Battle of New Orleans in the American Civil War

Battle of New Orleans in the American Civil War The capture of New Orleans by Union forces occurred during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and saw Flag Officer David G. Farragut run his fleet past Forts Jackson and St. Philip on April 24, 1862 before capturing New Orleans the following day. Early in the Civil War, Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott devised the Anaconda Plan for defeating the Confederacy. A hero of the Mexican-American War, Scott called for the blockade of the Southern coast as well as the capture of the Mississippi River. This latter move was designed to split the Confederacy in two and prevent supplies from moving east and west. To New Orleans The first step to securing the Mississippi was the capture of New Orleans. The Confederacys largest city and busiest port, New Orleans was defended by two large forts, Jackson and St. Philip, situated on the river below the city (Map). While forts had historically held an advantage over naval vessels, successes in 1861 at Hatteras Inlet and Port Royal led Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus V. Fox to believe that an attack up the Mississippi would be feasible. In his view, the forts could be reduced by naval gunfire and then assaulted by a relatively small landing force. Foxs plan was initially opposed by US Army general-in-chief George B. McClellan who believed that such an operation would require 30,000 to 50,000 men. Viewing a prospective expedition against New Orleans as a diversion, he was unwilling to release large numbers of troops as he was planning what would become the Peninsula Campaign. To obtain the needed landing force, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles approached  Major General Benjamin Butler. A political appointee, Butler was able to use his connections to secure 18,000 men and received command of the force on February 23, 1862. Fast Facts: Capture of New Orleans Conflict: American Civil War (1861-1865)Dates: April 24, 1862Armies Commanders:UnionFlag Officer David G. Farragut17 warships19 mortar boatsConfederateMajor General Mansfield LovellForts Jackson St. Philip2 ironclads, 10 gunboats Farragut The task of eliminating the forts and taking the city fell to Flag Officer David G. Farragut. A long-serving officer who had taken part in the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War, he had been raised by Commodore David Porter following the death of his mother. Given command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron in January 1862, Farragut arrived at his new post the following month and established a base of operations on Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi. In addition to his squadron, he was provided with a fleet of mortar boats led by his foster brother, Commander David D. Porter, who had the ear of Fox. Assessing the Confederate defenses, Farragut initially planned to reduce the forts with mortar fire before advancing his fleet up the river. Rear Admiral David G. Farragut. US Naval History and Heritage Command   Preparations Moving to the Mississippi River in mid-March, Farragut began moving his ships over the bar at its mouth. Here complications were encountered as the water proved three feet shallower than expected.  As a result, the steam frigate USS Colorado (52 guns) had to be left behind. Rendezvousing at Head of Passes, Farraguts ships and Porters mortar boats moved up the river towards the forts. Arriving, Farragut was confronted by Forts Jackson and St. Philip, as well as a chain barricade and four smaller batteries. Sending forward a detachment from the US Coast Survey, Farragut made determinations on where to place the mortar fleet. Confederate Preparations From the outset of the war, plans for the defense of New Orleans were hampered by the fact that the Confederate leadership in Richmond believed that the greatest threats to the city would come from the north. As such, military equipment and manpower were shifted up the Mississippi to defensive points such as Island Number 10.  In southern Louisiana, the defenses were commanded by Major General Mansfield Lovell who had his headquarters in New Orleans. Immediate oversight of the forts fell to Brigadier General Johnson K. Duncan. Supporting the static defenses were the River Defense Fleet consisting of six gunboats, two gunboats from the Louisiana Provisional Navy, as well as two gunboats from the Confederate Navy and the ironclads CSS Louisiana (12) and CSS Manassas (1). The former, while a powerful ship, was not complete and was used as a floating battery during the battle. Though numerous, the Confederates forces on the water lacked a unified command structure. Reducing the Forts Though skeptical about their effectiveness in reducing the forts, Farragut advanced Porters mortar boats on April 18.  Firing non-stop for five days and nights, the mortars pounded the forts, but were unable to completely disable their batteries. As the shells rained down, sailors from USS Kineo (5), USS Itasca (5), and USS Pinola (5) rowed forward and opened a gap in the chain barricade on April 20. On April 23, Farragut, impatient with the bombardments results, began planning to run his fleet past the forts. Ordering his captains to drape their vessels in chain, iron plate, and other protective materials, Farragut divided the fleet into three sections for the coming action (Map). There were led by Farragut and Captains Theodorus Bailey and Henry H. Bell. Running the Gauntlet At 2:00 AM on April 24, the Union fleet began moving upstream, with the first division, led by Bailey, coming under fire an hour and fifteen minutes later. Racing ahead, the first division was soon clear of the forts, however Farraguts second division encountered more difficulty. As his flagship, USS Hartford (22) cleared the forts, it was forced to turn to avoid a Confederate fire raft and ran aground. Seeing the Union ship in trouble, the Confederates redirected the fire raft towards Hartford causing a fire to break out on the vessel. Moving quickly, the crew extinguished the flames and was able to back the ship out of the mud. USS Hartford (1858). US Naval History Heritage Command Above the forts, the Union ships encountered the River Defense Fleet and Manassas. While the gunboats were easily dealt with, Manassas attempted to ram USS Pensacola (17) but missed. Moving downstream, it was accidentally fired upon by the forts before moving to strike USS Brooklyn (21). Ramming the Union ship, Manassas failed to strike a fatal blow as it hit Brooklyns full coal bunkers. By the time the fighting ended, Manassas was downstream of the Union fleet and unable to make enough speed against the current to ram effectively. As a result, its captain ran it aground where it was destroyed by Union gun fire. The City Surrenders Having successfully cleared the forts with minimal losses, Farragut began steaming upstream to New Orleans. Arriving off the city on April 25, he immediately demanded its surrender. Sending a force ashore, Farragut was told by the mayor that only Major General Lovell could surrender the city. This was countered when Lovell informed the mayor that he was retreating and that the city was not his to surrender. After four days of this, Farragut ordered his men to hoist the US flag over the customs house and city hall. During this time, the garrisons of the Forts Jackson and St. Philip, now cut off from the city, surrendered. On May 1, Union troops under Butler arrived to take official custody of the city. Aftermath The battle to capture New Orleans cost Farragut a mere 37 killed and 149 wounded. Though he was initially unable to get all of his fleet past the forts, he succeeded in getting 13 ships upstream which enabled him to capture the Confederacys greatest port and center of trade. For Lovell, the fighting along the river cost him around 782 killed and wounded, as well as approximately 6,000 captured. The loss of the city effectively ended Lovells career. After the fall of New Orleans, Farragut was able to take control of much of the lower Mississippi and succeeded in capturing Baton Rouge and Natchez. Pressing upstream, his ships reached as far as Vicksburg, MS before being halted by Confederate batteries. After attempting a brief siege, Farragut withdrew back down the river to prevent being trapped by falling water levels.

Distracted Driving in The United States Research Paper

Distracted Driving in The United States - Research Paper Example Various laws and legislations have been implemented in different states of US but this still remains an uphill task for the states. Various new recommendations and options are coming up in the shape of laws. Slowly and gradually this problem will be overcome by introducing safety measures and educating the youngsters. There have been incidents of mobile usage that resulted in loss of lives. There was a high school girl Alex Brown who lost her life to texting while driving. So her parents are eager to create awareness of texting while driving after losing their daughter. Her parents have made a website for educating people on distractions caused by texting while driving (â€Å"Remember Alex Brown foundation†). Chirping mobile phones are less expected to make flying dangerous. It endangers the lives of other onboard passengers. Comparatively danger is more on ground and these electronic devices have killed people on the roads. As per the department of transportation, chatting dr ivers are exposed four times to a crash. If we compare the reaction of an alcohol drunk driver with a driver using mobile phone then the distraction from a cell phone using driver slows and equals to a legally drunk individual (Carlson). Texting while driving is more dangerous than texting while driving. Looking down on any object or receiving and sending messages during driving is foolish. According to research carried out at Virginia Tech Institute, a driver takes his eyes off the road for approximately 5 seconds while sending or reading a text message. In this time, driver covers about length of a football field at 55 mph (Carlson). If we observe handling of mobile phone while driving then it is clear that it attracts total attention of drier. While reading text it catches visual attraction. Physical distraction is there when one is holding the phone in hand and mental distraction when concentrating on the material it shows on screen. So, it takes complete attention of the driver (Simon). Today the number one reason of auto accidents is distracted driving. The percentage has touched the alarming stage in recent past. Distracted driving has become the number one safety concern of road driving. Transportation secretary named distracted driving as â€Å"epidemic†. Now Toyota motors is spending about 50 million US dollars on research on issues associated with distracted driving. They named it as â€Å"growing cause of accidents.† National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released some facts and figures at the end of conference which shows that more than 5800 people died and about 515000 were injured last year due to distracted driving. Other studies show that technological advancement has proven to be a major factor in traffic accidents (O’ Donnell). Statistics also show that texting has become the most accurate and very famous form of communication. People send or receive about 110 billion text messages per month. According to a survey, about 11 percent of teens have admitted the habit of texting during driving. Other reason for popularity of texting is that it is very short. That is why drivers believe it is the quickest form of communication from behind the wheels. Studies do not confirm this mind set rather it is proved that how exposed one is to accident while texting during driving. Even at slower speed the risk of accident is high (O’ Donnell). The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) has gathered data regarding

Reformation and the Arts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Reformation and the Arts - Assignment Example In an attempt to keep the followers in the church, the Catholic religion undertook their own self-reformation, which came to be known as the Counter-Reformation. One aspect of their disagreement was over the portrayal of their visual art. The resulting factions created different artistic styles, though their outcome would be counterproductive to their original intent. The church had fallen under negative scrutiny during the fourteenth century and was marked by material excesses by church leaders while oppressing the lower clergy. Humanism and the Renaissance ideas were cultivated in Rome and their perceived abuses became the target of newly empowered city-states. The decline of papal power and material corruption of the church during the 14th and 15th centuries set the stage for the first severe blow to the church, the papal schism in 1378 (Kirsch 1911). However, the most popular symbolic blow came when Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church in 1517 (Bates 1999, Luther 1915). The Theses called for a dramatic overhaul of the church and began the Reformation. The Counter-Reformation is the period of "Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the Thirty Years War, 1648" (Pollen 1908). During this period the church tried to rebuke the Lutherans and Protestants for their stand on the subservience of Church to State, the marriage of the clergy, and doctrinal error (Pollen 1908). However, the church underwent little fundamental change, did not alter the State constitutions, or generate any great enthusiasm by its members. One noticeable change the church underwent was the portrayal of its visual arts. The church had moved away from art dominated by religious figures and had begun to portray man as the center of spiritualism as in Michelangelo's Creation of Adam circa 1500. Reformers believed this elevated man to a state of spiritual arrogance and wanted art to represent only religious figure s. The church did do some movement back toward commissioning strictly religious art during the Counter-Reformation (Nosotro 2005).

The Devil In The White City Expository Essay Example for Free

The Devil In The White City Expository Essay In The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, many inexperienced women come to Chicago in hopes of finding new opportunities and a successful job. These women were often single with no previous experience in the city, which made them an effortless target for Dr. Holme’s vile plans. With his charisma and reassuring presence, Dr. Holmes could instantly allure these women. Most women in this time period were often sheltered or brought up in a secure and familiar environment. However, in the beginning of the book on page 11, it states, â€Å"Never before in civilization have such numbers of young girls been suddenly released from the protection of home and permitted to walk unattended upon the city streets and to work under alien roofs.† I believe that because these young women had recently been liberated from their small town life, it created even more of an excitement and eagerness to take any employment opportunity that came their way. This in turn, worked against them, by prompting them to take the desirable jobs with Dr. Holmes. Another factor that induced these women to be so susceptible to Dr. Holmes’ corrupt plans was his undeniable charm. With their naà ¯ve mindset, a young man with striking eyes and a perfect physique (page. 35) was a handsome welcome to their new lives. This unexpected warmth in a new city enticed the young women and brought them to trust Dr. Holmes despite his underlying motives. However, because of their infatuation with him, the women were oblivious to his subtle maneuvers such as standing too close, staring to hard, and touching too long (page. 26) that would have revealed his ulterior intentions. This captivation gave Dr. Holmes the opportunity to have these women wrapped around his finger and be in complete control. Overall, the young women coming to Dr. Holmes were much too ignorant and enthusiastic to be alone in a large and unpredictable city, such as Chicago. Their curiosity and willingness to find a new life led them into very lamentable situations that cost them their lives. Unfortunately, I think that even if these women had been somewhat more apprehensive, Dr. Holmes, with his alluring charm, would still have the upper hand at reeling these women into his deplorable plot.

Hubert de Givenchy Essay -- Biography

A. Background of the designer. Hubert de Givenchy was born on February 20, 1927 in Beauvais, France. When he was young his father died, leaving him to be raised by his mother and grandfather. His wealthy family never approved of Givenchy’s love for fashion and instead wanted him to attend college and pursue a career in law. Eventually he attended college achieving his career in law but realized his love for fabrics and fashion was stronger (In influential fashion, 2002). Givenchy’s love for fashion grew when at the age of ten he attended the Pavillon d’ Elegance Paris Exposition. Once looking through Vogue magazine, he was inspired by Balenciaga men’s wear. He wanted to be a couturier and attended Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, to start a formal education in fashion. His designing inspirations came from Elsa Schiaparelli and Madam Gres’s work. His experience also came from working at the House of Piguet in Paris; this salon was known for its dramatic yet simple style and after, at the House of Lelong that was known for their high quality clothing. Those positions gave him knowledge on how to work with couture customers and gave him an opportunity to build strong relationships with them (Press, 2002). At age 25 he opened his first collection and it was a big success, inspired by his mentor Balenciaga. The collection was based on evening wear as well as economical white cotton shirts that were both inexpensive and fresh-looking. After that collection, his name was recognizable and his biggest success was the â€Å"Bettina† blouse; named after the famous Paris’ top model. This blouse was his signature piece in his cotton collection. Givenchy’s philosophy was: â€Å"Keep it simple. Eliminate everything that interferes with the line.† ... ...on to $20 million has been labeled for advertising worldwide. (Born, 2010) Most of Givenchy’s collections produced and designed in Italy and produced in France by apparel manufacturer Bidermann. His designs of junior sportswear that was made by American manufactures with American fabrics. E. Givenchy’s influence in Fashion Givenchy greatly influenced the fashion world. He is known for his classic dresses, elegance, glamour, and flowing lines. His designs in the 50s and 60s are the base of classic. Some of his vintage dresses can frequently be seen on the red carpets. He helped Audrey Hepburn to shape her unique style and made it flawless. Her little black dress from movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s made a history and opened a new chapter in the fashion world. House of Givenchy is on a new chapter with Italian Riccardo Tisci continuous Givenchy’s elegant style.

Analysis of the Machine That Won the War Essay

â€Å"The Machine That Won the War,† by Isaac Asimov, is a story that teaches a valuable lesson about humanity and also has an ironic twist at the end.  The setting is the future of Earth, and a great war had just been won against an enemy race. Two men, Swift and Henderson, are debating over who really won the war for Earth: the giant strategy computer known as Multivac, or the men in charge of making the maneuvers and programming the computer. John Henderson is an excitable man, while Lamar Swift, the military captain, is calm but rational. While the people hailed the computer, the two really knew who the heroes were. Henderson explained the fact that Multivac was nothing more than a large machine, only capable of doing what it was programmed to do. He stated that ever since the beginning of the war, he had been hiding a secret. It was the fact that some of its (Multivac’s) data might have been unreliable. This conflict, as you will note later, helped win the war. The great computer was capable of creating a direct battle plan which Earth forces could use to attack their enemies. However, with Henderson inputting faulty data, this caused some of the battle plans to be unreliable. His internal conflict between himself losing his job and wanting to keep it made him jingle with the programming until it seemed right. This foreshadowing helps the reader to see that someone is going to have to act upon Henderson’s faults if the war is to be won. Swift, the military commander, received these battle plans that Henderson had ‘printed up’ out on the front (the front being the battle front). He, realizing that some of these plans were outrageous, had to act upon a different form of machine. Swift’s motivation for not always acting upon what was laid before him helped change the course of the war. He told Henderson that when faced with the difficult decisions, he didn’t use Multivac’s data all of the time. This conflict, making these tough decisions, helps influence the climax. The climax of the story comes when Swift tells Henderson he used a coin to make all of the though decisions instead of Multivac’s data. This use of ‘situation irony’ shows us that in the worst imaginable scenario, the outcome is actually made so simply. The  lesson I found in this story is to not always trust what you see before you, and that human beings will forever take chances even in the riskiest of situations. In conclusion,†The Machine That Won the War,† taught us all a valuable lesson about how humans think, and contained a humorous, ironic ending which stunned (or should have stunned) everyone.

The Civil Rights Of African Americans - 2740 Words

As the United States put an end to slavery, and oppression of African Americans, the country needed aggressive policies to really end discrimination, and segregation. In several part of the country, African Americans were still considered as second class citizen. In the south, the social climate did not change. Many companies did not hire black at all. White southerners did not want integration in school or equal opportunity for black people. The federal government wanted to change the situation and to offer equal opportunity to all. During the 1950’s and 1960’s major changes in civil rights took place within the country. President Kennedy during his presidency came with major policies to alleviate people from poverty and to end†¦show more content†¦President London B. Johnson’s executive order 11246 became the standing rules for affirmative action for several decades in order to create fairness and equal opportunities in employment, and education . Affirmative Action was born and has been a public policy for five decades. The federal government made it mandatory for contractors to abide by the executive order and to apply it as requested. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints of discrimination and for correction of violations. The Department of Labor created the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC) (Anderson, 2004). All complaints were investigated; and violators were at risk of losing their federal contracts. Local and state governments joined the program as did private business. Today affirmative action becomes one of the most controversial subjects in the country, with as many supporters claiming it is equality, fairness, diversity, while opponents claim it is pure reverse discrimination. Proponent of affirmative action state it is needed for diversity in the work place, in our universities but those who oppose called it preference. In this paper, I will explore affirmative action, does it only benefit minorities (African Americans) or all races. Does affirmative action cause complex issues such as discrimination? Was there a significant increase in enrollment for minorities after Affirmative