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In Virginia the first battle of the Civil War was fought, near Manassas, Virginia railroad junction, after which the battle is called (or First Bull Run, named after the flowing stream on the battlefield, if of the Union point of view). The armies in this first battle were not prodigious by later Civil War principles. The Federal services under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell were well thought-out into four divisions, of about 30,000 men. These divisions were commanded by Tyler, Hunter, Heintzelman, and Miles. The Confederate command structure was to some extent more unmanageable, including two "armies", with no division structure and thirteen independent brigades under Bonham, Ewell, Jones, Longstreet, Cocke, Early, Holmes, Kershaw, Evans, Jackson, Bartow, Bee, Smith, and a cavalry brigade under Stuart. The Confederate Army of the Potomac was under the command of Brigadier General Pierre G. T. Beauregard, and the Army of the Shenandoah was controlled by Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston. These two forces would be equivalent to McDowell's strength. The first battle of Bull Run (or first battle of Manassas) was the first major engagement of the Civil War. Federal troops led by General McDowell advanced towards Manassas Junction, where Confederate troops were dug in, overcrowding the road to Richmond. Both Confederate and Union troops were not prepared for battle. Union troops advanced on Confederate troops, practically breaking through, but at the last split second, Confederate reinforcements arrived on the battlefield and carried the day. Union troops were routed. As Washington filled with Union soldiers, the anxiety grew to take action. Horace Greely, the mercurial editor of the New York Herald Tribune kept up a persistent stream of editorials echoed throughout the Union " Forward to Richmond- Forward to Richmond.?
Army Chief of Staff Winfield Scott put forth a arrangement to beat the confederacy. He called for a inclusive barricade of South, followed by a forceful army to take hold of the Mississippi and New Orleans. Only after all this was accomplished he suggested launching a significant attack against the center of the Confederacy. He opposed any gradually actions. The demands for action however, could not be deprived of. General McDowell came up with a plan for a direct att...
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... The line had to be held. A few moments later General Johnson gave the order for a counterattack. The Confederate attack quickly broke the Union lines. Before long the retreat of the union army turned into a complete rout. It was impossible to stop the retreating soldiers from heading all the way back to the Potomac River. In the midst of the flight were hundreds of sightseers from Washington, including six senators and ten Congressmen.
As Congressman Riddle stated:
"We called to them, tried to tell them there was no danger, called them to stop, implored them to stand. We called them cowards, denounced them in the most offensive term, put out our heavy revolvers, and threatened to shoot them, but all in vain; a cruel crazy, mad, hopeless panic possessed them, and communicated to everybody about in front and rear. The heat was awful, although now about six; the men were exhausted their mouths' gaped, their lips cracked and blackened with the powder of the cartridges they had bitten off in the battle, their eyes starting in frenzy; no mortal ever saw such a mass of ghastly wretches."
From July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, the most famous and most important Civil War Battle took place in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederates under Robert E. Lee advanced on the Union in hopes of taking the major city of Philadelphia, Baltimore, or even Washington D.C. Union commander General George Meade was sent to make sure none of this would happen. General Robert E. Lee was determined to invade the North and win a victory important for southern morale, leads his army toward Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he hopes to destroy railroad bridges linking east with west. He is unaware that a large union force headed by General Meade is headed in the same direction.
LTC George Armstrong Custer did not effectively apply the concept of mission command as a warfighting function during the Battle of Little Bighorn. While it is important to understand the context in which Custer made his decisions, those circumstances offer little in terms of excusing the fiasco that was Little Bighorn. Custer failed to follow orders, did not take pertinent intelligence into consideration, did not adequately plan or execute protection of his forces, and fought without essential fires equipment available to him. Custer did exercise good sustainment, but it was for naught, as the battle was brief.
The Confederate General Earl Van Dorn's objective was to "have St. Louis - then Huzza!" He hoped to accomplish this by going north from his headquarters at Pocahontas to the Boston Mountains, where the Union forces under command of General Samuel Curtis had taken up camp. After a nine-day march, Van Dorn finally made it to the mountains. There, he met up with McCulloch and Price, two of his officers. This Confederate Army of the West marched rapidly to Fayetteville on Telegraph Road and then went on to Bentonville in an attempt to overwhelm the Federal troops of Genera...
In the next pages I will explain why Fredericksburg was such a tragedy. Why it was a big morale booster for the South, but a disappointment for the North?
The Battle of Fredericksburg is remembered as the Confederate Army’s most one-sided victory in its campaign against the Union Forces of the North. It was the first battle to occur shortly after President Abraham Lincoln had delivered his “Emancipation Proclamation” and the President was hard pressed for a victory to bolster public support for it. It would be remembered as the first major campaign for the newly appointed General of the Army of the Potomac. General Ambrose E. Burnside was given command of the Union Army due to an increased frustration President Abraham Lincoln was experiencing with his predecessor. However, General Burnside’s inexperience would cost him dearly on the battlefield. Historical data and battlefield analysis reports show what led to the Unions defeat at Fredericksburg. An alternative outcome was possible had General Burnside
General Burnside’s “Campaign to Richmond” led the Army of the Potomac to the far side of the Rappahannock River, opposite of Fredericksburg, on the 19th of November 1862. Burnside envisioned pontoon boats stretching twice across the river to allow for a swift and continuous passage of his army. This is where Burnside’s problems began. The pontoon boats arrived several days later and Confederate scouts in the city were able to report the Army of the Potomac’s location. Within days, General Lee’s Rebel f...
September 16-18, 1862, outside of the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, between the Potomac River and Antietam Creek, was the location of the bloodiest battle in American history. Confederate Colonel Stephen D. Lee described it as “Artillery Hell” because of the frightful toll on his gunners and horses from Federal counter battery and infantry fire. (AotW, 2014) The battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, would collect an estimated 23,100 total casualties (Luvaas and Nelson, 1987). The body count far exceeded any of the other three battles waged in the Maryland Campaign (Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, and Shepherdstown). This battle was a contributing factor in the outcome of our country and the rest of the world. The Union Army desperately needed a victory at Antietam; however, a victory for the Confederate rebels may have very well gained them international recognition as a sovereign country in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Federal Army, which belonged to the Union States, consisted of an all-volunteer army and was a larger army than the Confederate States. Even though the Battle of Antietam was inconclusive, President Lincoln went on to read the Emancipation Proclamation to the country, effectively ending slavery, and ensuring that no foreign nation would intervene on the Confederates behave.
Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is said to be one of the greatest American novels to ever be written and is what all other pieces of American literature are based off of. The novel has been debated for over an entire century and will continue to be debated for much longer. Never the less, Huckleberry Finn teaches young students and adults the important life lessons. ”The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain should remain required reading in American Literature classes because it enlightens students about the horrors of racism and slavery, familiarizes students with the South during time period, and properly portrays the powers of conformity.
The First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas was significant because it was the first major land battle of the Civil War. The battle was sparked on July 21, 1861 at approximately 5:15 A.M. During this particular battle the commanders of the Confederate and the Union were not the individuals commonly associated with the Civil War. In fact, the Union was commanded by Irvin McDowell and the Confederate forces were commanded by Joseph Johnson and PGT Beauregard. Initially, General Irvin McDowell and his troops were order by Abraham Lincoln and the Federal government to advance south of Washington into Bull Run which would bring them closer to the Confederate capital which was Richmond, Virginia. Lincoln thought that an early victory amongst the Confederates would force them to end their rebellious acts in a quick battlefield. The Confederate army gained insight on the attack the Union forces were ...
Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to expose the hypocrisy of racism and religion in society. He clearly displayed how blacks were stereotyped, devalued, and considered to be inferior to whites. He showed how people associated themselves with certain religious beliefs, but only practiced those beliefs at their own convenience. Unfortunately, the issues Twain wrote about still exist in today’s world. Society has made some progress; however, overall, not much has changed since Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Despite all the criticism, of racism and other questionable material for young readers, Mark Twain’s The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is a superbly written novel, which in the opinion of this reviewer should not be remove the literary cannon. Twain’s novel is a coming of age story that teaches young people many valuable lessons and to some extend makes students reexamine their own lives and morals. The most common argument for its removal from the literary canon is that the novel is too racist; it offends black readers, perpetuates cheap slave-era stereotypes, and deserves no place on today’s bookshelves. However one must ask if Twain is encouraging traditional southern racism or is Twain disputing these idea.
Racism, a major issue in society for hundreds of years, even after the abolition of slavery, still affects millions of people. African Americans today still sensitivities towards racism, and the reading of Huckleberry Finn demonstrates the pertinence of racism today similarly to two hundred years ago. When reading novels containing nineteenth century racism, African American readers are exposed to the torments their ancestors were put through, and the novel can have a positive or negative effect in that the reader may enjoy the learning of their history but may also feel humiliated in relation to their classmates of other races. In the literary novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the apparent racism in the book affects
Lincoln wanted to end the conflict quickly, which prompted his initial call for 75,000 volunteers, unfortunately for him the new volunteers, many of which had only enlisted for 90 days, only three months after the firing on Fort Sumter were much too green for the effort. Something their commander General Irvin McDowell was quite well aware of. Lincoln pushed McDowell to attack as soon as possible, so on July 21, 1861 the first major eastern battle of the Civil War started when McDowell sent ill trained, and poorly disciplined troops toward the Confederate forces drawn up along Bull Run Creek.. He initially wanted the attack to be a surprise, with the hope of t...
Executive Branch: The President carries out federal laws and recommends new ones, as well as directs the national defense and foreign policy, and performs ceremonial duties. The President powers includes directing government, commanding the Armed Forces, dealing with international leaders, acting as chief law enforcement officer, and vetoing laws. Legislative Branch: Headed by Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The main focus of these two bodies is to make the laws. The House of Representative’s powers include passing laws, originating spending bills (House), impeaching officials (Senate), and approving treaties (Senate). Judicial Branch: Headed by the Supreme Court and their main focus is to interpret the Constitution, reviewing laws, and decidi...
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so much more than just a teen’s novel. Through Twain’s harsh language reflective of the times and location and the use of characters Twain showed how much the thinking of the majority of people in the Deep South fought progression. Mark Twain use of Miss Watson, pap, the duke and the king and others to show just how many thoughts and traditions where opposed to seeing “blacks” as equals. Through Jim, Twain showed that “blacks” are people / equals. And, in Huck, Twain showed how a logical person could progress, despite the views and morals of the Deep South, to see “blacks” equals. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn succeeded in exposing the Deep South for what it really was; highly prejudice and extremely reluctant to change.