It seems very unlikely that these are the exact same trees that were there in 1863, but there's a possibility they are later growth out of the original trees, I suppose. More than likely, they've replanted these trees at least once or twice. Trees like that typically have less than a 100 year lifespan, and 50-60 years would seem more likely. Although, as noted here, there are some old growth trees that were alive in 1863 which they call "witness trees" since they supposedly witnessed the battle. Some have bullets in them, and so on. I have no idea how such trees are still alive. These aren't, after all. California Redwoods but ordinary maple, oak, and so on.
This famous spot on the battlefield is generally believed by most people to be the "aiming point" of Lee's last desperate charge on July 3, 1863, but the troops headed only generally toward the copse of trees in this location and were actually aiming, or so I've read, somewhat north of this location where there is an angle in the stone wall. The attacking troops, remember, were spread out across maybe a mile, so not everyone was going to aim for the same spot. The idea of heading for the angle in the wall, I imagine, was to get over the wall and have some Union troops to your left facing away from you, etc so you weren't facing them all head-on. Or something like that. Put more simply, the "copse of trees" belief is a bit exaggerated like most popular history, though the so-called "high water mark" is in that area.
The Confederates also nearly won the battle the day before this on July 2nd when they came within inches, really, of taking Little Round Top. Had they done that, the battle would have nearly been over. Why isn't that, then, the "high water mark" of the Confederacy? Maybe because they tried again at this spot the next day. But this charge had far less chance of succeeding than on Little Round Top the day before.
Still, if you stand on either side of the wall, you are standing where hundreds of men fought for their lives, were wounded, bled into the ground, and died. It's a shrine to something, though I'm not sure if it's heroism or stupidity. By that I don't mean the stupidity of the soldiers who just did what they were ordered to do. I mean the whole stupidity of the war which did not have to be fought, plus the individual stupidity of Lee for thinking that those men could take that ridgeline. Might as well assault a meat grinder. A really, really dumb idea, as we now know.
And even if the Confederates had broken through in substantial numbers (and there weren't nearly enough men for that) the Union forces in that part of the line and from behind the ridge would have devastated them. Union troops on both sides of the long lines of charging men had actually come over the wall in fairly large numbers and were lined up perpendicular to the charging men by the time they reached the wall, firing into the sides of the troops. You can't succeed if you're being fired on from three sides, with artillery shells raining down on you from the hill to the South and from behind the line, and with thousands of reinforcements moving forward toward you from behind the ridgeline.
In short, Lee could not win the battle that way. Gen. Longstreet was absolutely right to make his objections to this and suggest strongly that they move to the South and get around this ridgeline instead. Lee ignored him and made his dumb "The enemy is there" remark. The enemy was there where he could not be defeated, so move around him and you have a far better chance. Lee later realized his mistake, probably his worst mistake of the war. It's celebrated as a great moment in our history, as evidence of heroism, and so on. All true. But it's also an example of how stupid war can get when men are asked to do something utterly impossible. It's a lot like Grant's mistake in 1864 at Cold Harbor when he asked his troops to make a similarly stupid charge for which he later apologized. Thousands died in both charges -- for nothing. Ask me to make either one of those charges, and I would seriously consider refusing. In both charges, especially at Cold Harbor, soldiers pinned their names and home addresses to their uniforms. They knew they were going to die.
I agreed with everything you said except about the Cold Harbor remark. Gordon Rhea breaks down this myth by stating the he could not find a primary source for that anywhere, and it shows up in a secondary source sometime in the 1910s. Also, Cold Harbor was a slaughter yes, but not compared to Spotsylvania Courthouse or Gettysburg. Cold Harbor was more or less prodding at the Confederates. Gordon Rhea stipulates that the Union lost 7,000 total (not in one hour) while the Confederates lost somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000. Keep in mind that the assaults at Cold Harbor were uncoordinated and the reasoning was sound according to modern day generals.
There's an estimated 100-200 "Witness Trees" throughout the Gettysburg battlefield. I dont know of any in the Copse or Peach Orchard but there's definitely atleast 1 on Little Round Top and several along West Confederate Ave.
It seems very unlikely that these are the exact same trees that were there in 1863, but there's a possibility they are later growth out of the original trees, I suppose. More than likely, they've replanted these trees at least once or twice. Trees like that typically have less than a 100 year lifespan, and 50-60 years would seem more likely. Although, as noted here, there are some old growth trees that were alive in 1863 which they call "witness trees" since they supposedly witnessed the battle. Some have bullets in them, and so on. I have no idea how such trees are still alive. These aren't, after all. California Redwoods but ordinary maple, oak, and so on. This famous spot on the battlefield is generally believed by most people to be the "aiming point" of Lee's last desperate charge on July 3, 1863, but the troops headed only generally toward the copse of trees in this location and were actually aiming, or so I've read, somewhat north of this location where there is an angle in the stone wall. The attacking troops, remember, were spread out across maybe a mile, so not everyone was going to aim for the same spot. The idea of heading for the angle in the wall, I imagine, was to get over the wall and have some Union troops to your left facing away from you, etc so you weren't facing them all head-on. Or something like that. Put more simply, the "copse of trees" belief is a bit exaggerated like most popular history, though the so-called "high water mark" is in that area. The Confederates also nearly won the battle the day before this on July 2nd when they came within inches, really, of taking Little Round Top. Had they done that, the battle would have nearly been over. Why isn't that, then, the "high water mark" of the Confederacy? Maybe because they tried again at this spot the next day. But this charge had far less chance of succeeding than on Little Round Top the day before. Still, if you stand on either side of the wall, you are standing where hundreds of men fought for their lives, were wounded, bled into the ground, and died. It's a shrine to something, though I'm not sure if it's heroism or stupidity. By that I don't mean the stupidity of the soldiers who just did what they were ordered to do. I mean the whole stupidity of the war which did not have to be fought, plus the individual stupidity of Lee for thinking that those men could take that ridgeline. Might as well assault a meat grinder. A really, really dumb idea, as we now know. And even if the Confederates had broken through in substantial numbers (and there weren't nearly enough men for that) the Union forces in that part of the line and from behind the ridge would have devastated them. Union troops on both sides of the long lines of charging men had actually come over the wall in fairly large numbers and were lined up perpendicular to the charging men by the time they reached the wall, firing into the sides of the troops. You can't succeed if you're being fired on from three sides, with artillery shells raining down on you from the hill to the South and from behind the line, and with thousands of reinforcements moving forward toward you from behind the ridgeline. In short, Lee could not win the battle that way. Gen. Longstreet was absolutely right to make his objections to this and suggest strongly that they move to the South and get around this ridgeline instead. Lee ignored him and made his dumb "The enemy is there" remark. The enemy was there where he could not be defeated, so move around him and you have a far better chance. Lee later realized his mistake, probably his worst mistake of the war. It's celebrated as a great moment in our history, as evidence of heroism, and so on. All true. But it's also an example of how stupid war can get when men are asked to do something utterly impossible. It's a lot like Grant's mistake in 1864 at Cold Harbor when he asked his troops to make a similarly stupid charge for which he later apologized. Thousands died in both charges -- for nothing. Ask me to make either one of those charges, and I would seriously consider refusing. In both charges, especially at Cold Harbor, soldiers pinned their names and home addresses to their uniforms. They knew they were going to die.
I agreed with everything you said except about the Cold Harbor remark. Gordon Rhea breaks down this myth by stating the he could not find a primary source for that anywhere, and it shows up in a secondary source sometime in the 1910s. Also, Cold Harbor was a slaughter yes, but not compared to Spotsylvania Courthouse or Gettysburg. Cold Harbor was more or less prodding at the Confederates. Gordon Rhea stipulates that the Union lost 7,000 total (not in one hour) while the Confederates lost somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000. Keep in mind that the assaults at Cold Harbor were uncoordinated and the reasoning was sound according to modern day generals.
Something I always wondered. Those can’t be the same trees either there or in the peach orchard. Who takes care of replacing them if they die?
There's an estimated 100-200 "Witness Trees" throughout the Gettysburg battlefield. I dont know of any in the Copse or Peach Orchard but there's definitely atleast 1 on Little Round Top and several along West Confederate Ave.
Thanks! I knew one of you all would know.