In 1781, a live oak stood beside one of the Revolutionary War’s final major battles; 245 years later, crews are removing old chains that once saved it but are now choking it

• Specialist arborists have begun careful restoration work in South Carolina to save a 300-year-old southern live oak that stood near one of the final major battles of the American Revolutionary War.
• The huge tree stands at the historic Eutaw Springs battlefield in Orangeburg County.
• It survived musket fire, artillery attacks and centuries of harsh weather.