---
title: Bullet-Shattered Stump From the Battle of Spotsylvania
author: United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21395/bullet-shattered-stump-from-the-battle-of-spotsylv/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2025-12-01
---

# Bullet-Shattered Stump From the Battle of Spotsylvania

_Authored by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory_

## Image File

[![Bullet-Shattered Stump From the Battle of Spotsylvania](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21395.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21395.jpg)

## Image Caption

Photograph of a tree severed by bullets, c. 1900s.

At the [Battle of Spotsylvania Court House](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2844/battle-of-spotsylvania-court-house/), on 12 May 1864, an oak bore witness to the hellish melee and relentless rifle fire at the "Bloody Angle," a heavily contested stretch of Confederate earthworks. The shattered and wounded remnant of that tree still holds within it several bullets from that day, a testament to the realities of combat in the [American Civil War](https://www.worldhistory.org/American_Civil_War/).

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Laboratory, U. S. N. M. P. (2025, December 01). Bullet-Shattered Stump From the Battle of Spotsylvania. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21395/bullet-shattered-stump-from-the-battle-of-spotsylv/>
### Chicago
Laboratory, United States National Museum Photographic. "Bullet-Shattered Stump From the Battle of Spotsylvania." *World History Encyclopedia*, December 01, 2025. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21395/bullet-shattered-stump-from-the-battle-of-spotsylv/>.
### MLA
Laboratory, United States National Museum Photographic. "Bullet-Shattered Stump From the Battle of Spotsylvania." *World History Encyclopedia*, 01 Dec 2025, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21395/bullet-shattered-stump-from-the-battle-of-spotsylv/>.

## License & Copyright

[Original image](https://www.si.edu/object/history-united-states-exhibits-united-states-national-museum:siris_arc_402065) by **United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory**. Submitted by [Zachary Kay](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/zacharykay/ "User Page: Zachary Kay"), published on 01 December 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Public Domain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain). This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.