01 – Letcher Artillery Tree
Witness Tree #1 stands between cannon 3 and 4 of the Letcher Artillery, whose tablet appears on the left in the photograph.
How to Find Witness Tree 01
After entering West Confederate Avenue, you will within one-half mile pass the McMillan historic home on your left. Shortly thereafter, you will enter McMillan Woods. On the left side you will see the four cannon of the Letcher Artillery. Witness Tree #1 has grown right through the stone wall at a point between cannons 3 and 4.
What These Trees Witnessed
The Letcher Artillery took its position here on July 2, when it took part in the firefight over the Bliss Farm a half-mile away. On the 3rd, it participated in the grand cannonade that preceded Pickett’s Charge.
Witness Tree 01 Statistics
Tree Species: white oak
Circumference 2024: 112”
Diameter: 35.7”
Estimated age: 220-230 years
Estimated diameter in 1863: 5”
Then and Now Comparisons
Witness Tree 01 appears in several old photographs, distributed nicely over time from 1902 through the 1950s.
William photographed the Letcher Artillery in 1902, soon after the cannon had been placed. Tree “X”, a witness tree itself, is no longer extant.
This is a south-facing view of the Letcher Artillery, the photo taken by the NPS. Trees A and B match up in the pair of images, but are unlikely witness trees.
A happy mom or aunt, uncomfortable young lad, and miserable little girl comprise the trio posing in front of Witness Tree 01 in this 1950s photo. Historical image courtesy of Joe Maroney.
