During the Battle of Hanover, the center of town became a fiercely contested crossroads as Union and Confederate forces fought for control of the square and the roads leading to York, Baltimore, Frederick, Carlisle, and Abbottstown. In the late morning of June 30, 1863, as the main body of Kilpatrick's 4,000-man division rode through the square, the crossroads were in Union hands, but fighting soon erupted at the Frederick Street and Westminster Road junction. Surprised mounted soldiers rode in all directions, artillery from both sides rushed into position, and combat spread through houses, barns, alleys, farms, and main streets in confusion and surprise. Regiments were split apart, men became separated from their companies, horses fell in large numbers, and saber-to-saber and hand-to-hand fighting broke out amid gunfire and shouting. In this chaos, the 2nd North Carolina cavalry and the 13th Virginia cavalry drove north through town, captured the square, and pushed on to the railroad tracks along present-day Broadway, forcing the Union cavalry back. This marked the Confederacy's furthest advance in Hanover before Union forces struck back and won the battle.

Photo: Hanover Public School District Photo Archives

Photo: Courtesy of Guthrie Memorial Library

Photo: Courtesy of Guthrie Memorial Library

Photo: Cosmos Mariner

Pennville, Pennsylvania · USA