Stuart Jumps the Ditch  is a painting by Reuben Becker Jr., a Hanover native, depicting the famous leap Stuart made to escape Federal soldiers during the
Stuart Jumps the Ditch is a painting by Reuben Becker Jr., a Hanover native, depicting the famous leap Stuart made to escape Federal soldiers during the Battle of Hanover. (SUBMITTED)

On a cold and windy day, Hanover Borough Councilman Sonny Eline sat in his truck and looked at a ditch with the type of excitement you see on the faces of those looking at the Grand Canyon.

The weather kept him inside the warmth of his vehicle, but he still wanted to tell a story he knows well. It's a story that excites him, a story that has purpose for him, and a story he said is worthy of remembering.

And it happened at this small ditch in West Hanover Street Park.

But the ditch wasn't always this small. When the story Eline fondly tells took place this ditch was 15-feet wide, but development and 150 years of weather and changes shrank it.

It was at this spot, or somewhere nearby, that J.E.B. Stuart made his famous leap to escape Federal soldiers in the Battle of Hanover.

Eline now wants to memorialize that leap with a "Custer Maple" to commemorate the 150th anniversary of that battle. A similar maple once stood in what is now known as Center Square in Hanover - named after George Armstrong Custer, then a brigadier general, who tethered his horse to the tree on June 30, 1863, the day of the Hanover battle.

That tree, which was located outside the home of J.W. Gitt near what now is M&T Bank, died years ago, and Eline wants to use a similar one in the park to honor the battle. "We can't plant a maple in the square. That just wouldn't work," Eline said.


"But this piece of land is owned by the borough, and the story of Stuart's escape is certainly worthy of being recognized."

Eline said the exact location of Stuart's famed leap has been the subject of debate over the years, but the general location is known.

"I have a vision of Stuart's leap being recognized with a monument," Eline said, adding that he would like to start with the maple tree. The original tree was a silver maple, but Eline said he has since learned those are not very hardy, so he would like to see a red maple planted in remembrance.

Just two days after Custer stopped in Hanover, Stuart, acting under Robert E. Lee, clashed in Hanover with a small rear guard of Union soldiers left behind by Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick.

Hanover had been raided just three days before by Confederate Lt. Col. Elijah V. White, so Kilpatrick left the small force behind to picket the roads south and west of Hanover. As Stuart crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into Pennsylvania he received word that a Federal cavalry had been spotted near his intended destination of Littlestown, which caused him to turn toward Hanover.

The 18th Pennsylvania's main column had been split in two just prior to Stuart arriving in Hanover, and the Union survivors sought shelter and respite in the streets of Hanover just as Stuart's cavalry arrived and opened fire. The Pennsylvanians fled and Gen. Elon Farnsworth, commanding the 5th Cavalry, attacked the remaining Rebels.

More Federals arrived and Stuart was forced to escape, at one point leaping his horse across the then 15-foot-wide ditch in a maneuver that has since been memorialized in books and paintings.

Eline said he would like to have the tree planted and dedicated by May 7, because waiting for the actually 150th anniversary is too late in the year to plant a tree.

The issue, Eline said, is that the 150/250 celebrations don't have a lot of funding and the committee planning the events have had to prioritize.

"This (the tree) dropped to the bottom of the list, but I think it's important," he said.

The borough has agreed to plant the tree, but Eline said the council does not want to use taxpayer money to purchase a tree. He said they are currently looking for donations to buy the tree, or donations of a tree.

"Anyone who donates will be recognized for their contributions, of course," he said.

Eline asked anyone who would like to make donations for the purchase of a tree to contact the borough office at (717) 637-3877.