American Civil War - Battle of Hampton Roads

American Civil War - Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads was fought March 8-9, 1862, and was part of the American Civil War. Fleets Commanders Union Flag Officer Louis M. GoldsboroughLieutenant John L. Worden1 ironclad, 2 screw frigates, 2 frigates, 1 sloop of war Confederate Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan1 ironclad, 3 gunboats, 2 tenders Background Following the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1860, Confederate forces seized the Norfolk Navy Yard from the US Navy. Prior to evacuating, the Navy burned several ships in the yard including the relatively new steam frigate USS Merrimack. Commissioned in 1856, Merrimack only burned to the waterline and most of its machinery remained intact. With the Union blockade of the Confederacy tightening, Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory began searching for ways in which his small force could challenge the enemy. Ironclads One avenue that Mallory elected to follow was the development of ironclad, armored warships. The first of these, the French La Gloire and British HMS Warrior, had appeared in the last year. Consulting John M. Brooke, John L. Porter, and William P. Williamson, Mallory began pushing the ironclad program forward but found that the South lacked the industrial capacity to build the needed steam engines in a timely manner. Upon learning this, Williamson suggested using the engines and remains of the former Merrimack. Porter soon submitted revised plans to Mallory that based the new ship around Merrimacks powerplant. Approved on July 11, 1861, work soon began at Norfolk on the casemate ironclad CSS Virginia. The interest in ironclad technology was also shared by the Union Navy which placed orders for three experimental ironclads in mid-1861. Key among these was inventor John Ericssons USS Monitor which mounted two guns in a revolving turret. Launched January 30, 1862, Monitor was commissioned in late February with Lieutenant John L. Worden in command. Aware of Confederate ironclad efforts at Norfolk, the new ship departed New York Navy Yard on March 6. CSS Virginia Strikes At Norfolk, work on Virginia continued and the ship was commissioned on February 17, 1862, with Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan in command. Armed with ten heavy guns, Virginia also featured a heavy iron ram on its bow. This was incorporated due to the designers belief that ironclads would be unable to harm each other with gunfire. A distinguished veteran of the US Navy, Buchanan was eager to test the ship and sailed on March 8 to attack Union warships in Hampton Roads despite the fact that workmen were still on board. The tenders CSS Raleigh and Beaufort accompanied Buchanan. Steaming down the Elizabeth River, Virginia found five warships of Flag Officer Louis Goldsboroughs North Atlantic Blockading Squadron anchored in Hampton Roads near the protective guns of Fortress Monroe. Joined by three gunboats from the James River Squadron, Buchanan singled out the sloop of war USS Cumberland (24 guns) and charged forward. Though initially unsure what to make of the strange new ship, Union sailors aboard the frigate USS Congress (44) opened fire as Virginia passed. Returning fire, Buchanans guns inflicted significant damage on Congress. Engaging Cumberland, Virginia pounded the wooden ship as the Union shells bounced off its armor. After crossing Cumberlands bow and raking it with fire, Buchanan rammed it in an effort to save gunpowder. Piercing the Union ships side, part of Virginias ram detached as it was withdrawn. Sinking, Cumberlands crew gallantly fought the ship until the end. Next, Virginia turned its attention to Congress which had grounded in an attempt to close with the Confederate ironclad. Joined by his gunboats, Buchanan engaged the frigate from a distance and compelled it to strike its colors after an hour of fighting. Ordering his tenders forward to receive the ships surrender, Buchanan was angered when Union troops ashore, not understanding the situation, opened fire. Returning fire from Virginias deck with a carbine, he was wounded in the thigh by a Union bullet. In retaliation, Buchanan ordered Congress be shelled with incendiary hot shot. Catching on fire, Congress burned throughout the rest of the day exploded that night. Pressing his attack, Buchanan attempted to move against the steam frigate USS Minnesota (50), but was unable to inflict any damage as the Union ship fled into shallow water and ran aground. Withdrawing due to darkness, Virginia had won a stunning victory, but had taken damage amounting to two guns disabled, its ram lost, several armored plates damaged, and its smoke stack riddled. As temporary repairs were made during the night, command devolved to Lieutenant Catesby ap Roger Jones. In Hampton Roads, the situation of the Union fleet improved dramatically that night with the arrival of Monitor from New York. Taking a defensive position to protect Minnesota and the frigate USS St. Lawrence (44), the ironclad awaited Virginias return. Clash of the Ironclads Returning to Hampton Roads in the morning, Jones anticipated an easy victory and initially ignored the strange-looking Monitor. Moving to engage, the two ships soon opened the first battle between ironclad warships. Pounding each other for over four hours, neither was able to inflict significant damage on the other. Though Monitors heavier guns were able to crack Virginias armor, the Confederates scored a hit on their adversarys pilot house temporarily blinding Worden. Taking command, Lieutenant Samuel D. Greene drew the ship away, leading Jones to believe that he had won. Unable to reach Minnesota, and with his ship damaged, Jones began moving towards Norfolk. At this time, Monitor returned to the fight. Seeing Virginia retreating and with orders to protect Minnesota, Greene elected not to pursue. Aftermath The fighting at Hampton Roads cost the Union navy the loss of USS Cumberland and Congress, as well as 261 killed and 108 wounded. Confederate casualties were 7 killed and 17 wounded. Despite the heavier losses, Hampton Roads proved a strategic victory for the Union as the blockade remained intact. The battle itself signaled the demise of wooden warships and the rise of armored vessels built of iron and steel. Over the next several weeks a standoff ensued as Virginia attempted to engage Monitor on several occasions but was refused as Monitor was under presidential orders to avoid battle unless absolutely required. This was due to President Abraham Lincolns fear that the ship would be lost allowing Virginia to take control of the Chesapeake Bay. On May 11, after Union troops captured Norfolk, the Confederates burned Virginia to prevent its capture. Monitor was lost in a storm off Cape Hatteras on December 31, 1862.

Top 10 States With the Highest Voter Turnout

Top 10 States With the Highest Voter Turnout Presidential candidates spend lots of time campaigning in states that hold the most electoral votes and where there are lots of swing voters  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ states such as Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.   But campaigns also spend considerable time strategizing about which voters to appeal to, and where turnout is historically highest. Why bother campaigning in a place where only a small portion of voters will end up going to the polls? So, which states have the highest voter turnout? Where is voter participation greatest in the United States? Here a look based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Of note: Five of the 10 states with the highest voter participation are blue states or those that tend to vote Democratic in presidential, gubernatorial and congressional elections. Four of the 10 states listed below are red states or those that tend to vote Republican. And one state, Iowa, is evenly split between Republicans and Democrat. Minnesota Minnesota is considered a blue state, or one that tends to vote Democratic,  Since 1980, 73.2  percent of the voting-age population there  has cast ballots in the nine presidential elections, according to the Census Bureau. Minnesota voters are, by far, the most politically active in the United States. Wisconsin Like Minnesota, Wisconsin is a blue state. Over the course of the nine most recent presidential elections, the median voter participation was 71.2 percent, according to the Census. Maine This  Democratic-leaning state has had a voter-participation rate of 69.4 percent from the 1980 presidential election through the 2012 presidential election. District of Columbia The nations capital is heavily Democratic in voter registration. Since 1980, 69.2 percent of the voting-age population in Washington, D.C., has cast ballots in the nine presidential elections, according to the Census Bureau. Mississippi This  solidly Republican southern  state has seen 68 percent of its voters participate in presidential elections, according to Census surveys. South Dakota South Dakota is a red state. Its voter participation rate in presidential elections is 67.8 percent.   Utah Roughly the same portion of  voters head to the polls in  Utah, another red state, for presidential elections. Its median participation rate in the nine most recent elections  is 67.8 percent. Oregon Just over two-thirds, or 67.6 percent of voting-age adults, has participated in presidential elections in this blue Pacific Northwest state since 1980. North Dakota This red state has seen 67.5 percent of its voters go to the polls in presidential elections. Iowa Iowa, home of the famous Iowa Caucuses, boasts a voter-participation rate of 67.4 percent in presidential elections. The state is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. A note about the data: The voter participation rates are derived from information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau every two years as part of its  Current Population Survey. We used  median participation rates for voting-age populations by state for the nine presidential elections  in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012.

4 Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

4 Questions - Research Paper Example Digital media facilitates faster communication of sports and entertainment news (Cortada, 2006).Digital media outlets lay an efficient platform for sports organizations to interact with the fans from different parts of the country and various continents. The impact of this is that, the organization acquires mass support and numerous economic benefits. Digital media have transformed sports and entertainment consumption. An avenue for linking the teams, artist and the fans is well laid. The fast growing of the entertainment industry is attributed to the digital media. Information about existing and newly developed media such as video games, animations and many others is easily conveyed to the audience (Stein & Evans, 2009). This has largely popularized the entertainment industry. In the next five years creativity in the digital media will bring heightened competition on television broadcasting. The continuing advancement in technology will enhance more innovations and thus great competition. The next five years will be of great impact to e-commencing. In fact, the increasing adoption of modern and developing technology will expand the playground for e- commerce. More places will have been reached and the overall transactions increased Mobile commerce is rapidly growing in the recent past as due to escalating use of smart phones and tablets for online retailing (Bhasker, 2006). It is now possible to inspect and make payments for goods or services from any part of the world through the use of smart phones and tablets. Additionally, mobile video consumption has risen as a popular trend recently. Online video play has significantly boosted ecommerce conversations and marketing (Manzoor, 2010). Considering the increasing number of innovation and invention made every year, the current trends in mobile ecommerce will definitely take a new face. More applications and features will be developed to ease the online retailing. In fact, mobile

The writer will choose the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

The writer will choose the topic - Essay Example Indian society has a number of social issues which seems to become critical with time. Control over wives by Indian married men is one those issues that is beings studied in the current times. It will not be incorrect to state that Indian married men tend to control their wives for almost every decision associated with them. The decisions for women regarding social interaction, health, education, working outside are majorly taken by their husband. Surprisingly, these decisions also include sensitive and individual point of view of selecting the option of abortion, wishing for a daughter as a kin for family etc. In other words, it can be said that men are highly influential in the lives of females in the Indian society that they are not even allowed to think of giving birth to a daughter. However, this decision is purely dependent upon one’s destiny (Cosin, Freeman and Hales). The development of such beliefs is present in the scripture of Indian religion that notes a woman to be a servant for her man throughout her life. In some of the families where parents have liberally allowed their daughters to get good education are observed to end up married in families that conservative. After receiving higher education, these women are not allowed to work for any organization as this may threaten the integrity of their husbands. One of the reasons behind the control of Indian men over their wives is that they believe that it will provide them a sense of superiority in life. Most of the psychologists have claimed that men who tend to control decisions for their wives are most likely to have been through a childhood with lesser or no say in their homes (Sharma and Sharma). In addition, it has also been noted that men who try to control their wives are those who believe that women are not capable of taking right decisions. Indian society has been famous for being

Labour Law & Industrial Relations-Bangladesh Essay Example for Free

Labour Law Industrial Relations-Bangladesh Essay If the objection not met satisfactorily DOL may reject the application Judgement of the LAT shall be final Any party aggrieved by the judgement of Labour Court may prefer to appeal to the Labour Appellate Tribunal within 30 days from the date of order of Labour Court Labour Court may pass an order directing the DOL to register the TU within a period of 7 days Labour Court may dismiss the appeal of Trade Union Labour Court Conducts hearing into the appeal TU may apply to Labour Court within 30 days from the date of rejection or in case any delayed disposal by the DOL

Free Essays - Holden and Modern Teenagers :: Catcher Rye Essays

The Catcher in the Rye - Holden and Modern Teenagers The characteristics of Holden from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, will be compared to the "modern teenager". The characteristics of both sets of teenagers are basically similar, but in some parts, they are different. I chose myself as the modern teenager to be compared to Holden. There will be four major subjects to be talked about in the essay. The main subjects that are going to be discussed in this essay are academics, family, experiences and slang. I thought these four categories are interesting and easy to explain. In school, we are very similar in many ways. Both of us do not do well academically. We both have problems with grades in our classes. Holden failed four out of five of his classes while I failed none. But instead I received four "C's" from four out of eight of my classes. Although Holden has problems with grades, ironically he does well in his English. Holden stated, "I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot." (p.18) Reading books improves your grammar and vocabulary. This was be the reason why Holden does well in his English class. I do not read much and therefore I have problems in my grammar. The family background of Holden and I are fairly similar, both of us come from opulent families. Holden and I are both very lucky to be studying in eminent institutions. Unfortunately, Holden does not take this advantage. Holden's mind is elsewhere in a reverie, day dreaming how to save the virtuous children from the evil. While studying away from his family makes Holden's relationship with his family worst. I study in a private school with my sister and we go home every day and meet our parents when we get home. Since Holden does not spend quality time with his parents long enough, he rarely talked about them in the book. Holden even wrote about his brother in a negative way, "Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute."(p.2) Using the word prostitute means a lot, maybe he did not know him as much as he needed to. Unlike me, I will never insult my sister a prostitute because that is like insulting yourself.

My Favourite Book Essay

Recently I`ve read a very interesting book that impressed me greatly. It was the novel by Vera Kryzhanovskaya â€Å"Hellish charms†. Russian writer and spiritualist Vera Kryzhanovskaya was the first woman writer of science fiction in the world, and the first professional science fiction writer in Russia. She was born June 2, 1857 .Her Father was from an old noble family of the Tambov Province. In the 1880s and 90s she lived in Western Europe. Since childhood Kryzhanovskaya was interested in ancient history and the occult, she even performed as a medium at sessions. Kryzhanovskaya`s Husband was a well known spiritualist S.V. Semenov. Following the spiritualists` tradition, Kryzhanovskaya stated that her novels had been dictated by the spirit of English poet John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester , who believed that a soul stayed on earth even after death . She wrote in French and then her works were translated into Russian. The main theme of her novels is the struggle of the divine and satanic forces, the dependence of man`s hidden forces and the forces of universe, the secrets of the primordial matter †¦ Reincarnation`s consciousness` and soul`s secrets , the writer has already disclosed in the historical novels (â€Å"The Queen Hatasu†, for example). â€Å"Hellish charms† is one of the novels, where the ritual of bewitching is described. The headline reveals the main theme and idea of the novel. The story is about a girl who wanted to marry the man with good fortune and because of it she had to resort to black magic.It`s about love, sins and mistakes, about forgiveness. The book electrifies the reader, mystical experiences and psychology do not give an opportunity to relax. The moral of the story is represented very clearly: you can not  build your happiness on the misfortune of others, regardless of other people’s desires. Each undertaken sin may be the first step on way to hell, and not everybody can turn away from that road. The book is written in a very simple way, the sentences are mostly short, without large clauses and nominative constructions. The author worries about every character and describes all their sufferings and other feelings very brightly. The main characters are: Kira Nagorskaya, a pretty blond girl of twenty with a good figure , large dark eyes with long thick eyelashes and wonderful complexion; Alexey Basargin – a wealthy young man, who took a fancy to Kira especially her coquetry and beauty. He became a frequent guest in Kira`s place. Kira considered him to be a wonderful match. Maleynen – an old witch, who helped Kira to bewitch Alexey and made him to fall in love with her. She was a skinny tall woman with deep hollow eyes that strangely sparkled. Marquise Kervadek – Alexey`s best friend, a tall, slender young man with black curly hair and pointed beard. He is a very passionate character and didn`t hide his admiration from Kira. Shepsu – an unusual character, Circassian, who lived alone in a mountain hut. The only man, who was able to save Kira from her curse. The story took place in Russia in the 18th century. A young woman Kira Nagorskaya who got used to luxury, after running through her father`s fortune, decided to marry someone didn`t matter young or old , beautiful or ugly, tall or short, someone who was able to give her a social status and wealth. But one day in a house of one of her old friends she got acquainted with Alexey Basargin a young man ,who has already worked in Ministry. She liked him and even thought not to cheat on him, at least for a while, when they would marry. Alexey became a frequent guest in Kira`s place and she was ready to celebrate the victory but suddenly he disappeared. There were rumors that he was going to marry another girl, Kira felt miserable and angry. She couldn`t believe it. Than she got to know about an old woman, a witch called Maleynen, and decided to ask her for help. But this decision  took an unexpected turn for her. Basargin made her a proposal and she married him. In the course of time she began to feel disgust and irritation to him. She also fell in love with Alexey`s best friend Marquise Kervadek but tried to hidÃ'Æ' her feelings. She knew that if she would like to divorce with Basargin, the charms would make him kill her. She couldn`t fight against her feelings and went to Maleynen again to ruin the first spell. But it has worked strangely and Alexey perished and his spirit began to pursue Kira. Kervadek and Kira try to find the solution, Marquise takes Kira away to Germany, Italy, France but the ghost chases them. At least they find the man called Shepsu, the only one who can save her. He was a young Circassian, who lived alone in a mountain hut in the Caucasus. Having held all the rituals Shepsu was able to conquer the evil spirit of Basargin. At last the curse was ruined. In conclusion, I personally would like to advise this novel and not just this one but the others too. In my opinion it was one of the best books I`ve ever read, it`s plot has swallowed me completely. Most of all I liked it`s moral : Love can neither be bought nor sold.