The Legend Of The Lost Brook Trout
One of the most interesting Gettysburg Civil War legends is the story of Jeb Stuart's missing dispatches, and the brook trout of South Mountain.
In June, 1863, Stuart sent a small patrol, with messages for General Lee, concerning the size and location of the Federal Army. The cavalry patrol headed into the vast forest land of South Mountain, where they were allegedly diverted by fly fishing pursuits. Called back to their duty by the rumble of cannon fire to the south, they left to find Lee, but were instead captured by Union troops. Stuart's messages were confiscated, as was the captured troopers baggage, which contained fly fishing gear and several enormous brook trout. The legend maintains that the Confederates steadfastly refused to give any information about the source of the trout, but one diary contained a crude map with vague references to a cold mountain spring.
In the course of the war, the diary was lost, but rumors persisted of large brook trout in the mountains northwest of Gettysburg. The locals told stories for years, Confederate veterans and their descendants scouring the Adams County mountains near Gettysburg, in search of trophy brook trout.
As President, Ulysses S. Grant was rumored to have sent Secret Service agents into those same mountains looking for trout, but this has never been verified by historians.
Those trout were never seen again, but in 1986 a forester named Bennett saw several large brook trout spawning in springs on land that he had recently acquired in the area. Bennett built several ponds incorporating the springs. The trout continued to spawn, and the ponds now have excellent populations of trophy-sized wild brook, brown and rainbow trout, as well as hybrid striped bass. The truth of General Stuart's messages may never be established, but we invite you to verify for yourself that trophy-sized wild brook trout do indeed exist in the South Mountains.
Contributed by: Our Guide and Historian, Rob Bennett
NOTE: Here is your chance to tell the world about that mystical fishing adventure on our ponds or on the Conewago Creek, share a legend you have heard about our area, or recount a treasured local myth. (Truth is not a prerequisite for inclusion but the Legend Of the Lost Brook Trout - at least the part about the ponds - is absolutely and verifiably true!)
Send your contributions to: lowtech@low-tech.net. Your material will be edited for brevity and content. Please add your name, and permission, if you wish to be identified.
