20 -24 – North Carolina Monument Group

How to Find Witness Trees 20-24

The next landmark south of the four cannon of Ross’s Battery is the North Carolina State Monument; then the four guns of Wingfield’s Artillery; then, finally, the two Napoleon guns representing the Charlotte N.C. Artillery. A pair of large white oak witness trees can be found standing by each of the two guns respectively.

Witness Tree 22 is special: a pignut hickory, this completely unremarkable tree – the diameter is only 14.3 inches – is the smallest confirmed witness tree on the battlefield.

Witness Trees 23 (leaning) and 24.

What These Trees Witnessed

The Charlotte, N.C., Artillery was one of four artillery units which the battalion of Maj. William T. Poague. These four units were arrayed here on Seminary Ridge immediately to the south of the artillery units of Pegram’s Battalion. The Charlotte Artillery, commanded by Capt. Joseph Graham, was the northern-most of the units.

According to the marker for this unit, the Charlotte Artillery arrived at this position on the evening of July 2, and participated in the artillery barrage in the early afternoon that preceded Pickett’s Charge (the tablet calls the attack “Longstreet’s assault”).

Then, it was through these trees that the right wing of Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis’ mostly Mississippi brigade and left wing of Col. James K. Marshall’s North Carolina Brigade passed at the commencement of Pickett’s Charge.

Then-and-Now Comparison #1

This lovely historical comparison features an early 20th century photograph taken by Gettysburg battlefield and portrait photographer J.I. Mumper, who incidentally was one of William Tipton’s primary competitors in souvenir and postcard photography for the town in the same period.

Mr. Mumper’s image captures the Charlotte N.C. Artillery, whose tablet is marked by label “A”, and all five witness trees featured on this page.

“X” marks those trees which are no longer extant.

The view is taken facing north.

Mumper’s picture was published in a 1909 Gettysburg photo album, but was also turned into a colorized postcard; our friend Joe Maroney has an example of such a postcard that was postmarked 1904, so we know the picture itself is at least that old.

Then-and-Now Comparison #2

William Tipton himself took a photograph similar to that of Mumper in the mid-1900s, except that he focused more on capturing the look of West Confederate Avenue itself, and consequently only captured white oak witness trees 20 and 21 in his image.

Then-and-Now Comparison #3

Finally, this tourist’s photograph of a happy young lady also managed to capture a couple of the witness trees of the Charlotte N.C. Artillery.

The snapshot was taken in by a sign pointing presumably to the location of the North Carolina State Monument, though the lady’s hands and handbag cover the last word of the sign’s first line. (This, by the way, is the only photograph of this sign in existence that I know of).

And what could “Beyond the Clump of Trees” be referring to? The “Clump of Trees” historically referred to what is more commonly known today as the “Copse of Trees”, located a mile away on Cemetery Ridge.

Altogether, a bit of a mystery.

Label “A” identifies the bronze and granite tablet for General Joseph Davis’s Confederate Brigade.

Label “B” marks an old car: the running boards suggest the car was a pre-WWII model, so it was quite old at the time of the photograph.

Traffic on West Confederate Avenue at this time would have moved in both directions.

Other Photos

The images below present Witness Trees 20 and 21 (left), 22 (center), and 23 and 24 (right).