Culp's Hill-Dying Trees and a Live "Corpse"

[Gettysburg Greg]

By 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought, the photographers of the day had concluded that the most valuable post battle photos commercially, the "money shots" were images that showed dead soldiers. At Gettysburg, Alexander Gardner and his crew were on the field within a few days after the battle ended before many of the bodies had been buried. Most of the iconic images showing fallen soldiers on the Gettysburg battlefield were taken by him. Mathew Brady, who is often credited with photos taken by Gardner did not arrive in Gettysburg until around the middle of July after all the bodies were buried. However, this did not stop Brady from attempting to fabricate faux dead by posing his assistant is various death poses around the battlefield. In this photograph taken on the slope of Culp's Hill where some of the most intense fighting of the battle occured, Brady's very much live assistant is seen in this unconvincing death pose. The severity of the fighting here is obvious by the number of bullet strikes seen on the trees. Union soldiers behind breastworks to the left poured their rifle fire down on the attacking Confederates for over six hours. The forrest was so badly damaged that most all the trees on the hill side died from lead poisoning within 20 years.

 

[bdtex]

His assistant's clothes are too clean to look like a casualty of the battle. Great pic of the scarred battlefield though.

 

[Wallyfish]

When I see this photo, I am always amazed at how high up the tree the bullet strikes are. I just wonder where the soldiers target was to hit that far up a tree. Maybe it is as simple as the confederates were charging up Culp's Hill and any misses simply continued their uphill trajectory striking the tress that far up the trunk.

I also wonder if the photographers knew that their photos would be published in news print that were of poor quality. Maybe the faked "money shots" of posed dead soldiers didn't look so fake in the fuzzy printed papers. One can only wonder if they would of done those posed fake shots if they knew hi res capabilities would exist in the future.

 

[redbob]

When I see this photo, I am always amazed at how high up the tree the bullet strikes are. I just wonder where the soldiers target was to hit that far up a tree. Maybe it is as simple as the confederates were charging up Culp's Hill and any misses simply continued their uphill trajectory striking the tress that far up the trunk.

I also wonder if the photographers knew that their photos would be published in news print that were of poor quality. Maybe the faked "money shots" of posed dead soldiers didn't look so fake in the fuzzy printed papers. One can only wonder if they would of done those posed fake shots if they knew hi res capabilities would exist in the future.

The high bullet strikes might be explained in that when you shoot uphill, you tend to aim high and when shooting down you tend to aim lower. Also, in the heat of battle; aiming tended to get less important and just throwing the rifle up and firing might have possibly caused the higher strikes.

 

[JOHN42768]

Judging from the number of hits on the trees, it seems that nothing could have survived in that area

 

[GABoy]

This looks to me like a lot of other battle photos from here and other Civil War battle sites. In the heat of the moment, I don't think anyone would be or would have been so careful as to take the extra time to aim. They just hoped they would hit something. I have often wondered if John Reynolds might have been hit by a stray bullet, though I have often read that it was fired by a Confederate sharpshooter, during one of the most hectic and disorganized portions of this battle.
***Edited by Moderator***

 

[redbob]

This looks to me like a lot of other battle photos from here and other Civil War battle sites. In the heat of the moment, I don't think anyone would be or would have been so careful as to take the extra time to aim. They just hoped they would hit something. I have often wondered if John Reynolds might have been hit by a stray bullet, though I have often read that it was fired by a Confederate sharpshooter, during one of the most hectic and disorganized portions of this battle.
***Edited by Moderator***

I have always felt that while General Sedgewick's death was the result of a well aimed strike by a sharpshooter, Reynolds was more a matter of opportunity or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time; rather than a premeditated shot.

 

[Larryh86GT]

There are some serious potential "warlogs" shown in that photo. Great photo.

 

[James N.]

View attachment 175667
By 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought, the photographers of the day had concluded that the most valuable post battle photos commercially, the "money shots" were images that showed dead soldiers. At Gettysburg, Alexander Gardner and his crew were on the field within a few days after the battle ended before many of the bodies had been buried. Most of the iconic images showing fallen soldiers on the Gettysburg battlefield were taken by him...

Gardner seems to have "lucked out" by approaching the battlefield on the Emmitsburg Road because there around the Rose Farm and Devil's Den and the slopes of the Round Tops were the last places that bodies were still being buried.

 

[WJC]

View attachment 175667
By 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought, the photographers of the day had concluded that the most valuable post battle photos commercially, the "money shots" were images that showed dead soldiers. At Gettysburg, Alexander Gardner and his crew were on the field within a few days after the battle ended before many of the bodies had been buried. Most of the iconic images showing fallen soldiers on the Gettysburg battlefield were taken by him. Mathew Brady, who is often credited with photos taken by Gardner did not arrive in Gettysburg until around the middle of July after all the bodies were buried. However, this did not stop Brady from attempting to fabricate faux dead by posing his assistant is various death poses around the battlefield. In this photograph taken on the slope of Culp's Hill where some of the most intense fighting of the battle occured, Brady's very much live assistant is seen in this unconvincing death pose. The severity of the fighting here is obvious by the number of bullet strikes seen on the trees. Union soldiers behind breastworks to the left poured their rifle fire down on the attacking Confederates for over six hours. The forrest was so badly damaged that most all the trees on the hill side died from lead poisoning within 20 years.

Great photo! Thanks for sharing!

 

[AUG]

When I see this photo, I am always amazed at how high up the tree the bullet strikes are. I just wonder where the soldiers target was to hit that far up a tree. Maybe it is as simple as the confederates were charging up Culp's Hill and any misses simply continued their uphill trajectory striking the tress that far up the trunk.

Aside from the confusion and shock of combat, the thick black powder smoke covering the field from continuous firing and fatigue from marching, loading and firing, probably also contributed to both sides blazing away in the general direction of each other without taking aim. And, as you said, might have to due with the trajectory of aiming downhill. Any shots that pass just over the Confederates' heads are going to pelt the trees to the rear a bit farther up.

 

[Ole Miss]

Seeing the shot riddled trees makes me wonder what my GGGrandfather thought as his unit, the 3rd North Carolina, thought as he attacked up that slope against the Union fortifications? What kinda of men were they on both sides to fight in such conditions and remain steadfast?
Regards
David

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I remember reading a diary in which a brand new Union private was in a battle (not here at Gettysburg), and the whole area was thick with smoke and he couldn't see the Confederates. The officer with him asked why he wasn't shooting and he said, "he couldn't see through the smoke to aim." And he was told to just shoot into the smoke towards the other line. I'm sure that accounted for a lot of tree strikes too on all battlefields.

 

[John Winn]

I've seen the claim before that those trees died of lead poisoning. They didn't as trees do not get lead poisoning. I suspect that many were girdled enough to cause their death or serious decline so I don't doubt that there was a noticeable loss of trees for some years afterward; just wasn't due to lead poisoning.

A retired forester.

 

[RochesterBill]

When I see this photo, I am always amazed at how high up the tree the bullet strikes are. I just wonder where the soldiers target was to hit that far up a tree. Maybe it is as simple as the confederates were charging up Culp's Hill and any misses simply continued their uphill trajectory striking the tress that far up the trunk.

I also wonder if the photographers knew that their photos would be published in news print that were of poor quality. Maybe the faked "money shots" of posed dead soldiers didn't look so fake in the fuzzy printed papers. One can only wonder if they would of done those posed fake shots if they knew hi res capabilities would exist in the future.

These pictures were not ever published in newspapers.

There was no process for converting photos to print plates until the late 1880's.

The closest they could come was having an artist make a wood cut using a photo as the model. That' why guys like Waud were employed to follow the army and make drawings, which were much simpler to turn into etchings.

 

[John S. Carter]

View attachment 175667
By 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought, the photographers of the day had concluded that the most valuable post battle photos commercially, the "money shots" were images that showed dead soldiers. At Gettysburg, Alexander Gardner and his crew were on the field within a few days after the battle ended before many of the bodies had been buried. Most of the iconic images showing fallen soldiers on the Gettysburg battlefield were taken by him. Mathew Brady, who is often credited with photos taken by Gardner did not arrive in Gettysburg until around the middle of July after all the bodies were buried. However, this did not stop Brady from attempting to fabricate faux dead by posing his assistant is various death poses around the battlefield. In this photograph taken on the slope of Culp's Hill where some of the most intense fighting of the battle occured, Brady's very much live assistant is seen in this unconvincing death pose. The severity of the fighting here is obvious by the number of bullet strikes seen on the trees. Union soldiers behind breastworks to the left poured their rifle fire down on the attacking Confederates for over six hours. The forrest was so badly damaged that most all the trees on the hill side died from lead poisoning within 20 years.

When photos where shown in galleries ,the people were very shocked by the brutality of what they saw,esp. the ones of major battles as Antietam and Gettysburg. Did these pictures have any negative effects as to the publics' attitude towards the war and a stronger demand that it be brought to an end,remember the pictures from Viet Nam and the evening news showing real time events which resulted in anti war protest.

 

[Burning Billy]

The high bullet strikes might be explained in that when you shoot uphill, you tend to aim high and when shooting down you tend to aim lower. Also, in the heat of battle; aiming tended to get less important and just throwing the rifle up and firing might have possibly caused the higher strikes.

There was also quite a bit of fighting on Culp's Hill at night, and the Confederates couldn't see the enemy that was firing on them. In at least one instance the poor visibility was partly responsibly for friendly fire among two rebel units. Low light conditions might also explain some of the high misses.

 

[mofederal]

A great image @gettysburg Greg. I like very much and everyone's comments as well. Thank you.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

The forrest was so badly damaged that most all the trees on the hill side died from lead poisoning within 20 years.

Regarding the damage to the trees shown in the photo, the quote below is from the National Tribune, January 15, 1885, regarding the writer's visit to Culp's Hill in 1868. I had never considered that relic hunters would go to such lengths and that damage to the trees would continued after the war ended. It's a wonder any witness trees survived.

 

[Biscoitos]

I've seen the claim before that those trees died of lead poisoning. They didn't as trees do not get lead poisoning. I suspect that many were girdled enough to cause their death or serious decline so I don't doubt that there was a noticeable loss of trees for some years afterward; just wasn't due to lead poisoning.

A retired forester.

Thank you for clarifying that. I knew it but my "credentials" are not so impressive.