 p . m . brought his brigade and Breathed ' s Battery into position near the Mount Olivet Cemetery on the extreme right of Stuart ' s line . An artillery duel ensued for the better part of two hours as opposing cannons hurtled shells over the town . Fragments blasted holes in several houses and narrowly missed killing Mrs . Henry Winebrenner and her daughter , who had just left their balcony when a projectile came hurtling through the upstairs . During the prolonged artillery exchange , Custer ' s dismounted 6th Michigan moved forward to within of Chambliss and the two guns supporting his line . Flanked and losing fifteen men as prisoners , the Wolverines tried again and succeeded in securing the Littlestown - Frederick Road , opening a line of communication with the Union XII Corps . Stuart and Kilpatrick made no further aggressive moves , and both sides initiated a series of skirmishes and minor probing actions . Aftermath . Disengaging slowly and protecting his captured wagons , Stuart withdrew to the northeast through Jefferson towards York , known from recent newspapers to be the location of Early ' s division . En route , Stuart heard at New Salem that Early ' s Division had recently left York and marched northwestly through Dover . Stuart changed course and headed northward through the night on winding , hilly country roads , still trying to locate Early or Lt . Gen . Richard S . Ewell , thinking the latter still to be towards the Susquehanna River . The head of Stuart ' s seventeen - mile ( 27 km ) long column arrived in Dover at 2 : 00 a . m . on the morning of July 1 , with the rear guard there by 8 : 00 a . m . Stuart learned that Early had passed through town and was heading westward towards Shippensburg as the army concentrated . Stuart paroled over 200 Union prisoners and gave his troopers a much needed six - hour rest ( while , unknown to Stuart , Maj . Gen . Henry Heth ' s Confederate infantry division collided with Brig . Gen . John Buford ' s Union cavalry at Gettysburg ) . Stuart resumed his exhausting march through the afternoon and early evening , seizing over 1 , 000 fresh horses from York County farmers . Leaving Hampton ' s Brigade and the wagons at Dillsburg , Stuart headed for Carlisle , hoping to find Ewell . Instead , Stuart found nearly 3 , 000 Pennsylvania and New York militia occupying the borough . After lobbing a few shells into town during the early evening and burning the Carlisle Barracks , Stuart withdrew after midnight to the south towards Gettysburg ( see Skirmish at Carlisle ) . The fighting at Hanover , the long march through York County with the captured wagons , and the brief encounter at Carlisle slowed Stuart considerably in his attempt to rejoin the main army and locate Lee . The " eyes and ears " of the Army of Northern Virginia had failed Lee . Losses at Hanover were relatively light in terms of casualties , but the cost in time in delaying Stuart from linking with Lee proved to be even more costly . Estimates vary as to the number of men lost at Hanover ; Union losses in one source are listed as 19 killed , 73 wounded , and 123 missing ( for a total of 215 ) . The 18th Pennsylvania had suffered the most , with three men killed , 24 wounded , and 57 missing . On the Confederate side , Stuart ' s losses are generally estimated as 9 dead , 50 wounded , and 58 missing , for a total of 117 . The battlefield today . The fighting in Hanover is commemorated by " The Picket , " an impressive bronze statue of a mounted cavalryman sculpted by famed Boston artist Cyrus E . Dallin . Paid for by the state of Pennsylvania , it was erected in 1905 in the center square . Two bronze plaques installed by the Federal government in 1901 bear inscriptions relating to the movements of the Army of the Potomac on June 30 and July 1 , 1863 . In addition , a small number of artillery pieces are located on the town ' s square , including serial number 1 of the Parrott Rifle — the original barrel , mounted on a reproduction carriage . A wall plaque on a modern building and a star surrounded by four horseshoes installed in the sidewalk mark the location of Custer ' s headquarters and the " Custer Maple , " a prominent tree used by the boy general to tether his horse . In 2005 , the borough erected over a dozen wayside markers at key spots along the city streets to help interpret the battle for visitors , and three years later the state added its own markers as part of the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails initiative . However , much of the open area south of town , including the Forney farm where Custer advanced , has been lost to modern development , as has the once open hills a half - mile north of Hanover Center Square where Kilpatrick ' s artillery deployed . Elder ' s Battery of four cannons was deployed along what is now Stock Street east of Carlisle Street and Pennington ' s Battery was deployed along what is now 4th Street west of Carlisle Street . The York County Heritage Trust and some local Hanover organizations sponsor guided tours of the battle sites .