Friday, December 27, 2019

Battle of Island Number 10 in the Civil War

Battle of Island Number 10 - Conflict Dates: The Battle of Island Number 10 was fought February 28 to April 8, 1862, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Armies Commanders Union Brigadier General John PopeFlag Officer Andrew Foote6 gunboats, 11 mortar raftsapprox. 20,000 men Confederates Brigadier General John P. McCownBrigadier General William Mackallapprox. 7,000 men Battle of Island Number 10 - Background: With the beginning of the Civil War, Confederate forces began making efforts to fortify key points along the Mississippi River to prevent Union attacks south. One area that received attention was the New Madrid Bend (near New Madrid, MO) which featured two 180-degree turns in the river. Located at the base of the first turn when steaming south, Island Number Ten dominated the river and any vessels attempting to pass would fall under its guns for protracted period. Work commenced on fortifications on the island and adjacent land in August 1861 under the direction of Captain Asa Gray. The first to be completed was Battery No. 1 on the Tennessee shoreline. Also known as the Redan Battery, it had a clear field of fire upstream but its position on low ground made it subject to frequent flooding. Work at Island Number Ten slowed in the fall of 1861 as resources and focus shifted north to the fortifications under construction at Columbus, KY. In early 1862, Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant captured Forts Henry and Donelson on the nearby Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. As Union troops pressed towards Nashville, the Confederate forces at Columbus came under threat of being isolated. To prevent their loss, General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered them to withdraw south to Island Number Ten. Arriving in late February, these forces began work to strengthen the areas defenses under the guidance of Brigadier General John P. McCown. Battle of Island Number Ten - Building the Defenses: Seeking to better secure the area, McCown commenced work on fortifications from the northern approaches to the first bend, past the island and New Madrid, and down to Point Pleasant, MO. Within a matter of weeks, McCowns men built five batteries on the Tennessee shore as well as five additional batteries on the island itself. Mounting a combined 43 guns, these positions were further supported by the 9-gun floating battery New Orleans which occupied a position at the western end of the island. At New Madrid, Fort Thompson (14 guns) rose west of the town while Fort Bankhead (7 guns) was built to the east overlooking the mouth of a nearby bayou. Aiding in the Confederate defense were six gunboats overseen by Flag Officer George N. Hollins (Map). Battle of Island Number Ten - Pope Approaches: As McCowns men worked to improve the defenses at the bends, Brigadier General John Pope moved to assemble his Army of the Mississippi at Commerce, MO. Directed to strike at Island Number Ten by Major General Henry W. Halleck, he moved out in late February and arrived near New Madrid on March 3. Lacking the heavy guns to assault the Confederate forts, Pope instead directed Colonel Joseph P. Plummer to occupy Point Pleasant to the south. Though forced to endure shelling from Hollins gunboats, Union troops secured and held the town. On March 12, heavy artillery arrived in Popes camp. Emplacing guns at Point Pleasant, Union forces drove off the Confederate vessels and closed the river to enemy traffic. The following day, Pope began shelling the Confederate positions around New Madrid. Not believing that the town could be held, McCown abandoned it on the night of March 13-14. While some troops moved south to Fort Pillow, the majority joined the defenders on Island Number Ten. Battle of Island Number Ten - The Siege Begins: Despite this failure, McCown received a promotion to major general and departed. Command at Island Number Ten then passed to Brigadier General William W. Mackall. Though Pope had taken New Madrid with ease, the island presented a more difficult challenge. The Confederate batteries on the Tennessee shore were flanked by impassable swamps to the east while the only land approach to the island was along a single road which ran south to Tiptonville, TN. The town itself was sited on a narrow spit of land between the river and Reelfoot Lake. To support operations against Island Number Ten, Pope received Flag Officer Andrew H. Footes Western Gunboat Flotilla as well as a number of mortar rafts. This force arrived above the New Madrid Bend on March 15. Unable to directly assault Island Number Ten, Pope and Foote debated how to reduce its defenses. While Pope desired Foote to run his gunboats past the batteries to cover a landing downstream, Foote had concerns about losing some of his vessels and preferred to commence a bombardment with his mortars. Deferring to Foote, Pope agreed to a bombardment and for the next two weeks the island came under a steady rain of mortar shells. As this action ensued, Union forces cut a shallow canal across the neck of the first bend which allowed transport and supply vessels to reach New Madrid while avoiding the Confederate batteries. With the bombardment proving ineffective, Pope again began to agitate for running some of the gunboats past Island Number Ten. While an initial council of war on March 20 saw Footes captains refuse this approach, a second nine days later resulted in Commander Henry Walke of USS Carondelet (14 guns) agreeing to attempt a passage. Battle of Island Number Ten - The Tide Turns: While Walke waited for a night with good conditions, Union troops led by Colonel George W. Roberts raided Battery No. 1 on the evening of April 1 and spiked its guns. The following night, the Footes flotilla focused its attention on New Orleans and succeeded in cutting the floating batterys mooring lines leading it to drift away downstream. On April 4, conditions proved correct and Carondelet began creeping past Island Number Ten with a coal barge lashed to its side for added protection. Pushing downstream, the Union ironclad was discovered but successfully ran through the Confederate batteries. Two nights later USS Pittsburg (14) made the voyage and joined Carondelet. With the two ironclads to protect his transports, Pope began plotting a landing on the east bank of the river. On April 7, Carondelet and Pittsburg eliminated the Confederate batteries at Watsons Landing clearing the way for Popes army to cross. As Union troops commenced landing, Mackall assessed his situation. Unable to see a way to hold Island Number Ten, he directed his troops to begin moving towards Tiptonville but left a small force on the island. Alerted to this, Pope raced to cut off the Confederates sole line of retreat. Slowed by fire from the Union gunboats, Mackalls men failed to reach Tiptonville before the enemy. Trapped by Popes superior force, he had no choice but to surrender his command on April 8. Pressing forward, Foote received the surrender of those still on Island Number Ten. Battle of Island Number Ten - Aftermath: In the fighting for Island Number Ten, Pope and Foote lost 23 killed, 50 wounded, and 5 missing while Confederate losses numbered around 30 killed and wounded as well as approximately 4,500 captured. The loss of Island Number Ten cleared the Mississippi River to further Union advances and later in the month Flag Officer David G. Farragut opened its southern terminus by capturing New Orleans. Though a key victory, the fighting for Island Number Ten was generally overlooked by the general public as the Battle of Shiloh was fought April 6-7. Selected Sources History of War: Battle of Island Number 10CWSAC Battle Summary: Battle of Island Number 10New Madrid: Battle of Island Number 10

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer...

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare In Pucks final speech of the play he says: â€Å"And this weak and idle theme No more yielding than a dream† It has been argued that Shakespeare structured the play around the notion of a dream. Explore the significance of dreams and dreaming in the play, both as a theme and dramatic device. There are several definitions of a dream, although no one can really define a dream, it is what we make it. The first theory is that it is a mixture of images, accumulated from your thoughts or experiences, that happen whilst you are asleep. It could also be a fantasy you experience whilst your semi-conscious†¦show more content†¦Shakespeare used the play and Pucks final speech to dismiss the horrible image of fairies, and for them to be seen as helpful, beautiful creatures with wings which we now imagine today. They may have expected the themes of arranged marriages or power over women as this went on a lot in the 16th century and although these themes do shine through in the play, love reigns overall, â€Å"So shall all the couples three, Ever true in loving be† said by Oberon at the end, meaning the three couples shall love each other for ever even if things stand in their way. The settings in the play are very appropriate for exploring dreams as there are contrasts between the real world and the dream world. The city of Athens being the real world shows order, rigid ness, control and man made things whereas the woods, being just outside the city of Athens is very different. It shows no authority, darkness, mystery because you never know what lurks in the woods, and is a completely natural habitat, just the place you would dream of fairies living. Its very ironic that these two completely different settings are side by side and yet the humans know nothing of what lives in woods but the fairies know of the humans. It relates to dreaming as when you dream, you escaped the control of the real world, just like theShow MoreRelatedA Midsummer Night s Dream By William Shakespeare1751 Words   |  8 Pages What types of dream really impress you in your life? Would that be funny dreams, weird dreams, scary dreams, risque dreams, dramatic dreams, lif e-changing dreams, and even lucid dream stories. As a matter of fact, people’s dreams can be a kind of illusion because dreams skew their daily life into confusion—people cannot recognize reality and unreality easily. Similarly, love not only is imaginative, but also can make people get confused just like dream. The comedic

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Tour to India

Question: Discuss about a Report on Tour to India? Answer: About India This summer I got a chance to visit the most multicultural country of the world, India. India was a dream location for me to spend my holidays. A country on diversifying terrain from mountains to desert to beautiful beaches makes it a perfect place to visit. It is land of most diversifies cultures in the world. Kashmir is the most beautiful place on the earth. It was so beautiful that once an Indian leader said that it is the heaven on the earth. The places surrounding the valley were beautiful. The next destination was Leh Ladakh. Ladakh is the only place in the world with the high altitude desert hill station. The Indian capital New Delhi is among the busiest cities in the world. There, visited the India Parliament house, the Red Fort and Raj Ghat. The next destination was Agra where the major attraction was Taj Mahal, the Worlds Wonder and a legend of true eternal love (Harrison, 2006). Then visited the most happening place in India and Bollywood city MUMBAI. The Major attraction of the city was Gateway of India, various temples and Haji Ali Mosque in the sea. There had the most famous pani puri and travelled in famous Local Train. The last destination was GOA. A place full of beaches and historical importance. This was my dream country to visit. Felt so happy to visit somewhere that focus on only your happiness. Wonderful. Just Wonderful (Srivastava Devotta, 2007). References Harrison, J. (2006). The Society's 2006 tour of Southern India. Asian Affairs, 37(2), 220-237. Srivastava, A., Devotta, S. (2007). Indoor Air Quality of Public Places in Mumbai, India in Terms of Volatile Organic Compounds. Environmental Monitoring And Assessment, 133(1-3), 127-138.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Nine Inexpensive and Free Alternatives to Photoshop

If you want the best photo editing software in terms of features and support, Adobe Photoshop leads the pack. However, at around $70 per month for a full subscription and a steep learning curve, it is out of reach for some marketers. Luckily, if you’re after an affordable and user-friendly photo editing tool, there are plenty of others available. Here are some of the best, budget-friendly alternatives. Corel Paintshop Pro X9 This cost-effective tool is one of the most sophisticated, considering it’s a fraction of the cost of Photoshop. It’s packed with features sufficient for any professional or amateur photo editor. The library of tools and brushes can be extended with plugins and there are many online tutorials to help beginners. Unfortunately for Mac users, it’s currently only available for Windows. Price: Around $70 USD for the full version. Pixelmator For Mac users only, Pixelmator comes close to Photoshop in terms of functionality, but it doesn’t have the photo organization features. You can touch up photos, sketch, add text and shapes, apply powerful effects and more. There’s support for iPads, so you can start a project on your Mac and then pick up where you left off on your tablet. The advanced software ensures fast image processing and its user-friendly interface makes it a good choice for novices. Price: $29.99 USD. Affinity Photo Launched in July 2015, Affinity Photo is relatively easy to learn and if you’re used to Photoshop, its interface is reassuringly similar. The many features include advanced retouching tools, panoramic photo stitching and high-end filters. Live editing also means you don’t have to apply changes every time. Its support for RAW files from digital cameras is also something you won’t find on many other Photoshop alternatives. Currently available for Mac, although a Windows version is in development. Acorn 5 If you’re not familiar with photo editing software, Acorn 5 may be a good place to start. It’s quick and easy to use, but also powerful. Despite having fewer features than other programs on this list, it still has the retouching tools, blurring effects and filters most people are looking for. There’s also a huge list of free tutorials on the website. Price: $29.99 USD for the full version. And of course, here is a list of free alternatives: GIMP Regarded by many as the best free alternative to Photoshop, GIMP is an open source image editor compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux and other operating systems. The interface and tabbed windows are also similar to Photoshop. As well as retouching, painting, text and color management tools, it also supports plugins for extra functionality. If you need help understanding image and layer manipulation, the website hosts various tutorials. Pixlr This web-based image editor is another one of the most powerful free tools. With similar features and layouts to Photoshop, you can access Pixlr without having to download anything or even sign up for an account. Signing up will allow you to save images to your Pixlr library for later editing. The usual tools like blur, sharpen and pencil combine with sophisticated filters, effects, coloring tools and layering options. Paint.NET This one’s only for Windows users, but Paint.NET has all the standard effects you’d expect from an image editor. It also has a unique 3D rotate and zoom effect, making it easy to add perspective and tilting. There’s also unlimited history, meaning every edit you make can be undone or redone. A growing online community gives you access to lots of advice, tutorials and extra plugins. For Mac users only, Seashore is another open source tool that offers similar features as GIMP, but it’s not quite as powerful. However, many people find it easier to use and it has all the usual features like brush strokes, gradients, multiple layers and plugin support. It’s still undergoing development, so if you use the latest version, you may encounter some bugs. To avoid this, download an older, stable version. PicMonkey Finally, if you’re after something that’s a little more fun, without the complexity of other image editors on this list, you might want to try PicMonkey. You can edit images straight from your web browser, and there are various filters and tools like blemish removal and sticky overlays if you want to add funny hats, etc. to your image. The free version is basic, but for around $5 per month, you get access to more advanced features without any ads. Optimizing Your Images If you don’t mind paying extra in advance, Photoshop is still one of the most stable and feature-rich image editing tools around. However, as you can see from this list, you don’t have to pay for powerful software. These nine apps are all slightly different, so it’s best to try out each one to determine which one best suits you.