Battle of Harpers Ferry During the American Civil War

Battle of Harpers Ferry During the American Civil War The Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought September 12-15, 1862, during the American Civil War (18611865). Background Following his victory at the Second Battle of Manassas in late August 1862, General Robert E. Lee elected to invade Maryland with the goals of resupplying the Army of Northern Virginia in enemy territory as well as inflicting a blow on Northern morale.   With Major General George B. McClellans Army of the Potomac mounting a leisurely pursuit, Lee split his command with Major Generals James Longstreet, J.E.B. Stuart, and D.H. Hill entering and remaining in Maryland while Major General Thomas Stonewall Jackson received orders to swing west then south to  secure Harpers Ferry.   The site of   John Browns 1859 raid, Harpers Ferry was situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and contained a Federal arsenal.   On low ground, the town was dominated by Bolivar Heights to the west, Maryland Heights to northeast, and Loudoun Heights to the southeast. Jackson Advances Crossing the Potomac north of Harpers Ferry with 11,500 men, Jackson intended to attack the town from the west.   To support his operations, Lee dispatched 8,000 men under Major General Lafayette McLaws and 3,400 men under Brigadier General John G. Walker to secure Maryland and Loudoun Heights respectively.   On September 11, Jacksons command approached Martinsburg while McLaws reached Brownsville approximately six miles northeast of Harpers Ferry.   To the southeast, Walkers men were delayed due to a failed attempt to destroy the aqueduct carrying the Chesapeake Ohio Canal over the Monocacy River.   Poor guides further slowed his advance. The Union Garrison As Lee moved north, he expected the Union garrisons at Winchester, Martinsburg, and Harpers Ferry to be withdrawn to prevent being cut off and captured.   While the first two fell back, Major General Henry W. Halleck, the Union general in chief, directed Colonel Dixon S. Miles to hold Harpers Ferry despite requests from McClellan for the troops there to join the Army of the Potomac.   Possessing around 14,000 largely inexperienced  men, Miles had been assigned to Harpers Ferry in disgrace after a court of inquiry found that he had been drunk during the First Battle of Bull Run the previous year.   A 38-year veteran of the US Army who had been brevetted for his role in the Siege of Fort Texas  during the Mexican-American War, Miles failed to understand the terrain around Harpers Ferry and concentrated his forces in the town and on Bolivar Heights.   Though perhaps the most important position, Maryland Heights was only garrisoned by around 1,600 men under Colonel Thomas H. Ford. The Confederates Attack On September 12, McLaws pushed forward Brigadier General Joseph Kershaws brigade.   Hampered by difficult terrain, his men moved along Elk Ridge to Maryland Heights  where they encountered Fords troops.   After some skirmishing, Kershaw elected to pause for the night.   At 6:30 AM the next morning, Kershaw resumed his advance with Brigadier General William Barksdales brigade in support on the left.   Twice assaulting the Union lines, the Confederates were beaten back with heavy losses.   Tactical command on Maryland Heights that morning devolved  to Colonel Eliakim Sherrill as Ford had taken  ill.   As the fighting continued, Sherrill fell when a bullet struck his cheek.   His loss shook his regiment, the  126th New York, which had only been in the army  three weeks.   This, coupled with an attack on their flank by Barksdale, caused the New Yorkers to break and flee to the rear. On the heights, Major Sylvester Hewitt rallied the remaining units and assumed a new position.   Despite this, he received orders from Ford at 3:30 PM to retreat back across the river even though 900 men from the 115th New York remained in reserve.   As McLaws men struggled to take Maryland Heights, Jackson and Walkers men arrived in the area.   In Harpers Ferry, Miles subordinates quickly realized that the garrison was surrounded and implored their commander to mount a counterattack on Maryland Heights.   Believing that holding Bolivar Heights was all that was necessary, Miles refused.   That night, he dispatched Captain Charles Russell and nine men from the 1st Maryland Cavalry to inform McClellan of the situation and that he could only hold out for forty-eight hours.   Receiving this message, the McClellan directed VI Corps to move to relieve the garrison and sent multiple  messages to Miles informing him that aid was coming.   These failed to arrive in time to inf luence events. The Garrison Falls The next day, Jackson commenced emplacing guns on Maryland Heights while Walker did the same on Loudoun.   While Lee and McClellan fought to the east at the ​​​Battle of South Mountain, Walkers guns opened fire on Miles positions around 1:00 PM.   Later that afternoon,  Jackson directed Major General A.P. Hill  to move along the west bank of the Shenandoah to threat Union left on Bolivar Heights.   As night fell, Union officers in Harpers Ferry knew that the end was approaching but remained unable to convince Miles to attack Maryland Heights.   Had they moved forward, they would have found the heights guarded by a single regiment as McLaws had withdrawn the bulk of his command to aid in blunting VI Corps advance at Cramptons Gap.   That night, against Miles wishes, Colonel Benjamin Davis led 1,400 cavalrymen in a breakout attempt.   Crossing the Potomac, they slipped around Maryland Heights and rode north.   In the course of their escape, they c aptured one of Longstreets reserve ordnance trains and escorted it north to Greencastle, PA. As dawn rose on September 15, Jackson had moved around 50 guns into position on the heights opposite Harpers Ferry.   Opening fire, his artillery struck Miles rear and flanks on Bolivar Heights and preparations commenced for an assault at 8:00 AM.   Believing the situation hopeless and unaware that relief was en route, Miles met with his brigade commanders  and made the decision to surrender.   This was met with some hostility from a number of his officers who demanded the opportunity to fight their way out.   After arguing with a captain from the 126th New York, Miles was struck in the leg by a Confederate shell.   Falling, he had so angered his subordinates that it initially proved difficult to find someone to carry him to the hospital.   Following Miles wounding, Union forces moved forward with the surrender. Aftermath The Battle of  Harpers Ferry saw the Confederates sustain 39 killed and  247 wounded  while Union losses totaled 44 killed, 173 wounded, and 12,419 captured.   In addition, 73 guns were lost.      The  capture of the Harpers  Ferry garrison represented the Union  Armys largest surrender of the  war and the US Armys largest until the fall of  Bataan in 1942.   Miles  died  from his wounds on September 16 and never  had to face the consequences for his performance.  Ã‚  Occupying the town, Jacksons men took possession of a large volume of Union  supplies and the arsenal.   Later that afternoon, he received urgent word from Lee to rejoin the main army at Sharpsburg.   Leaving Hills men to parole the Union prisoners, Jacksons troops marched north where they would play a key  role in the Battle of Antietam on September 17. Armies Commanders Union Colonel Dixon S. Milesapprox. 14,000 men Confederate Major General Thomas Stonewall Jacksonapprox. 21,000-26,000 men Selected Sources: Civil War Trust: Battle of Harpers FerryNational Park Service: Battle of Harpers FerryHistoryNet: Battle of Harpers Ferry

Tutoring in high school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tutoring in high school - Essay Example I assisted Rose times by helping her organize her backpack because her bag had so many worksheets and she could not find her homework easily. Also, I stayed after homework hours and assisted students with many recreational activities. I worked with students in baking cookies, brownies, puppy chow, and cupcakes for their parents’ meeting. I also played Scrabble with them and a variety card games such as Uno, Egyptian Rat Screw, and Speed. One afternoon we had a girls’ time and Rose painted my fingernails blue. I thought about Rose every moment I saw my fingernails. I interacted with students from diverse backgrounds. Most students get bus tokens to take the city bus home, some live in unstable homes with family problems, and some live in unsafe environments. I gained a sense of their hard lives by tutoring and playing sports with them. I truly felt that I was making a difference in their lives and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope I can expand my desire to help young children in the

A partnership agreement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A partnership agreement - Essay Example While such procedure will be effective in prevention of future conflicts, it has been found that conflicts are inevitable due to changes in laws and circumstances. It is also impossible to document every aspect of the partnership and as such, the document needs to be flexible enough to allow the inclusion of changing needs and circumstances of the partnership. Partnership agreements may need to be modified in the instance of divorce settlements, which may lead to the family members of a partner receiving shares, bankruptcy, death, retirement, disability, translocation of a partner, a partner intending to sell after getting a nice offer, debts taken out on the partnership. All of these reasons make strong the argument for the partnership agreement to be made flexible.Divorce Settlements  At the time of getting into marriage, many partners overlook many of the provisions of a partnership agreement. In most instances, it is assumed that divorce or separation will not occur.. However, it has to be acknowledged that divorce and separation are an inevitable occurrence of modern life. It is thus important that since the marital circumstances of the partners may change in the future the partnership agreement be flexible enough to allow the inclusion for the changing circumstances. It s estimated that about a million of the businesses in the US are co owned by wife and husbands in a partnership. That being said it is inevitable that conflicts will arise in instances of divorce or separation of the couple.... All of these reasons make strong the argument for the partnership agreement to be made flexible. Divorce Settlements At the time of getting into marriage, many partners overlook many of the provisions of a partnership agreement. In most instances, it is assumed that divorce or separation will not occur.. However, it has to be acknowledged that divorce and separation are an inevitable occurrence of modern life. It is thus important that since the marital circumstances of the partners may change in the future the partnership agreement be flexible enough to allow the inclusion for the changing circumstances. It s estimated that about a million of the businesses in the US are co owned by wife and husbands in a partnership. That being said it is inevitable that conflicts will arise in instances of divorce or separation of the couple. To add on to that many of the people who enter into business partnerships with other people other than their spouses are usually married. The resources broug ht into the business may thus be considered to belong to the family. Upon divorce, the couple may be required by law to divide the shares in the business in the interests of justice. A partnership agreement that does not take into account such things as divorce may thus need to be amended in order to accommodate the new dispensation. This is best exemplified in Estate of Cohen v. Booth Computers in which Cohen was suing her husband over shares held jointly by both of them. The judge ruled that Cohen was entitled to a share in the company by virtue of marriage since there was no express provision in the partnership agreement that was against such as scenario (Mahler, 2011). Bankruptcy Bankruptcy is the inability of a person to pay

Business Etiquette - Cubical Space Research Paper

Business Etiquette - Cubical Space - Research Paper Example Knowing how to communicate with decorum will help keep the business as well as grow some leads for the next business. (Columbia University Centre for Career education, 2012). Ensuring continued premises maintenance: In this kind of business, professional presentation go a long way in expressing how organized a company is and thus winning the customers trust. It will be essential to consider doing office maintenance as a way of setting professional standards for the services we provide. ( Columbia University Centre for Career education, 2012) Ensuring that tenants understand the tenure contract: Most of the times, tenants take less interest on terms of lease. Many of them do not understand the meaning of terms like triple net lease, load factor, full service e.t.c. It is important for the proprietor to ensure that the tenant understand what they are signing to avoid any conflict when bleach of tenure happens. (Wolfe, 2012). Keeping to the tenure contact: To develop trust and reliability, it is important for the company to ensure that contracts and agreements are kept strict (Wolfe, 2012). This will go a long way in buying customer’s trust as well as open leads for future business. As a cubicle space leasing company, it is important to consider professional practices like phone and communication etiquette, premise maintenance, leading tenants to understand the tenure contract and commitment to keep to the tenure contract. All the etiquette concerns should be geared towards establishing business leads and maximum trust in the company’s professionalism. Columbia University Centre for Career education. (2012). Skills- Business Etiquette. The Trustees of Colimbia University in the City of New York. Retrieved from: http://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/tipsheets/skills-business-etiquette Wolfe, L. (2012). 3 questions to Ask Before Negotiating or Signing a

The Power of Ambition :: English Literature Essays

The Power of Ambition An ambition is an eager, and sometimes an inordinate, desire for preferment, honor, superiority, power, or the attainment of something. To obtain object or goal that is immensely desired. It comes from the Middle English word â€Å"ambicioun,† meaning and excessive desire for power, money or wealth. Ambition is something that everyone, no matter their age or cultural background, has instinctively. Ambition can be a driving force for success, or in some cases a road to failure. Through ambitious undertakings we can set goals and find ourselves and our God-given talents. We are told never to cross a bridge until we come to it, but this world is owned by men who have 'crossed bridges' in their imagination far ahead of the crowd. I was watching the Doctor Phil Show the other day, and he was talking about the five reasons for why successful people are as successful as they are. Number one on the list was a plan. A goal. A destination. An ambition. Without an ambition we have no purpose in our lives. In contrast, a goal can help us get organized and take steps towards achieving what we want in our day-to-day lives. My friend Ryan always used to tell me, and still does; â€Å"My life's ambition is to be happy with my place in, and contribution to Society.† That might be a nice thought, but is there really a workable goal there? No! â€Å"The ambitious man is essentially a visualizer and an actualizer... He can visualize something, and when he visualizes it he sees exactly how to make it happen.† - Robert L. Schwartz A person who aims at noth ing is sure to hit it. We were given a brain for a reason, and this is a perfect excuse to use it. Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Following ones dreams and not giving a second thought to the comment of the people who put us down is what creates a successful entrepreneur. Spending time with people with a positive image and attitude can help one get motivated and realize their goals. Persistence can make everything possible, for persistence is an excellent demonstration of ambition. If one wants something to happen, one must, as a singer one put it, ‘pick themselves up and try again.

At the Edge of the Earth

Below the snowline is a treeless zone of alpine pastures that have for generations been used for the summer grazing of goats and cattle. Agriculture is confined to the valleys and foothills, with fruit growing and viticulture on some sunny slopes. Further down the mountin normal plants still cannot grow only plants that are adapted to the cold are able to grow. Forests of the pine trees grow higher up the mountain where it is colder. Forest of broad-leaved trees and a wide range of other vegetation grow at the base of the mountain. Typically in mountain ranges it is high on the mountaintop. It is so cold that plants cannot grow here. There is only snow and bare rock. Summit regions above 3000 m (about 9800 ft) are glaciated. Peaks and crests, however, rise above the ice, displaying jagged shapes (tooth like horns, needles, and knife-edged ridges). About 2 % of the total area of the Alps is covered in ice. The longest valley glacier, the aletsch Glacier in the Bernese Alps, is 18 km (11ml) long. My great grandfather used to be a farmer but nowadays people in this area are no longer relaying on agriculture. Now people tend to work in the tourist industry and farmland has been give up to build ski slopes and lodges. Older people feel that the area has lost its natural beauty but most of their income comes from the tourist industry. Oak, hornbeam, and pie trees dominate the warm foothill zones, and sheltered valleys opening onto the Upper Italian Lakes abound with subtropical vegetation. A region of beech forests encompasses the cooler zone and grades at higher elevations into the fir and spruce belt. Mountain maple, spruce, and larch extend to the timberline. Living in mountainous regions can bring problems with individual isolated areas separated by mountains and rivers. In past times communications would have been a problem but since 1981 tunnels have been built linking areas. Higher areas in Fold Mountains like the Alps are not available to live because of the jagged ice and it is to cold. Traditionally the economy has relayed on farming and forestry. Alpine pastures have been used for grazing goats and cattle below the snow line. Life has however changed in the Alps tourism has brought with it both benefits and problems. 50 million people visit the Alps every year. The attraction is mainly winter ski-ing. To cater for all these people forests have to be mown down to make room for the ski slopes and lodges for people o stay in. Effects of tourism include erosion and acid rain from the many vehicles. Areas of this nature are prone to avalanches. Benefits and problems can also be seen with the tunnels. There have been numerous accidents in the tunnels. Recently two trucks collided and exploded in the St. Gothard tunnel as a result a hundred people are missing. Long alpine tunnels are crucial in modern living but accidents have left officials questioning them. A distinctive Alpine pastoral economy that evolved through the centuries has been modified since the 19th century by industry based on indigenous raw materials, such as the industries in the Mur and Murz valleys of the southern Austria that used iron ore from deposits near Eisenerz. Hydroelectric power development at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, often involving many different watersheds, led to the establishment in the lower valleys of electricity-dependent industries, manufacturing such products as aluminium, chemicals, and specialty steels. Tourism, which began in the 19th century in a modest way, has become, since the end of World War II, a mass phenomenon. Thus, the Alps have become a summer and winter playground for millions of European urban dwellers and annually attract tourists from around the world. Because of this enormous human impact on a fragile and ecological environment, the Alps are the most threatened mountain system in the world. The first of the great tunnels through the Alps, the Mount Cenis tunnel between France and Italy, was built between 1857 and 1870 and opened in 1871. The St Gotthard line, with its spiral tunnel approaches at Goschenen, was built between 1872 and 1882. The Arlberg tunnel in the southwest Austria, connecting Vorarlberg with the Tyrol, dates from 1884, and the Simplon rail tunnel, the longest in the world, was built between 1898 and 1906. Construction of a new St Gotthard rail link began in 1990 with a 20-year completion schedule. Swift road travel between Italy and Germany became possible during World War II, when the totalitarian regimes of these countries linked their new motorway networks over the Fern and Brenner passes. The road tunnel under Mont Blanc was opened in 1965. Many truck roads now cross the Alps, such as the main motorway route from Switzerland to Italy, which runs from Zurich past the Walensee and the town of Chur. Causes: * Heavy snowfall compressing and adding weight to the earlier falls, especially on windward slopes. * Steep slopes of over 25 degrees where stability is reduced and friction is more easily overcome. * A sudden increase in temperature, especially on the south-facing slopes and, in the Alps, under fohn wind conditions. * Heavy rain falling upon snow (more likely in Scotland than in the Alps) * Deforestation, partly for new ski runs, which reduces slope stability. * Vibrations triggered by off-piste skiers, any nearby traffic and more dangerously, earth movements. * Very long, cold, dry winters followed by heavy snowfalls in spring. Under theses conditions, earlier falls of snow will turn into ice over which later falls will slide (some local people perceive this to pose the greatest avalanche risk). Consequences: Avalanches can block roads and railways, cut off power supplies and telecommunications and, under extreme conditions, destroy buildings and cause loss of life. Between 1980 and 1991 there were, in Alpine Europe alone 1210-recorded deaths.

The Cell Phone Is It Hurting Your Education - 1169 Words

Saagar Sharma Oona Patchen Due Date: 11/04/2014 Essay #4 RD English 114 The Cell Phone: Is It Hurting Your Education? While the communication boom is often times praised for how it’s improved our lifestyle, we have not so much as realized the severe consequences that have taken place in regards to how it is affecting our future. The cell phone in particular, is posing as a detrimental threat to society as it is severally affecting the education system and its learning processes. Activities such as texting and social media have caused a variety of issues within the classroom. It affects a student’s ability to read and write, it makes verbally communicating to others harder than it already is, it creates unbearable distractions for the†¦show more content†¦Dr. Weimer received a Ph.D. in speech communication from Penn State and was also awarded the Penn State Milton S. Eisenhower award for distinguished teaching in 2005. Weimer writes a weekly article for the The Teaching Professor Blog on topics such as classroom policies, active learning, assessment, generational differences, and student performance and has also consulted with over 450 colleges and universities on instructional guidelines and policies. In one of her articles, The Age of Distraction, she cites the Kuznekoff and Titsworth study, an experiment used to find out how the distractions of a cell phone affect a student’s performance. They found that â€Å"†¦students who use their mobile phones during class lectures tend to write down less information, recall less information, and perform worse on a multiple-choice test than those students who abstain from using their mobile phones during class.† (p.251). A crucial study in my opinion, it offers factual evidence that cell phones are distracting and detrimental in their ability to learn new material and excel in the classroom. Weimer also continues to claim that students are â€Å"inseparable† from their cell phones. However, students are not the only one that feels the brunt of this distraction. We must also realize tha t cell phones do not only place a distraction to students, but also the teacher. Even with classroom policies emplaced and attempts to enforce it, for example by confiscating devices and