The quality of homework posts this year has been worth celebrating, and you are to be commended for it. However, the rate of participation is notably lower than the last couple of years, and that spells disaster for some students. How you choose to spend your time is your own affair, but there are consequences for failing to fulfill your obligations. Because it is still early in the year and you have time to correct your errors (those of you who have grown lax) I am giving you this opportunity to make up an assignment. Because no comments are going to be recorded, your essay must be 400 words in length, but it will completely expunge your lowest homework grade of the quarter.
This assignment continues our study of the Civil War, focusing on the events of the war and individuals who participated from the state of Kentucky. Several significant battles were fought in the commonwealth, and soldiers from Kentucky fought on both sides of the war.
Although we typically say that Kentucky was a slave state that did not secede, in truth, there was an attempt (unsuccessful) at secession, that would have made Kentucky a member of the Conferedate States of America. Near Somerset the Battle of Mill Springs was important in securing Union control of the Ohio Valley, and the Battle of Perryville was one of the hardest-fought battles of the war. You already know that both Civil War presidents (Lincoln and Davis) were born in Kentucky, and some families had members to fight on opposite sides (such as the Breckinridges - dad and one son were Union generals, another son was a Confederate general).
General Grant first commanded in Kentucky, as did Gen. William T. Sherman (who had a nervous breakdown while overseeing Louisville, and was sent home to recuperate when he imagined that the Confederates were teaming with Native Americans (none of whom lived anywhere near Kentucky) for a massive attack. He was the laughing-stock of the country when he requested 20,000 soldiers to protect Louisville against Indians!
These are just a few of the amazing Civil War stories and individuals related to Kentucky that played a major role in the war. Your assignment this week is to research a Civil War person or event related to our state and post an essay revealing your findings. Unlike previous weeks I am not giving you a specific web site, so please cite your references. Did your family play a role in Kentucky Civil War history? That would be a great story to share.
I’m going to talk about Leonidas Polk in this assignment.
ReplyDeleteBorn in North Carolina in Apr of 1806 and died in Georgia in June of 1864 and He was a confederate general.
He went to West Point but alter graduate he got out of the army. Then he entered to the Episcopal Church and became bishop of Louisiana. One of his friends invited him to join confederate service in 1861 where he was ordered to caommand the area between the Mississippi River and the Tennessee River. He made one of the greatest mistakes of Civil War by sending troops to occupy Columbus, Kentucky in 1861 the border of the state of Kentucky declared neutrality with the Union and Confederacy and that action provoked the Kentucky legislature to request Federal help.
Polk’s first fight was on 1861 and was called the Battle of Belmont, altough he wasn’t present on battlefield, Polo was bounded when one of the largest canyon on his army exploded during a demostrating firing. That event stunned him and he had to rest for several weeks.
He was one of the most important guys from Civil War, He was better remembered by his disagreements with his superior Braxton Braga than for his fights.
He died in action during the Atlanta Campaign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_Polk#See_also
http://ehistory.osu.edu/uscw/features/people/bio.cfm?PID=57
-Daniel González ;)
I chose to write about Barton Stone Alexander, he was born September 4, 1819 in Nicholas County Kentucky; he died December 15, 1878 in San Francisco, California. He was an American commander during the American Civil War and rose to the brigadier general in the regular army. He also graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point . Barton Alexander served in the Mexican-American War, he built fortifications to protect the American supply lines on Mexico City. At the very end of the war, he was stationed in Washington, D.C., where he served as architect for the Scott Building and other Buildings at the United states Soldiers' Home and had taken over the completion of the Smithsonian Institution Building after extreme dissatisfaction with the pace of the first architect who had caused him to be dismissed. I think this guy was interesting to read and write about, I think it is pretty interesting to learn about especially to learn about people who have fought for our state or who fought and were even from my state. I think this was a good assignment because I gives us a chance or an opportunity to learn about people from our state or even maybe some of our ancestors.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:People_of_Kentucky_in_the_American_Civil_War