Battle of Yorktown in the American Revolution

Battle of Yorktown in the American Revolution The Battle of Yorktown was the last major engagement of the American Revolution (1775-1783) and was fought September 28 to October 19, 1781.  Moving south from New York, a combined Franco-American army trapped Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis army against the York River in southern Virginia. After a brief siege, the British were compelled to surrender. The battle effectively ended large-scale fighting in North America and ultimately the Treaty of Paris which ended the conflict.   Armies Commanders American French General George WashingtonLieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau8,800 Americans, 7,800 French British Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis7,500 men Allies Unite During the summer of 1781, General George Washingtons army was encamped in the Hudson Highlands where it could monitor the activities of  Lieutenant General Henry Clintons British army in New York City. On July 6, Washingtons men were joined by French troops led by Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau.  These men had landed at Newport, RI before proceeding overland to New York. Washington initially intended to utilize the French forces in an attempt to liberate New York City, but met resistance from both his officers and Rochambeau. Instead, the French commander began to advocate for a strike against exposed British forces to the south. He supported this argument by stating that  Rear Admiral Comte de Grasse intended to bring his fleet north from the Caribbean and that there were easier targets along the coast. Fighting in Virginia During the first half of 1781, the British expanded their  operations in Virginia. This began with the arrival of a small force under Brigadier General Benedict Arnold  which landed at Portsmouth and later raided Richmond. In March, Arnolds command became part of a larger force overseen by Major General William Phillips. Moving inland, Phillips defeated a militia force at Blandford before burning warehouses in Petersburg.  To curb these activities, Washington dispatched the  Marquis de Lafayette  south to oversee resistance to the British. On May 20, the army of Lieutenant General  Lord Charles Cornwallis arrived in Petersburg. Having won a bloody victory at Guilford Court House, NC that spring, he had moved north into Virginia believing that the region would be easy to capture and receptive to British rule. After uniting with Phillips men and receiving reinforcements from New York, Cornwallis commenced raiding into the interior.   As the summer progressed Clinton ordered Cornwallis to move towards the coast and fortify a deep water port. Marching to Yorktown, Cornwallis men commenced building defenses while Lafayettes command observed from a safe distance.   Marching South In August, word arrived from Virginia that Cornwallis  army was encamped near Yorktown, VA. Recognizing that Cornwallis army was isolated, Washington and Rochambeau began discussing options for moving south. The decision to attempt a strike against Yorktown was made possible by the fact that de Grasse  would bring his French fleet north to support the operation and prevent Cornwallis from escaping by sea. Leaving a force to contain Clinton in New York City, Washington and Rochambeau began moving 4,000 French and 3,000 American troops south on August 19 (Map). Eager to maintain secrecy, Washington ordered a series of feints and sent false dispatches suggesting that an attack against New York City was imminent. Reaching Philadelphia in early September, Washington endured a brief crisis when some of his men refused to continue the march unless they were paid one months back wages in coin. This situation was remedied when Rochambeau loaned the American commander the needed gold coins. Pressing south, Washington and Rochambeau learned that de Grasse had arrived in the Chesapeake and landed troops to reinforce Lafayette. This done, French transports were sent north to ferry the combined Franco-American army down the bay.   Battle of the Chesapeake Having arrived in the Chesapeake, de Grasses ships assumed a blockading position. On September 5, a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves arrived and engaged the French. In the resulting Battle of the Chesapeake, de Grasse succeeded leading the British away from the mouth of the bay. While the running battle that ensued was tactically inconclusive, de Grasse continued to draw the enemy away from Yorktown.   Disengaging on September 13, the French returned to the Chesapeake and resumed blockading Cornwallis army. Graves took his fleet back to New York to refit and prepare a larger relief expedition. Arriving at Williamsburg, Washington met with de Grasse aboard his flagship Ville de Paris on September 17. After securing the admirals promise to remain in the bay, Washington focused on concentrating his forces. Joining Forces With the Lafayette As troops from New York reached Williamsburg, VA, they joined with the forces of the Lafayette who had continued to shadow Cornwallis movements. With the army assembled, Washington and Rochambeau began the march to Yorktown on September 28. Arriving outside the town later that day, the two commanders deployed their forces with the Americans on the right and the French on the left. A mixed Franco-American force, led by the Comte de Choissey, was dispatched across the York River to oppose the British position on Gloucester Point. Working Towards Victory In Yorktown, Cornwallis held out hope that a promised relief force of 5,000 men would arrive from New York. Outnumbered more than 2-to-1, he ordered his men to abandon the outer works around the town and fall back to the main line of fortifications. This was later criticized as it would have taken the allies several weeks to reduce these positions by regular siege methods. On the night of October 5/6, the French and Americans began construction of the first siege line. By dawn, a 2,000-yard long trench opposed the southeast side of the British works. Two days later, Washington personally fired the first gun. For the next three days, French and American guns pounded the British lines around the clock. Feeling his position collapsing, Cornwallis wrote to Clinton on October 10 calling for aid. The British situation was made worse by a smallpox outbreak within the town. On the night of October 11, Washingtons men began work on a second parallel, just 250 yards from the British lines. Progress on this work was impeded by two British fortifications, Redoubts #9 and #10, which prevented the line from reaching the river. Attack in the Night The capture of these positions was assigned to General Count William Deux-Ponts and Lafayette. Extensively planning the operation, Washington directed the French to mount a diversionary strike against the Fusiliers Redoubt at the opposite end of the British works.   This would be followed by Deux-Ponts and Lafayettes assaults thirty minutes later.  To help increase the odds of success, Washington selected a moonless night and ordered that the effort be made using bayonets only.   No soldier was permitted to load their musket until the assaults had began. Tasking 400 French regulars with the mission of taking Redoubt #9, Deux-Ponts gave command of the assault to Lieutenant Colonel Wilhelm von Zweibrà ¼cken.   Lafayette gave leadership of the 400-man force for Redoubt #10 to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton. On October 14, Washington directed all of the artillery in the area to concentrate their fire on the two redoubts.  Around 6:30 PM, the French commenced the diversionary effort against the Fusiliers Redoubt.   Moving forward as planned,  Zweibrà ¼ckens men had difficulty clearing the abatis at Redoubt #9. Finally hacking through it, they reached the parapet and pushed back the Hessian defenders with a volley of musket fire. As the French surged into the redoubt, the defenders surrendered after a brief fight.   Approaching Redoubt #10, Hamilton directed a force under Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens to circle to the rear of the enemy to cut off the line of retreat to Yorktown. Cutting through the abatis, Hamiltons men climbed through a ditch in front of the redoubt and forced their way over the wall.   Encountering heavy resistance, they ultimately overwhelmed and captured the garrison. Immediately after the redoubts were captured, American sappers began extending the siege lines. The Noose Tightens: With the enemy growing nearer, Cornwallis again wrote to Clinton for help and described his situation as very critical. As the bombardment continued, now from three sides, Cornwallis was pressured into launching an attack against the allied lines on October 15. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Abercrombie, the attack succeeded in taking some prisoners and spiking six guns, but was unable to breakthrough. Forced back by French troops, the British withdrew. Though the raid had been moderately successful, the damage inflicted was quickly repaired and the bombardment of Yorktown continued. On October 16, Cornwallis shifted 1,000 men and his wounded to Gloucester Point with the goal of transferring his army across the river and breaking out to the north. As the boats returned to Yorktown, they were scattered by a storm. Out of ammunition for his guns and unable to shift his army, Cornwallis decided to open negotiations with Washington. At 9:00 AM on October 17, a single drummer mounted the British works as a lieutenant waved a white flag. At this signal, the French and American guns halted the bombardment and the British officer was blindfolded and taken into the allied lines to commence surrender negotiations. Aftermath Talks commenced at the nearby Moore House, with Laurens representing the Americans, the Marquis de Noailles the French, and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas and Major Alexander Ross representing Cornwallis. Through the course of the negotiations, Cornwallis attempted to obtain the same favorable terms of surrender that Major General John Burgoyne had received at Saratoga. This was refused by Washington who imposed the same harsh conditions that the British had demanded of Major General Benjamin Lincoln the year before at Charleston. With no other choice, Cornwallis complied and the final surrender documents were signed on October 19. At noon the French and American armies lined up to await the British surrender. Two hours later the British marched out with flags furled and their bands playing The World Turned Upside Down. Claiming he was ill, Cornwallis sent Brigadier General Charles OHara in his stead. Nearing the allied leadership, OHara attempted to surrender to Rochambeau but was instructed by the Frenchman to approach the Americans. As Cornwallis was not present, Washington directed OHara to surrender to Lincoln, who was now serving as his second-in-command. With the surrender complete, Cornwallis army was taken into custody rather than paroled. Shortly thereafter, Cornwallis was exchanged for Henry Laurens, the former President of the Continental Congress. The fighting at Yorktown cost the allies 88 killed and 301 wounded. British losses were higher and included 156 killed, 326 wounded. In addition, Cornwallis remaining 7,018 men were taken prisoner. The victory at Yorktown was the last major engagement of the American Revolution and effectively ended the conflict in the Americans favor.

Structure of cells essays

Structure of cells essays The cell theory forms a basis way for the way that biologists may now study living things. The cell theory states that all living things are made up of cells, cells are the smallest units of all living things, and all cells come from preexisting cells through cell division. The cell theory is an extremely popular method for biologists to observe organisms with. The cell theory applies to every single organism in the world. Whether an organism is made up of one cell or millions of cells, it is still made up of cells. Based on their cellular structures, all living cells can be divided into two groups: eukaryotic and prokaryotic. Eukaryotic cells are generally much larger and more complex than prokaryotic. Because of their larger size, they require a variety of specialized membrane organelles. These organelles are used to carry out metabolism, provide energy, and transport chemicals throughout the cell. Eukaryotic cells possess an internal membrane system that compartmentalizes the cell for various cellular functions. Prokaryotic cells differ significantly from eukaryotic cells. They lack a membrane- bound nucleus and instead of having chromosomal DNA, their genetic information is in a circular loop called plasmid. These cells have few internal structures that are distinguishable under a microscope. They are very small and they feature three main shapes: rod shaped, spherical, and spiral. Instead of going through an elaborate replication process like eukaryotes, bacterial cells divide by binary fission. There are also similiarities between the two types of cells. They both have DNA as their genetic material. Both are membrane bound and both have ribosomes. They have similar basic metabolism and they are both amazingly diverse in forms. ...

Alexander the Great Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Alexander the Great - Research Paper Example By the time Alexander ascended to the throne of Macedonia, the main cities of Greece were already brought under the Macedonian rule and so Alexander came up with a strong and experienced military force in the land. At first, he established as the general of the Greece and then he ventured to expand the empire to the other side of the world. He started his expansion of the empire by attacking Asia Minor in 334 B.C. The ten years of expanding the empire, up to his death, marked as the craftsmanship of this Macedonian king. The whole Persia under Darius III came to be under Alexander the Great. The attack of Alexander in India (336 B.C.) witnessed the greatness of the emperor by giving the land to the earlier king. The near mutiny of his troops made him back to Macedon. The death of Alexander in 323 B.C. in Babylon witnessed the end of Macedonian dreams to conquer the remaining countries of the ancient world. BBC says, â€Å"Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles, founding over 70 cities and creating an empire that stretched across three continents and covered around two million square miles† (BBC). All the places he conquered were put together in an ‘international network of trade and commerce’. The language and culture of the Greek spread across the conquered places and there was the interchange of the culture- the Greek and the conquered countries. This research gives a small description of the conquests of Alexander the great and tries to analyze how Alexander’s conquests affected the countries with Hellenistic attributes. So the paper takes the thesis statement, Alexander’s the great conquests affected the countries in many ways. Alexander’s Conquests It was after ascending into the throne of Macedon in 336 B.C., Alexander III took part with the desire of his father in expanding the territory of the country. His father, Philip II, had already made the Greek countries under Macedon through military and diplomatic measures. So he had already paved the way for his son to ride on. The new king Alexander at the age of 20 started his attempts to conquer the other countries. It was amazing for researchers to believe that Alexander could take control the major parts of the ancient world. His empire coved the countries like Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Armenia, Persia, Afghanistan and India of the ancient world. All those places that came on the way from Macedonia to India became under the control of Alexander the great. (See appendix 1) William J. Duiker and Jackson J. Spielvogol had given the brief account of Alexander’s invasion in their book, The Essential World History. It is stated in the book that, in the year 334 B.C. his army, consisting 37,000 men entered Asia Minor and soon the entire western half of the country came under Alexander. The attack of Alexander suddenly alarmed the Persian ruler, Darius III and he wanted to stop the movement of the Greek army. The battle of Issus was a fe arsome one between these two armies and finally the Greek became victorious. This success made him

MYOB's Interdepartmental Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MYOB's Interdepartmental Communication - Essay Example This is referred to as interdepartmental communication. Every department needs to communicate with the other departments to inform them as to what are the updates and/or changes that a particular department would be implementing. It is not to know whether the department is doing its designated task, however it is more on knowing how the change would affect the organization as a whole. A particular department’s change would definitely affect the whole company as each department is linked to one another (Carroll, 2010, pp. 10-12). Though working in just one company, people from different departments still find it difficult to communicate with other people belonging to another department. As Carroll (2010, p. 11) expressed, â€Å"interdepartmental communication is a challenge in many industries – one department may not know how its action or inaction affects another department. The managers may incorrectly assume that other departments understand what they need and why.â €  It is not good to assume that everything is okay when memorandums are sent. There should be counter-checking with regard to the comprehension of the memos that were transmitted. MYOB has been providing Australia and New Zealand with downloadable computer software which aids many professionals in their jobs since 1991. Since the company uses the worldwide web as its medium in disseminating this software, the company has options to expand its market internationally without any additional cost (MYOB, 2012). It is known that when a company starts expanding, there would be a need to create departments that would focus on particular aspects of maintaining the website and running the company as a whole at the headquarters. Though working in the same company, there would be instances that employees would not be given the chance to meet everybody on the payroll. The usual mode of communication used in companies in recent years is through company’s electronic mail or e-mail. If s uch is the case, an employee should habitually check his company e-mail for the latest memos or updates circulated to everyone, or an e-mail directly addressed to the person for any issues that need clarifications, or just any direct instruction or message. With the numerous tasks waiting to be accomplished, there would be times that an employee would only be able to check the e-mail at least twice a day, which would be upon coming to work and before leaving the workplace. Since the company is dealing with customers purchasing their products online, people who are using the software can either use the phone numbers listed on the website or just click on the picture on their Contact Us page to be redirected to the proper support group. For this kind of company, it is the support group and the technical department that need to ensure that their interdepartmental communication is synched. Other department that should be synched with each other are the finance and the advertising depart ments. During the latter part of 2011, MYOB released the latest version of one of its accounting software. This should be kudos to the technical department. However, as reported by Sholto Macpherson (2011), there were bugs present in the newer version that either slows down the program itself or makes it unusable at all. Surely, the support group received complaints regarding the bug; however, the technical team was not properly informed about the concern. The scenario would be likely as the latter statement or the technical team

Reflection Essay- Zenur Levon Negotiation Process

Reflection Essay- Zenur Levon Negotiation Process Reflecting upon role play activity experience is an essential ability for all experts to grow better administration and communication skills, disagreement decision and improve future execution. To think back on the play that was directed as group work a week ago has permitted taking an interest understudies to pick up administration and negotiation skill. This paper will reflect upon the part that I personally played in this role-play action, and in addition fundamentally investigate our execution as a group work. It could be contended that our group performed well in general; yet more negotiation, communication and management abilities could have been moved forward. This paper will remark upon the group work, business communication style, and procedures and propose likely upgrades in future exercises. Our groups included four individuals and were altogether appointed with a specific part inside the role-play. Reflecting upon my part as CEO Levon and one of Negotiator, I felt at the time this did not by any means suit my identity profile. Largo and Johns (2008) state than guaranteeing close matches between role-play and genuine identity characteristics will probably deliver positive outcomes. For me, maybe the most difficult and challenging part of being allotted this in this role was working and discussing viably with our group in a reasonable and decisive way. Incidentally, I felt uneasy consulting with other colleagues who I felt had their own plan and appeared to be unwilling now and again to bargain. Looking back, this was one of the greatest difficulties I confronted in this action. Be that as it may, it additionally permitted me to construct my abilities and trust in these areas over the quantity of weeks we were included in the role-play. For me, the negotiation process with the Zenur Company advanced exceptionally well and expected an agreeable outcome. At first point both group shared company brief introduction and before making proposal Zenur discussed Levons current market situation and Levon also talked about Zenurs weakness. As a Levon negotiator we are very much interested in full acquisition. Finally discussion end with profit and management sharing in 80:20.The way that both groups were executing Win-Win an integrative collaborative procedure came about gainful for both groups. Indeed, even through outcomes was lower than our goal, it was over the BATNA and resistance indicates and esteemed please both groups (Barnett ORourke, 2011) and as our strategies was likewise intensely worried with building solid relationship with other organization we trust that we accomplished a fruitful outcome. All through the arrangement each issue was examined on at an opportunity to help achieve a result that was adequate for both groups. Because of each groups sharing data and their inspiration to accomplish a specific outcome made it was anything but difficult to cooperate to achieve common understanding over each issue. The gathering utilized Collaborative Style (I Win You Win) strategy (Bovee, Paul Thill, 2012)to attempt and accomplishes a result that is valuable for both groups. For example we settled down at 450 million dollar commonly against offer cost of 500 million dollars with one board part position in Levon from Zenur staff. The negotiation with Zenur was great anyway it was done rapidly and felt somewhat surged. As we continued through the transaction so rapidly we had overlooked some minor issue that had been not talked about. We could have utilized Salami methodology in better route by putting our request before other organization in parts and slowly (Atherton, 2014). This issue may have likewise been credited to our absence of structure with our arrangement points. Despite the fact that our arranging was finished well we didnt examine that we have wanted to. Through the transaction the primary issues were centered around anyway we missed some comparable issues by not alluding to our arranging from among the bargain procedure. All in all, to reflect upon the part I have attempted among the group role-play assignment, it can be kept up that an awesome practical experience has been learnt and learnt about business communication. In remarking upon the group flow, and the scholastic writing that has upheld the taking in this semester, it can be contended that another sets of information and comprehension has been designed and implemented. Likewise, it has been especially essential to wind up distinctly a reflective essay writer and that in undertaking such perceptions enhances ones as well as improves specific knowledge. References Atherton, T. (2014). NEGOTIATING SKILLS The Salami Tactic. Retrieved 14 February 2017, from http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk/articlenegsalami.htm Bovee, C.L, Paul, C Thill, J.V. (2012). Business Communication Today. (11 Ed.). USA: Pearson. Barnett, S., ORourke, S. (2011). Communication: organisation and innovation (3rd Ed.). Pearson Education New Zealand. Largo, E. Johns, M. 2008, Sensing of change management rulemaking for the 21st Century, Swan Page, London.

Attitudes of Marriage in Chaucers the Canterbury Tales :: essays papers

Attitudes of Marriage in Chaucers the Canterbury Tales Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, demonstrate many different attitudes and perceptions towards marriage. Some of these ideas are very traditional, such as that illustrated in the Franklin’s Tale. On the other hand, other tales present a liberal view, such as the marriages portrayed in the Miller’s and The Wife of Bath’s tales. While several of these tales are rather comical, they do indeed depict the attitudes towards marriage at that time in history. D.W. Robertson, Jr. calls marriage "the solution to the problem of love, the force which directs the will which is in turn the source of moral action" (Robertson, 88). "Marriage in Chaucer’s time meant a union between spirit and flesh and was thus part of the marriage between Christ and the Church" (Bennett, 113). The Canterbury Tales show many abuses of this sacred bond, as will be discussed below. One example of corruption in marriage is The Miller’s Tale. This tale includes a lecherous clerk, a vain clerk, and an old man entangled in a web of deceit and adultery construed by a married women. It is obvious in this story that almost each of these characters show complete disregard to the institution of marriage. The two men, Nicholas and Absalon, both try to engage in adulterous affairs with Alison, the old man’s wife. Both of the men are guilty of trying to seduce Alison, which shows their indifference towards the sanctions and laws of marriage. Still Alison, who should be the wiser, also breaks the laws of marriage. She takes Nicholas because she wants to, just as she ignores Absalon because she wants to. Lines 104-109 of the Miller’s Tale show Alison’s blatant disrespect for her marriage to "Old John" and her planned deceit: "That she hir love hym graunted atte laste, And swoor hir ooth, by seint Thomas of Kent That she wol been at his commandmen t, Whan that she may hir leyser wel espie. Myn housbonde is so ful of jalousie That but ye wayte wel and been privee†¦" On the contrary, Alison’s husband loved her more than his own life, although he felt foolish for marrying her since she was so young and skittish. This, in turn, led him to keep a close watch on her whenever possible. The Miller’s main point in his story is that if a man obtains what he wants from God or from his wife, he won’t ask questions or become jealous.

Memo Letter Example

MEMO DATE: November 11, 2012 TO: Dr. Cheryl Powers, Instructor Business Communications, Minnesota School of Business FROM: Rhonda DeRosa Melissa Gelder Sherry Stevens Kayla Huberty Scott Miller Virtual Team, Business Communications SUBJECT: Unit 5 Assignment—Virtual Team Project Proposal Memo Our team met via conference call, this week, to discuss how we will successfully complete our project and resolve any conflicts that might arise. We also discussed which organizations we would each interview and agreed on a list of questions to ask our contacts at these organizations.The success of our project will depend on the contributions of every member. We will meet, via conference call, at 7:30 p. m. every Wednesday until our project is done. In between conference calls, we will communicate mostly via email. We decided that email was the best method, since we all have access to our email on our cell phones, so would get the information very quickly. We will also post to our group d iscussion board after our Wednesday night calls, to re-cap what was discussed and to have something to refer back to. In an effort to eliminate and resolve conflict we will all need to be responsible for â€Å"pulling our weight†. Related article: Team Building Memo ExamplesWe will do this by participating in the conference calls, regularly checking our email, and responding to any questions from the other team members. If a last-minute scheduling conflict occurs, we have each other’s phone numbers and we will call the other team members to inform them of the conflict. We will address and attempt to resolve conflicts within our team, before escalating to our instructor. Here is a list of the organizations that we have chosen, along with the contact person at the organization: Rhonda DeRosa: OGI Eyewear—Contact: Dan Liberman, Owner/President, Shelley Jacobs, Director of Corporate AffairsMelissa Gelder: Insert Company Name—Insert Contact Name and Title Sherry Stevens: Alexandra House—Contact: Liz Meyer, Project Manager Kayla Huberty: Insert Company Name—Insert Contact Name and Title Scott Miller: Insert Company Name—Insert Contact Name and Title Here is the list of quest ions that we are going to ask each of our organizations: 1. What types of teams/groups does your organization use? (Cross-functional, self-managed, virtual, project, etc. ) 2. What roles do team-members play? (Leader, note-taker, subject matter expert, etc. ) 3. Who decides how the roles are assigned (or do members volunteer)? . How do teams/groups contribute to the overall success of your organization? 5. What criteria do you use to determine whether a group/team is needed? 6. What are the characteristics of successful team players at your organization? 7. Do members of your organization participate on teams with members of other organizations? If so, what sort of roles do they play on those teams? 8. What are some of the obstacles your teams face and how do you overcome them? 9. How is team conflict handled and resolved? 10. What tools/methods do your teams use to communicate? (email, phone, face-to-face, virtual technologies, etc. 11. Which of these methods is most effective? Lea st effective? 12. How do you determine if a team/group is successful? 13. What is the role of volunteers on teams in your organization? 14. What training or team-building is provided for team members (and is this different for employees vs. volunteers)? 15. Can you share a success story involving a group or team in your organization? —possibly of a time where a team was able to achieve something above and beyond what was expected or a team achieved something that couldn’t have been achieved without the team.