The Battle of Buena Vista - Mexican American War

The Battle of Buena Vista took place on  February 23, 1847 and was a hard-fought battle between the invading US army, commanded by General Zachary Taylor, and the Mexican army, led by General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna. Taylor had been fighting his way southwest into Mexico from the border when most of his troops were reassigned to a separate invasion to be led by General Winfield Scott. Santa Anna, with a much larger force, felt he could crush Taylor and re-take northern Mexico. The battle was bloody, but inconclusive, with  both sides claiming it as a victory. General Taylors March Hostilities had broken out between Mexico and the USA in 1846. American General Zachary Taylor, with a well-trained army, had scored major victories at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma near the US/Mexico border and had followed up with the successful siege of Monterrey in September of 1846. After Monterrey, he moved south and took Saltillo. The central command in the USA then decided to send a separate invasion of Mexico via Veracruz and many of Taylors best units were reassigned. By early 1847 he had only some 4,500 men, many of them untested volunteers. Santa Annas Gambit General Santa Anna, recently welcomed back to Mexico after living in exile in Cuba, swiftly raised an army of 20,000 men, many of whom were trained professional soldiers. He marched north, hoping to crush Taylor. It was a risky move, as by then he was aware of Scott’s planned invasion from the east. Santa Anna rushed his men north, losing many to attrition, desertion and illness along the way. He even outpaced his supply lines: his men had not eaten for 36 hours when they met the Americans in battle. General Santa Anna  promised them American supplies after their victory. The Battlefield at Buena Vista Taylor learned of Santa Annas advance and deployed in a defensive position near the Buena Vista ranch a few miles to the south of Saltillo. There, the Saltillo road was flanked on one side by a plateau accessed by several small ravines. It was a good defensive position, although Taylor had to spread his men thinly to cover it all and he had little in the way of reserves. Santa Anna and his army arrived on February 22: he sent Taylor a note demanding surrender as the soldiers skirmished. Taylor predictably refused and the men spent a tense night near the enemy. The Battle of Buena Vista Begins Santa Anna launched his attack the following day. His plan of attack was direct: he would send his best forces against the Americans along the plateau, using the ravines for cover when he could. He also sent an attack along the main road to keep as much of Taylor’s force as possible occupied. By noon the battle was progressing in favor of the Mexicans: volunteer forces in the American center on the plateau had buckled, allowing the Mexicans to take some ground and direct fire into the American flanks. Meanwhile, a large force of Mexican cavalry was making their way around, hoping to surround the American army. Reinforcements reached the American center just in time, however, and the Mexicans were driven back. The Battle  Ends The Americans enjoyed a healthy advantage in terms of artillery: their cannons had carried the day at the battle of Palo Alto earlier in the war and they were again crucial at Buena Vista. The Mexican attack stalled, and the American artillery began pounding the Mexicans, wreaking havoc and causing massive loss of life. Now it was the Mexicans’ turn to break and retreat. Jubilant, the Americans gave chase and were very nearly trapped and destroyed by the massive Mexican reserves. As dusk fell, the weapons went silent with neither side disengaging; most of the Americans thought the battle would be resumed the next day. Aftermath of the Battle The battle had ended, however. During the night, the Mexicans disengaged and retreated: they were battered and hungry and Santa Anna didnt think they would hold for another round of combat. The Mexicans took the brunt of the losses: Santa Anna had lost 1,800 killed or wounded and 300 captured. The Americans had lost 673 officers and men with  another 1,500 or so  deserting. Both sides hailed Buena Vista as a victory. Santa Anna sent glowing dispatches back to Mexico City describing a triumph with thousands of American dead left on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Taylor claimed victory, as his forces had held the battlefield and driven off the Mexicans. Buena Vista was the last major battle in northern Mexico. The American army would remain without taking  further offensive action, pinning their hopes for victory on Scotts planned invasion of Mexico City. Santa Anna had taken his best shot at Taylors army: he would now move south and try and hold off Scott. For the Mexicans, Buena Vista was a disaster. Santa Anna, whose ineptitude as a general has become legendary, actually had a good plan: had he crushed Taylor as  he planned, Scotts invasion might have been recalled. Once the battle started, Santa Anna put the right men in the right places to succeed: had he committed his reserves to the weakened part of the American line on the plateau he might have had his victory. If the Mexicans had won, the entire course of the Mexican-American War may well have changed. It was probably the Mexicans best chance to win a large-scale battle in the war, but they failed to do so. As a historical note, the St. Patricks Battalion, a Mexican artillery unit comprised largely of defectors from the United States Army (mainly Irish and German Catholics, but other nationalities were represented), fought with distinction against their former comrades. The San Patricios, as they were called, formed an elite artillery unit charged with supporting the ground offensive on the plateau. They fought very well, taking out American artillery placements, supporting the infantry advance and later covering a retreat. Taylor sent an elite squad of dragoons after them but they were driven back by withering cannon fire. They were instrumental in capturing two pieces of US artillery, later used by Santa Anna to declare the battle a victory. It would not be the last time that the San Patricios caused great trouble for the Americans. Sources Eisenhower, John S.D. So Far from God: the U.S. War with Mexico, 1846-1848. Norman: the University of Oklahoma Press, 1989 Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States.New York: Hill and Wang, 2007. Hogan, Michael. The Irish Soldiers of Mexico. Createspace, 2011. Scheina, Robert L. Latin Americas Wars, Volume 1: The Age of the Caudillo 1791-1899 Washington, D.C.: Brasseys Inc., 2003. Wheelan, Joseph. Invading Mexico: Americas Continental Dream and the Mexican War, 1846-1848. New York: Carroll and Graf, 2007.

Is Urban Sprawl Threatening the Sustainability of Cape Town

1. Introduction: South Africa is a thriving building site, Cape Town being a city in this developing country is rapidly changing (South Africa. 2013:no page numbers). Virtually half of Cape Town was constructed in only the last 25 years, with the growth continuing as the city is developing (South Africa. Department of environmental affairs, 2010: 3). Urban sprawl is an increased development of land which occurs in both suburban and rural areas, this all occurs outside of the urban boundaries. The urban transformation which is occurring is a major threat to the identity of the city as there is a decrease in the amount of definable boundaries and in the end the city loses its clear edge and its individual identity. The economic change occurring includes replacing of historical spaces due to the shortage of space for urban development. (Gosztola, 2014: 63-65) The following paper asks the question of whether urban sprawl is threatening the sustainability of the city and whether there is a need for urban sprawl to spread out into Philippi and allow for development on the Philippi farmland. This entails looking at the problems that a growing city faces, looking at the bigger picture of the capability of urban infrastructure in South Africa as well as more centralised to Cape Town and lastly the rising food security verse development issue. 2. For or against development in the Philippi farmland: 2.1. Against development The question about whether the Philippi area is a potentialShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesRevisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and PastoralRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesvarious environmental projects, such as improving children’s health in coffee-and- tea-producing regions, addressing the educational needs of indigenous Mayan peoples dependent on coffee production, and promoting coffee quality, environmental sustainability, and natural resources conservation in east Africa. For example, Starbucks paid Ethiopian coffee farmers a 75 percent premium over market prices, believing this was better than passing out the equivalent in welfare.14 One wonders, however

Tale of Two Cites Drowning Motif Free Essays

English 12u Essay Rough Draft Justina Van Maren Splashing, gasping for breath. Sinking, darkness, and then; death. Death by drowning is, in the beginning, a conscious, agonizing end. We will write a custom essay sample on Tale of Two Cites: Drowning Motif or any similar topic only for you Order Now The realization of an imminent death is the first step that strikes fear into the heart of the victim. Shore is too far away, the person is too tired, and if rescue is not near, death is inescapable. Contrary to popular understanding, a drowning person is not easy to spot. People picture a drowning victim screaming or calling for help, but in actuality all his/her efforts are used to breathe, making calls for help impossible. Drowning is not the death most people envision it. It is a silent killer. Creeping up slowly, it takes its victims by surprise, and often before five minutes have passed, death has them in its cold, cruel clutches. This silent action is paralleled in Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens speaks of a woodman, personified as fate, and a farmer, who is used to picture death, working silently but purposefully towards the French Revolution, getting ready wood for scaffolds, guillotines and tumbrels. As well as portraying the silent nature of drowning, Dickens also uses this motif to bring out another aspect of the revolution. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses the motif of drowning to portray the stages of the revolutionaries’ attitudes towards their condition. â€Å"The first step towards getting helped is realizing that you have a problem. † (Anonymous) This well known quote clearly illustrates the first step of drowning. A man cannot save himself if he does not realize that he is in danger. When drowning becomes reality to its victims, their whole vision changes, and panic sets in. In A Tale of Two Cities, the peasant’s vision changed as they realized that if they did not act right away, they would die as victims of a tyrannical system. If this fact in itself did not move the peasants into action, it was the fact that not only them, but their children and their children’s children would perish, smothered under the iron fist of the aristocracy. Their vision became visions of desperate people, as drowning people. This outlook was in many ways created and helped along by Monsieur and Madame Defarge. They showed the shrunken, wasted Doctor Manette to the Jacques, in order to change the way they looked at things and strike fear of their condition into their hearts. Dickens also uses the motif of drowning very strongly in the personal lives of his characters. A quote found on page 255 reads, â€Å"All this was seen in a moment, as the vision of a drowning man. † This quote refers us back to the Manette’s, where Jarvis Lorry reveals the terrible grindstone scene to the horrified Doctor. Doctor Manette’s vision changed at that moment as well, realising that death, though not for himself, was sure for Lucie’s husband if immediate action was not taken. When a drowning person obtains the vision that he or she is dying, panic takes control over both mind and body. From panic stems desperation and a desperate man is someone who will do anything to change his situation. A drowning man no longer thinks about right and wrong, about what morals he practices, or what values he ought to follow. One thought consumes his mind, and that is to save himself. The means used to achieve deliverance does not matter, nor does the suffering person stop to consider if he is harming another in saving himself. In the novel, this is illustrated by the conflict between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge; â€Å". . . Miss Pross . . . held her round the waist, and clung to her with more than the hold of a drowning woman,† (Dickens 357). This situation clearly reminds the reader of the desperate circumstances in which the peasants found themselves. Just as Miss Pross’ hold on Madame Defarge was a matter of life or death, so the actions of revolutionaries were determining their end; a better future for all peasants, or a continuation of oppression from the ancien regime. In the above quote Dickens also speaks about the hold of a drowning person. A rescuer must always be careful when swimming up to such a person, because in panic, the victim may grab hold of him/her so tightly that both perish. In the same way, the revolutionaries harmed others while trying to save themselves. In the senseless slaughter of those guilty and innocent alike, the revolutionaries drowned themselves along with their victims in a pool of immorality and revenge. For, even though they bettered their physical condition and brightened the future for their children, their conscience was passed over and ignored. Like a drowning man who before the actual act of death becomes unconscious, so the consciences of the revolutionaries were pushed away until they were silenced, no longer able to warn against the upcoming spiritual death. Death is the final outcome. If a person has drowned, death has come to claim this person and there is no longer any chance of being rescued. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens speaks of the gaoler of Charles Darnay, his description being, â€Å". . . this gaoler was so unwholesomely bloated, both in face and person, as to look like a man who had been drowned and filled with water,† (Dickens 249). This man seems to point to all the revolutionaries, not in the physical description, but in a spiritual sense. The consciences of the revolutionaries have been drowned, silenced forever, and the people themselves have been filled with thoughts only of bloodthirsty revenge. The picture of a drowned man is not a pleasant one. The death is most often an agonizingly conscious one, causing the expression to be one twisted in agony, the horrified expression of one without hope of survival. The lack of oxygen causes the skin to turn a sickly blue, and the water soaks into the pores and causes the persons face to be swollen and bloated. Ultimately, the person’s appearance is so altered that it is usually difficult, if not impossible to identify the person from the way they looked before. Similarly, the revolutionaries were not a pretty picture in the way that they cared nothing for their fellow man and executed any who seemed to oppose them callously, without proof or proper trial. Proof of this callousness can be found in the example of the little seamstress towards the end of the novel, a representation of thousands of innocent victims sent to the guillotine. We read of how the women knitting below the scaffold counted the severed heads calmly, not in the least disturbed at the horrific amount of bloodshed occurring right before their eyes. The wood-sawyer is another prime example of the uncaring attitude of the peasants when he talks flippantly to Lucie of the guillotine; â€Å". . . Loo, loo, loo! And off her head comes! Now a child. Tickle, tickle; Pickle, pickle! And off its head comes. All the family! † (Dickens, 341). We are horrified as we read of the Jacques gleefully talking about the way they enjoy seeing a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes being guillotined, and we are even more appalled when they speak with eager anticipation at the thought of seeing Lucie’s pretty child put to death. Throughout all these examples we can see that Dickens has brought the motif of drowning to a close and the final outcome, death of the revolutionary’s morality, has been achieved. At the end of the novel, A Tale of Two Cites, the motif of drowning has come full circle. We read of how the peasant’s desperate situation causes their vision to be that of drowning people as they realize that death is imminent. Dickens moves on to portray the panic that causes morality to be ignored in the frantic attempt to preserve one’s own life. Dickens shows that drowning people will do anything to save themselves, even drown their rescuer if they feel it will improve their own condition. In the same way the revolutionaries brutally disposed of any that seemingly hindered their desperate attempt to break their chains of oppression. The plot lines of the characters also vividly portray the way in which the consciences of certain characters are silenced, and the way in which no other thought than revenge is allowed into the minds of the revolutionaries. And then finally, death, the end of all morality. The guiding principles of mankind were destroyed as the revolutionaries thirst for bloodshed did not abate, but instead grew more intense, as each day they longed for more heads to be added to the ever growing number. The motif of drowning is used very powerfully by Charles Dickens, and is employed in a way that effectively portrays the desperate position of the revolutionaries. The way in which Dickens uses this motif clearly parallels the changing attitudes of the revolutionaries, giving us a better understanding of them. How to cite Tale of Two Cites: Drowning Motif, Essay examples

Application Letter for Communication Design - myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about theApplication Letter for Communication Design. Answer: All my life I have lacked the grade that was required to be a good student. I was not the child that my parents wanted. The only thing that interested me was art. In my life, I went through difficulties; the only thing that stayed with me was art, and I never lost that in my life. It stayed constant with time, and since then, I developed a liking for watercolours and contrasts. I never thought that there was so much to explore in this field. When I was in 11th grade, my classmates were busy aspiring to become a doctor, engineer or a banker. The only thing I wanted was to paint the canvas and never grow out of it. Then, when I realized that I only want art all my life and pursue a career in art. Since then, I started working towards my passion for paint and art. I joined painting class, and to my surprise, I discovered that I have a love for art. It was soothing for me to escape into the world of art. After the course completion, I did not stop painting. Since then I took my passion seriously and purchased my paint, brushes and canvas. I started painting at home, it gave me a feeling of accomplishment, and I continued that. After a while, I attended a workshop conducted by famous fashion icon and stylist, Alex Perry in Australia. My interest for art grew, and I started searching for a breakthrough to fulfil my career in arts. I searched through countless programs, courses and schools, but was not aware of what exactly I wanted. Finally, my search ended and I found FIT. It is a dream for me to land in the prefect fashion school in New York and was daunting for me. To apply for such a standard reputed college was beyond my expectations. My parents were silent; however, I thought that I cannot let my dreams go. I was scared. However, FIT is not just a fashion school for me rather my life experience. It is a challenge and a decision for the lifetime. I look forwards towards my journey at FIT and the upcoming challenges that I have to face. The opportunities that FIT will give me are far more rewarding. I love to paint, it gives me happiness, and I think nothing better that I can think and make it into a career. Painting is a beautiful thing and for it is a medium of self-expression. Through painting, I can express myself and FIT will give me the opportunity to create a world of my own. I get lost in the world of abstractness and creativity whenever I look at the blank canvas. I think FIT will act as a catalyst for enhancing my skills and helping me win a place in the fashion industry. It will help me to transform the view of designing in society. The combination of colours giving rise to different shades fascinated me. The design principles and the way it changes the perceptions of beauty is surprising for me. The feeling of ecstasy when I find the font after the elements are unified is priceless. I am captivated by the element disruption and flow of beauty that create designing. I want to show that the beauty in places and things can change ones life that captivated me. When a person is aware of the designing, there is a change in their perceptions and give an experience that can charm ones senses. This is the reason I want to pursue my majors in Communication Design and learn the changing viewpoints and comprehension of art that makes one crave. I think FIT will help me to learn the skills required for this industry and transform the concept of designing in the society. I will give my best, as art is a part of me. I know that I have the potential to pursue my career and succeed in FIT. I have the determination and passion to work and do my best to pursue my career in fashion. I will give my full dedication, creativity and enthusiasm to prove my potential and opportunity to achieve my goals and flourish in my chosen career.