Inside the Fight to Save a 300-Year-Old Tree That Survived a Revolutionary War Battle

A centuries-old “witness tree” that stood through a Revolutionary War battle in South Carolina is getting some much-needed care to help preserve it for generations to come. The 45-foot-tall live oak is located across the street from Eutaw Springs Battlefield Park, the site of the September 1781 Battle of Eutaw Springs, one of the final major battles of the Revolutionary War fought in the South. The tree withstood the bloody skirmish, and 50 years ago it survived a lightning strike—but only with the help of heavy chains and steel cables wrapped tightly around its trunk and branches.

Now, experts say those life-saving measures are compromising the tree’s health. Last week, arborists climbed high into the tree’s sprawling canopy to remove the chains and cables, which have fused into the bark. They also removed dead wood, installed a new structural support system to help protect it from future storms, decompacted the surrounding soil and injected the soil with much-needed nutrients.

It’s a demanding job, and some of the work comes with real risks. But for Landsaw, the chance to care for a tree with such a rich history makes all the effort worthwhile. They’re often associated with wars, but they can also mark other pivotal moments in history—from George Washington’s post-presidency life at Mount Vernon to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P.

Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Known as the “Major Oak,” a 1,200-year-old tree in England’s Sherwood Forest famed for its connection to the Robin Hood legend was declared dead in June. Today, few witness trees from the Revolutionary War survive, making the Eutaw Springs specimen “extraordinarily rare,” Garrison Marcoux, a historian at the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust, tells WCSC-TV’s Maya Brown.

American forces under Major General Nathanael Greene attacked a British force commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Stewart, leading to a fierce, chaotic battle in the woods and fields near Eutaw Springs. The fighting resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, with more than 1,400 killed, wounded or captured. Although the British held the field at the end of the day, they later withdrew, heading towards Charleston.

The battle further weakened British control of the South and came just weeks before the American victory at Yorktown effectively ended major combat in the war. The tree is located on a four-acre swath of land preserved by the American Battlefield Trust and South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust. The groups purchased the property several years ago in hopes of expanding Eutaw Springs Battlefield Park, which is part of the broader statewide “Liberty Trail.” “When a visitor comes to Eutaw Springs, we want them to have that tangible, living connection to the battle,” Noyes tells WIS News 10’s Elizabeth West.