12 – Scales’s Brigade

How to Find Witness Tree 12

On the west side of West Confederate Avenue, across from gun #4 of Crenshaw’s Battery, you can find the tablet for Scales’s Brigade, a Confederate unit. Next to the tablet, on its south side, stands a sole white oak, Witness Tree 12.

What this Tree Witnessed

From July 2-4, 1863, the Confederate army occupied all of Seminary Ridge. Not all of them attacked on July 3 during Pickett’s Charge. Where Witness Tree 12 stands represents the approximate northern end of the line of Confederates who did participate in the charge.

The northernmost unit that participated in Pickett’s Charge was the brigade of Colonel John Brockenbrough. These Virginians covered a span roughly comprising both Crenshaw’s Battery and the Fredericksburg Artillery to its immediate south. Unfortunately, this brigade would not cover itself in glory this day, as most of its men retreated before ever even reaching the Emmitsburg Road.

Witness Tree 03 Statistics

Tree Species: white oak
Circumference 2024: 95”
Diameter: 30”
Estimated age: 240+ years
Estimated diameter in 1863: 12-13”

Then-and-Now Comparison

Our then-and-now photographic comparison for Witness Tree 12 comes to us courtesy of an obscure 1931 image taken shortly before the NPS took over management of the park.

The photographer was facing north, with the Scales Brigade tablet is clearly visible in the center of the image. West Confederate Avenue can be seen disappearing to the north on the far right of the photos. 

The gentle curve of Witness Tree 12 still can be discerned, even a century after the top photograph was snapped.

Other Photos