A Bend in the Trees

The replanting of the peach trees at the Peach Orchard has been an ongoing process at Gettysburg National Military Park. I'm pretty sure the National Park Service ended up planting the peach trees a second time due to some form of a disease the trees picked up. I could be wrong, though.

This photograph was taken about two years ago. So, the trees look a lot bigger if you've visited the battlefield recently. One thing you'll notice is that when the wind blows all of the trees bend at the same angle. It's a fascinating site to take in. You can also notice the importance of the terrain that the orchard sits on. Much higher ground than the swampy land to the east that the Federal III Corps held before venturing out this far, spreading itself thin and thus exposing it's flanks.

The original orchard by Joseph Sherfy was much more expansive at the time of the battle. Possibly two or three times the size that it is today.