Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Battle of Peebles Farm in the Civil War

Battle of Peebles Farm in the Civil War Battle of Peebles Farm - Conflict Dates:   The Battle of Peebles Farm was fought September 30 to October 2, 1864, during the American Civil War and was part of the large Siege of Petersburg. Battle of Peebles Farm - Armies Commanders: Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. GrantMajor General George G. MeadeMajor General Gouverneur K. Warren29,800 men Confederate General Robert E. LeeLieutenant General A.P. Hillapprox. 10,000 Battle of Peebles Farm - Background: Advancing against General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia in May 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and Major General George G. Meades Army of the Potomac first engaged the Confederates at the Battle of the Wilderness.  Continuing the fighting through May, Grant and Lee clashed at Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna, and Cold Harbor.  Blocked at Cold Harbor, Grant elected to disengage and marched south to cross the James River with the goal of securing the key railroad center of  Petersburg and isolating Richmond.  Beginning their march on June 12, Grant and Meade crossed the river and began pushing towards Petersburg.  They were aided in this effort by elements of Major General Benjamin F. Butlers Army of the James. While Butlers initial assaults against Petersburg commenced on June 9, they failed to break through the Confederate lines.  Joined by Grant and Meade, subsequent attacks on June 15-18 drove the Confederates back but did not carry the city.  Entrenching opposite the enemy, Union forces began the Siege of Petersburg.  Securing his line on the Appomattox River in the north, Grants trenches extended south towards Jerusalem Plank Road.  Analyzing the situation, the Union leader concluded that the best approach would be to move against the Richmond Petersburg, Weldon, and Southside Railroads which supplied Lees army in Petersburg.  As Union troops attempted to move south and west around Petersburg, they fought several engagements including Jerusalem Plank Road (June 21-23) and Globe Tavern (August 18-21).  Additionally, a frontal assault was made against the Confederate works on July 30 at the Battle of the Crater. Battle of Peebles Farm - The Union Plan: Following the fighting in August, Grant and Meade achieved the goal of severing the Weldon Railroad.  This compelled Confederate reinforcements and supplies to disembark to the south at Stony Creek Station and move up Boydton Plank Road to Petersburg.  In late September, Grant directed Butler to mount an attack against Chaffins Farm and New Market Heights on the north side of the James.  As this offensive moved forward, he intended to push Major General Gouverneur K. Warrens V Corps west towards Boydton Plank Road with assistance on the left from Major General John G. Parkes IX Corps.  Additional support would be provided by a division from Major General Winfield S. Hancocks II Corps and a cavalry division led by Brigadier General David Gregg.  It was hoped that Butlers attack would force Lee to weaken his lines south of Petersburg to reinforce the Richmond defenses. Battle of Peebles Farm - Confederate Preparations: Following the loss of the Weldon Railroad, Lee directed that a new line of fortifications be constructed to the south to protect Boydton Plank Road.  While work on these progressed, a temporary line was built along Squirrel Level Road near Peebles Farm.  On September 29, elements of Butlers army succeeded in penetrating the Confederate line and captured Fort Harrison.  Gravely concerned about its loss, Lee began weakening his right below Petersburg to send forces north to re-take the fort.  As result, dismounted cavalry was posted to the Boydton Plank and Squirrel Level lines while those parts of Lieutenant General A.P. Hills Third Corps that remained south of the river were held back as a mobile reserve to deal with any Union incursions.   Battle of Peebles Farm - Warren Advances: On the morning of September 30, Warren and Parke moved forward.  Reaching the Squirrel Level line near Poplar Spring Church around 1:00 PM, Warren paused before directing Brigadier General Charles Griffins division to attack.  Capturing Fort Archer at the southern end of the Confederate line, Griffins men caused the defenders to break and retreat in a rapid fashion.  Having nearly had his corps badly defeated at Globe Tavern the previous month by Confederate counterattacks, Warren paused and directed his men to connect the newly-won position to the Union lines at Globe Tavern.  As a result, V Corps did not resume their advance until after 3:00 PM. Battle of Peebles Farm - The Tide Turns: Responding to crisis along the Squirrel Level Line, Lee recalled Major General Cadmus Wilcoxs division which had been en route to aid in the fighting at Fort Harrison.  The pause in the Union advance led to a gap emerging between V Corps and Parke on the left.  Increasingly isolated, XI Corps worsened their situation when its right division got ahead of the rest of its line.  While in this exposed position, Parkes men came under heavy attack by Major General Henry Heths division and that of the returning Wilcox.  In the fighting, Colonel John I. Curtins brigade was driven west towards the Boydton Plank Line where a large part of it was captured by Confederate cavalry.  The rest of Parkes men fell back before rallying at the Pegram Farm just north of the Squirrel Level Line. Reinforced by some of Griffins men, IX Corps was able to stabilize its lines and turned back the pursuing enemy.  The next day, Heth resumed attacks against the Union lines but was repulsed with relative ease.  These efforts were supported by Major General Wade Hamptons cavalry division which attempted to get in the Union rear.  Covering Parkes flank, Gregg was able to block Hampton.  On October 2, Brigadier General Gershom Motts II Corps came forward and mounted an assault towards the Boydton Plank Line.  Thought it failed to carry the enemys works, it allowed Union forces to construct fortifications close to the Confederate defenses. Battle of Peebles Farm - Aftermath: Union losses in the fighting at the Battle of Peebles Farm numbered 2,889 killed and wounded while Confederate losses totaled 1,239.  Though not decisive, the fighting saw Grant and Meade continue to push their lines south and west towards the Boydton Plank Road.  Additionally, Butlers efforts north of the James succeeded in capturing part of the Confederate defenses.  Fighting would resume above the river on October 7, while Grant waited until later in the month to attempt another effort south of Petersburg.  This would result in the Battle of Boydton Plank Road which opened on October 27.   Selected Sources National Park Service: Battle of Peebles FarmCWSAC Battle Summaries: Battle of Peebles FarmSiege of Petersburg: Battle of Peebles Farm

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Sex Education Essay

Sex Education Essay Sex education is a process that begins at birth and continues until the day you die. It is a process of building a strong foundation for sexual health. There are many misunderstandings and non-factual opinions that go along with this topic even though it is constantly discussed. It includes sexual development, reproduction, intimacy, gender roles and relationships. Sexual education should begin at home. Parents and guardians ought to be the primary instructors of sex education for their children. Daily, parents should take advantage of every opportunity to teach this subject to their children. From the beginning of a child’s life, they learn how to respond to affection, show love, and how to react in different types of relationships. Children even learn about their sexuality when their parents speak to them, change their clothes, play with them or teach them their body parts. As they progress from children to teenagers or adolescents they continue to learn about their sexualities consistently. However, some parents and guardians are very uncomfortable about talking about or providing information about sex or sexual education. They are either too embarrassed about talking about the extreme topic of sex, afraid of providing to much information to push their children to act on what they have told them or shy of not knowing the answers to th e questions that their children might ask. Honest, open communication between parents and children through childhood, pre-teen, adolescent and young adulthood can help young people to mature into sexually healthy adults. Research has shown that parents and children have a range of discomfort levels when it comes to discussing sexuality. School-based sexuality education complements and supplements the sexuality education children receive from their families, religious and community groups. Therefore, due to the necessity of school-based sexuality education it is in my opinion that it be a part of the curriculum for students in the Bahamian High Schools that is junior and senior high. This course needs to be taught in the various high schools for a number of reasons including: to students to build a strong foundation, to decrease teenage pregnancy, to make students aware of Sexually Transmitted diseases and prevent them from occurring, to teach about abstinence, which is the better way and to inform the students about sexual orientation and homosexuality. The primary goal of sex education in the schools should be to help young people to build a foundation as they mature into sexually healthy adults. These programs should assist young people in understanding a positive view of sexuality, provide them with information and skills about taking care of their sexual health and help them make decisions about solving problems now and in the future. According to my interpretation, sex education should provide an opportunity for young people to develop and understand their values, attitudes, and beliefs about sexuality. This course should help young people to develop relationships and interpersonal skills and help them to exercise responsibility regarding sexual relationships including addressing abstinence, pressures to become prematurely involved in sexual intercourse and the use of contraception and other sexual health measures. Teenage Pregnancy is very rampant in today’s society. In a conversation with a senior high school teacher, she related that at least two young ladies from each senior class graduates being pregnant. She went on to say that this did not include the numerous others who end their classes prematurely as a result of their pregnant state and their inability to continue with regular schooling. What do you think is the cause of this? In my opinion the cause of pregnancies among these teenagers is incorrect education about sex from peers or neighbors or no sex education at all. If these students were educated from their entrance into the high school program with a sexual education class, the outcome might have been different. This does not mean that they would not have experimented with sexual intercourse or the opposite sex, it would have meant that they would have been better prepared to deal with the decisions or choices that they made. Sex education needs to be implemented in the h igh school coursework to make teenagers or pre-teens aware of the consequences of unprotected sex. Each of these teens or preteens will or have gone through puberty, therefore they need to be very well educated as to what can occur if they are sexually active, even for just one time. Sexual education would not stop teenage pregnancies but it indeed reduces them. Homosexuality is another topic that sexuality education will discuss. Teenagers come into contact with homosexuals on a day to day basis. They are forced to deal with homosexuality in their homes, their neighborhoods, their churches and even in their schools. These students are in their teen or adolescent years where they are learning about who they are and what their feelings mean. In my opinion, homosexuality is a misunderstanding, one that can be easily adopted by teenagers who are easily misunderstood. If they are not taught about both heterosexuality and homosexuality, they can easily fall prey to the homosexuals who are lurking in the society’s shadows. Sexual education would encourage heterosexuality- healthy relationships between males and females. It would teach students about sexual preference and that homosexuality is not hereditary. It would also help students to deal with feelings toward the same sex and with homosexuals that they come in contact with. Some may say that if teenagers are taught about sex and sexuality that their interest in it will intensify thus, resulting in experimentation. Although this might indeed be a true statement that teenagers are very curious, â€Å"curious minds will experiment.† Sexuality education is not an either or proposition. The reality is that young people need and deserve information about abstinence and contraception. Sex education would teach that sexuality is a natural, normal part of life. Abstinence from sexual intercourse is the most effective method of preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Abstinence is in fact the better way. Adolescent or pre-teens should be encouraged by not only their parents to delay sexual acts until they are physically, cognitively and emotionally ready for mature sexual relationships and their consequences. The coursework of sex education would offer them a wide range of information exclusively on abstinence until marriage. Interventions that are effective in encouraging teenagers to postpone sexual intercourse helps them to develop interpersonal skills they need to resist premature sexual involvement. For interventions to be most effective, teenagers need to be exposed to these programs before they initiate intercourse, preferably during their high school years. The sex education curriculum when implemented into the high school system will be designed to promote knowledge about human development and reproduction, to make students aware of the consequences of all types of sexual activity, and to promote young people’s respect for and appreciation of themselves, their families and others. This implementation would in fact help to reduce teenage pregnancy, for the reason that important topics such as puberty, sexual health and hygiene, reproductive systems, pregnancy and contraception will be focused on. These topics will discuss abstinence, condom use, diversity, pregnancy options, safer sex and sexual behavior. Students have to be encouraged to accept the shared responsibility of pregnancy prevention by teachers explaining the consequences of premature and unprotected sexual activity, urging responsible decisions about sexual intercourse, and encouraging healthy, respectful and safe male and female relationships. You can order a custom essay, research paper, term paper, thesis or dissertation on Sex Education topics from our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with high-quality custom written papers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Campus Visit - Utilizing Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Campus Visit - Utilizing Resources - Assignment Example The fear of new experiences is quite common and happens to everyone in some measure. Few people on earth can go directly into a new circumstance and take charge of it without batting an eyelid. Confidence takes some psyching up and practice once in a while. The ability to mix and make friends with new students, both in your class and all around the campus is a learned skill. Agreed there are some who are more outgoing than others but this is not something that cannot be worked at and improved. The Office of Student Success has many programs and initiatives to help new students, from their first day on campus right up to their graduation day. Smarty Cats Tutoring allows gifted students to act as facilitators to clarify points not understood in class. There is Math and Science Help, Writing Help and also Students Services such as career counseling and academic advice. All you have to do is to fill out a form and you are in (Division of Student Success, 2011, 1). Student Workshops and C hamp Change are other ways you can progress and earn prizes as well. Second Year Success Initiatives includes mentoring from success coaches and advice on taking majors and improving GPAs. Education, the World of Work and You helps students in preparing to enter the world of work by polishing their writing, speaking and presentation skills as well as improving their resumes and business etiquette. There are also facilities for disabled students, returning students and veterans (Office of Student Success, 2011, 1). For those students with wanderlust or who want an entirely different study experience, Montana State University also has a Study Abroad Program. At present there are study abroad options in Africa and Europe. International Student Exchange Programs in Ghana, Morocco and La Reunion are available, as well as South Africa. The MSU Direct Exchange Program with Stellenboch University, South Africa and Alakhawayn University, Morocco are some other