A Strong and Sudden Onslaught: The Cavalry Action at Hanover, Pennsylvania

While the battle of Gettysburg remains the centerpiece of the June/July campaign of 1863,

there is an increasing interest in less-studied peripheral events that were an integral part of

the operation. One such event occurred the day before the battle of Gettysburg began – the

cavalry action on June 30, 1863 at Hanover, Pa.

This important event is worth examining more closely since it played a key role in the

campaign’s outcome: it deflected Jeb Stuart’s main cavalry units away from the impending

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