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Started by Stephen_Wiley, September 12, 2004, 04:09:32 PM

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Stephen_Wiley

My wife and I on occasion go to our local library and check out videos (cheap entertainment).

We just finished wathching 'Gettysburg' (Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen).

Having not visted this area, I began to wonder about  the condition of the trees as depicted in the movie. To those of you who live in this area.  What happens with the trees (or has happened) to those trees which were also casualty's of this battle and the remaining ones which have survived?  

I am certain that those who have had the opportunity (or their ancestors) to work in this area have some interesting relics and storics to tell.

What species make up the forest's and what species is dominant, what if any disease impact has occured due to shrapnel, bullet damage within the trees ?

I have an admoration for history, and awe at the devestation this horrific battle had upon impacting many lives then and now.

Just curious about the impact this place has upon you which are local to it. :P
" If I were two faced, do you think I would be wearing this one?"   Abe Lincoln

SwampDonkey

My folks are going down in October on tour bus.

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1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Frank_Pender

I was there in '64, Steve and toured the entire area open to the public.   What I recall were a large number of hedge row areas where both sides had build up banks from which to shoot.  I had relatives on both sides of the issue for the days of that battle.   One was an uncle of my father's mother.  He was a Sgt. Mj. in the New York Infantry.   On the other side was a Major Pender.  I stood right where his command stood their  ground.  His father was a General from Tennessee.  Being 19 at the time that is about all I remember about the trees.    :'(
Frank Pender

Jeff

Just call me the midget doctor.
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Karl_N.

Stephen,

I went to Gettysburg College thinking I'd be an english teacher, wish I had that money back to put towards one of those forwarding trailers or maybe a nice winch for my tractor. Actually both- live and learn. One of the reasons I went to the college was my interest in the war. I spent a lot of time on the battlefields trying to visualize what had taken place there.  I remember liking the woods up on Little Round Top and thinking how some of those trees must still have quite a bit of lead in them. Really puts history into perspective.
Karl

Stephen_Wiley

Frank,.........after starting this post I went to google for a search and found articles on Maj. Pender. Was going to ask you about the relationship, but you have already answered that question. What do you remember from your teenage trip that impressed you the most of that country?

Jeff,..........thanks, wow :o  Sycamore trees in July, with the shelling and firing and smoke this would have undoubtedly caused respiration problems - with anyone underneath one of these trees at the time of battle.


" If I were two faced, do you think I would be wearing this one?"   Abe Lincoln

Stephen_Wiley

Karl,

Do you know how large the trees around ' Little Round Top'  might have been back in the 1860's ?

What diameter and size are they now?
" If I were two faced, do you think I would be wearing this one?"   Abe Lincoln

Ron Wenrich

I never spent too much time in Gettysburg, but its pretty close to where I live.  My wife's great great grandfather was killed there.  

I also have spent some time working around the Antietam battlefield near Hagerstown, MD.  My opinion is that Antietam is a better visit.  They don't have all those statues and monuments.  It gives a better feel for how the battlefields really looked.

As for trees, you have to remember that the battle was about 140 years ago.  Very few of the battlefield trees have survived.  Besides, if you look at pictures from that time, the trees were pretty small.  Those woodlots have cured, since it became a National park.  Before that, it was just farm fields.  Those woodlots provided fuel for the farms and neighboring towns.  They would hardly resemble what we think of as forests.

The current native species are primarily oaks.  Before the settlers came and used slash and burn agriculture, there was a pretty extensive pine forest in the east.  That later turned into chestnut, which became blighted and was replaced by the oak forest, which we now have.  

There was talk a number of years ago about cutting the trees in the Park.  That was to get the landscape back closer to what it was during the battle.  I know they have used government hunters to severly limit the deer herd.  

I heard stories about guys hitting cannon balls in the Antietam area.  There was an extensive artillery barrage down in that area.   Those things ruined saws.  

Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Stephen_Wiley

Ron,

Thanks for the response........I am glad you responded about other battles.  The movie claimed to be filmed upon location and the trees I observed did not appear to have much over 40 to 80 years  of growth. That was the premise of my question and curiosity about any remaining trees from that era.

Any muskets found in trees?

Were the Gettysburg and Antietam areas Pine forests at the time of battles?

I would like to visit your neck of the woods  someday.  
" If I were two faced, do you think I would be wearing this one?"   Abe Lincoln

Brian_Rhoad

They have been working at Gettysburg to make the park look as close as possible to what it was like at war time. I was told they were using photos taken during the war and immedeately after it for referance.

Ron Wenrich

Pine forests were pretty well gone by that time.  I think a better description of woodlots back then was scrub growth.  I would imagine that chestnut might have been a major component back then.

Many areas that are now wooded were farms back then.  I have worked on woodlots that had a mature forest on them, but were farms less than 100 years before.  

When the settlers came to an area, they cleared nearly everything, except for very rocky soils.  What they didn't use for buildings, they burnt.  After the soils gave out and the prairies were opened up, the people left.  This was probably 20-30 years before the Civil War.

What woodlots did come up were cut for fuelwood.  Remember, wood was a primary soruce of energy.  When the railroad came, it spawned lots of forest fires.  Pennsylvania started their forestry program as a means of controlling forest fires, not managing forests.  It was long thought that forests were a thing of the past.  Only after the fires were controlled did the woodlots florish.

I have never heard of any muskets in trees.  That would have been a pretty valuable commodity back then.  I do have a couple of bayonets that were passed down in the family.  I was told they came from the Gettysbug battlefield.  After a major battle, lots of spectators would come a view the carnage.

The only problem with the story is that all bridges leading across the Susquehanna were burnt.  The Confederates were on the west shore and had no way of getting to Harrisburg, which was their objective.  Some Confederates tried to go north along the river and it was the reason they got to the battle late (think it was Jeb Stuart).  I guess after the battle they had ferry service.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Brian_Bailey

Back in 95 my wife and I wandered around Gettysburg on our motorcycles.

It was very humbling experience for us to actually visit a site where mankind had showed some of its darkside in another time.

If your going to visit, plan on spending some time there as there is just too much to see and comprehend.

I agree with Ron, that there are too many monuments.

Below are some pictures I took when we where there in 95.











Gettysburg is definitely worth the time to visit IMO.








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Weekend_Sawyer

We recently took a motorcycle ride to Gettysburg for lunch and did a little walking around went throught the grave yard and noticed some HUGE trees. Sweetgum, various oaks, poplar, beech and many more, there were quite a few buckeye's there and the fruit (nuts whatever) were not quite ripe yet, I gave one a nibble and while it wasn't as bad as pine gum it was not very good either.

One thing I noticed is there were only union graves in the graveyard, anyone know where the confederates were buried?
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
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beenthere

From a search on "Confederate soldiers graves", several sites came up. One was
http://www.whilbr.org/confederateSoldiers/index.asp

Interesting reading, and a good question.
south central Wisconsin
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