HISTORIC TREES 151 



Charleston, S. C., discovered that he needed fire- 

 wood and with ruthless hand chopped down a mag- 

 nificent magnolia tree just outside his door. He 

 thereby lost for the community an interesting relic 

 of the British siege of Charleston in 1780. On 

 April 21st of that year the American General, 

 Lincoln, held a council of war beneath its flower- 

 laden branches. He told his officers and represen- 

 tative towns-people that the enemy had just been 

 reinforced with 3000 troops from New York and 

 further resistance seemed hopeless. He counselled 

 the immediate retreat of the American forces, but 

 at the earnest pleadings of the worried Charles- 

 tonians finally agreed to stay. Three weeks later 

 he was forced to surrender. The tree under which 

 the meeting was held was known thereafter as the 

 Magnolia Council Tree. 



In the days just preceding the Revolution a num- 

 ber of New England towns had their "Liberty 

 Trees." These were usually elms and were used 

 as rallying-points for speeches and burnings in 

 effigy. Boston had a fine one at Washington and 

 Essex Streets. The one at Providence was espe- 

 cially large. 



For many years visitors to Haverstraw, New 

 York, were taken a few miles out into the country 

 to see the black oak under which "Mad" Anthony 



