Thursday, Apr 19, 2007
The historic sycamore tree which provided shade to General Grant’s headquarters during the siege of Petersburg has come to the end of its long life. During the sycamore’s lifetime, slaves worked around it, generals met beneath it, and visitors marveled at its size – but nothing could save it from old age.
On Tuesday, April 10th, the old tree was removed.
For years the sycamore has been struggling from ailments related to age, weather events, and insect infestation. In an effort to combat these debilitating issues and extend the life of the tree as much as possible, staff from Petersburg National Battlefield used a variety of stabilization methods. These methods have included the installation of support cables between the large branches to provide additional structural support; the placement of steel rods through the main trunk of the tree to prevent large cracks that could tear the tree apart; and the strategic removal of branches to reduce the amount of weight and “sail effect” that could place too much pressure on the old tree.
Despite all of these efforts, park staff and professional arborists agree that nothing more can be done to sustain this “witness tree.” After significant effort and consultation with professionals, staff have concluded that the tree must be removed in order to ensure a safe environment for visitors, to protect Grant’s Cabin located a few feet away, and to allow room for an offshoot of the old tree to grow.
“This tree is a real link with the past,” said superintendent Bob Kirby. “It’s like losing a good friend. We have struggled for several years now to preserve it but its time has finally come. As we know, all living things must eventually pass on. Fortunately for us, there is a healthy off-shoot from the root mass we hope to nurture into healthy adulthood. Ironically, this lineal descendent is about the same size as the mother tree when Grant first camped nearby.”
This historic sycamore tree, from the grounds of the Appomattox Plantation in City Point, Virginia, stood less than 20 feet from the spot where General Grant established his headquarters during the course of the nearly 10-month-long siege of Petersburg. Over 140 years old, it witnessed both sides of life on one of Virginia’s largest plantations in pre-Civil War America, the establishment of the war’s largest field supply base and largest field hospital, and the day-to-day work of General Grant, who commanded all Union forces from this location for most of the last year of the war. The tree also provided shade to many of Grant’s visitors, including President Lincoln.
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