02 Shultz House Tree

How to Find Witness Tree 02

Street view of Witness Tree 02, facing south on West Confederate Avenue. Witness Tree 02 is a white oak with a diameter of just under 30 inches.

Witness Tree 02 stands about 75 feet from the traffic light. It is on the east, or left, side of West Confederate Avenue as you are driving south. It is across the road from parking pulloff. 

The tree is next to a private driveway. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE DRIVEWAY. IT IS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.

What This Tree Witnessed

Elements of A.P. Hills Corps remained behind their fortifications near this tree all throughout a rainy July 4, 1863, awaiting any possible attack by the Union army – an attack which never materialized. By very early on July 5, the men here had headed down the Fairfield Road for the long and miserable trip back to Virginia.

Witness Tree 02 Statistics

Tree Species: white oak
Circumference 2024: 93”
Diameter: 29.5”
Estimated age: 200-210 years
Estimated diameter in 1863: 7-9”

Then-and Now-Comparisons

A. This original mid-1930s National Park Service photograph was taken at the intersection of West Confederate Avenue (which extends south from the intersection as shown) and Fairfield Road (which heads to the right). The handwritten text identifies the location of the photo as at the “HAG RD”, or Hagerstown Road, an earlier name for the Fairfield Road. (Historical photo courtesy of NPS, GNMP, Museum Collection, Gett #41135, SF-22R-033)

B. A cropped view of the photo A at left presents a clear view of Witness Tree 02. Note that the tree’s large branch which hangs well across the road can be matched up nicely in the pair of images (it is the branch underneath label “A”). Above label “B” can be seen several Kentucky Coffee trees which grow in front of the famous Red Patch house; they too may be witness trees, but this cannot be determined from these pictures. At label “C”, we see the original location of the itinerary tablets of the Army of Northern Virginia. These tablets today can be seen a couple of hundred yards south of this position on West Confederate Avenue, across the street from the armory building.

Other Photographs