The Siege of Veracruz

The Siege of Veracruz The Siege of Veracruz: The siege of Veracruz was an important event during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). The Americans, determined to take the city, landed their forces and began a bombardment of the city and its forts. The American artillery did great damage, and the city surrendered on March 27, 1847 after a 20-day siege. Capturing Veracruz allowed the Americans to support their army with supplies and reinforcements, and led to the capture of Mexico City and Mexicos surrender. The Mexican-American War: After years of tension, war had broken out between Mexico and the USA in 1846. Mexico was still angry about the loss of Texas, and the USA coveted Mexicos northwestern lands, such as California and New Mexico. At first, General Zachary Taylor invaded Mexico from the north, hoping Mexico would surrender or sue for peace after a few battles. When Mexico kept fighting, the USA decided to open another front and sent an invasion force led by General Winfield Scott to take Mexico City from the east. Veracruz would be an important first step. Landing at Veracruz: Veracruz was guarded by four forts: San Juan de Ulà ºa, which covered the harbor, Concepcià ³n, which guarded the northern approach of the city, and San Fernando and Santa Barbara, which guarded the city from the land. The fort at San Juan was particularly formidable. Scott decided to leave it alone: he instead landed his forces a few miles south of the city at Collada beach. Scott had thousands of men on dozens of warships and transports: the landing was complicated but began on March 9, 1847. The amphibious landing was barely contested by the Mexicans, who preferred to remain in their fortresses and behind the high walls of Veracruz. The Siege of Veracruz: Scotts first aim was to cut off the city. He did so by keeping the fleet near the harbor but out of reach of the guns of San Juan. Then he spread his men out in a rough semi-circle around the city: within a few days of the landing the city was basically cut off. Using his own artillery and some massive borrowed cannons from the warships, Scott began pounding the city walls and fortifications on March 22. He had selected a fine position for his guns, where he could hit the city but the city’s guns were ineffective. The warships in the harbor also opened fire. The Surrender of Veracruz: Late in the day on March 26, the people of Veracruz (including the consuls of Great Britain, Spain, France and Prussia, who had not been allowed to leave the city) convinced the ranking military officer, General Morales, to surrender (Morales escaped and had a subordinate surrender in his stead). After some haggling (and the threat of renewed bombardment) the two sides signed an agreement on March 27. It was fairly generous to the Mexicans: the soldiers were disarmed and set free although made to promise not to take up arms again against the Americans. The property and religion of civilians was to be respected. The Occupation of Veracruz: Scott made a great effort to win the hearts and minds of the citizens of Veracruz: he even dressed up in his best uniform to attend mass at the cathedral. The port was re-opened with American customs officers, attempting to re-coup some of the costs of war. Those soldiers who stepped out of line were punished harshly: one man was hanged for rape. Still, it was an uneasy occupation. Scott was in a hurry to get inland before Yellow Fever season could begin. He left a garrison at each of the forts and began his march: before long, he would meet General Santa Anna at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. Results of the Siege of Veracruz: At the time, the assault on Veracruz was the largest amphibious attack in history. It is a credit to Scotts planning that it went as smoothly as it did. In the end, he took the city with fewer than 70 casualties, killed and injured. Mexican figures are unknown, but estimated to be 400 soldiers and 400 civilians killed, with countless more injured. For the invasion of Mexico, Veracruz was a crucial first step. It was an auspicious beginning to an invasion and had many positive effects on the American war effort. It gave Scott the prestige and confidence he would need to march to Mexico City and made the soldiers believe that winning was possible. For the Mexicans, the loss of Veracruz was a disaster. It was probably a foregone conclusion - the Mexican defenders were outgunned - but to have any hopes of successfully defending their homeland they needed to make the landing and capture of Veracruz costly for the invaders. This they failed to do, giving the invaders control of an important port. Sources: Eisenhower, John S.D. So Far from God: the U.S. War with Mexico, 1846-1848. Norman: the University of Oklahoma Press, 1989 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.

Common Application Essay on a Meaningful Place

Common Application Essay on a Meaningful Place Note that this essay option was dropped from the Common Application in the 2015-16 admissions cycle. This does not mean that applicants can not write about a meaningful place with the current Common Application. The topic of your choice option allows you to write about anything, and its also possible that an essay on your background or identity could focus on a meaningful place or environment. The fourth essay option for the 2013 and 2014 Common Application  asked applicants to discuss a place or environment that is meaningful to them: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? Except for the rare student who isnt content anywhere, this question will be a viable option for a wide range of applicants. Nearly everyone can identify a location that brings contentedness. But this doesnt mean the prompt isnt challenging. Applicants who choose this option will need to make sure they are presenting their chosen location effectively. The tips below can help: Choosing a "Place or Environment" Step one in tackling this prompt is coming up with a place or environment where you are perfectly content. You have a lot of latitude hereyou can write about any specific location on the globe (a place), or you can be less focused and discuss the type of surroundings (environment) that brings you contentedness. The place can be small or large, inside or outside, commonplace or extraordinary. You could also bend the question to explore imagined placeslocations accessible only through your imagination. As you brainstorm this essay prompt, think broadly about the place or environment you are going to discuss. Your options include: A building: Your house, church, school, tree fort, or grandmas home. A store, movie theater, cafà ©, restaurant, fitness club...An interior space: your bedroom, the secret room under the stairs, your science classroom, the locker room, your aunts kitchen, the shower, the drivers seat of your favorite car...An exterior space: the woods, the ocean, the lake, a city street, a rooftop, a meadow in bloom, the dessert at night...A travel destination: Machu Picchu, the San Diego Zoo, the top of Mount Washington, the Avenue des Champs-Élysà ©es, a food market in Shanghai, a tent in the Bad Lands...A performance or athletic venue: the stage of a concert hall, a tennis court, the football field, the shoulder of the road on a bike, the theater...An imagined place: the world portrayed in a painting, J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle Earth, Diagon Alley, the Star Ship Enterprise, Jane Austens England, Downton Abbey... The list could be much, much longer, and please dont let these limited suggestions steer you away from your own place of contentedness. What Does "Perfectly Content" Mean? Many students have interpreted this question to be asking about a place where they are at peace. Indeed, that is one way to read the question, and being in a peaceful state is one type of content state. But the word content can mean much more than a state of peacefulness. It is also a state of satisfaction, and you dont need to be peaceful to be satisfied. An adrenaline junkie might be most content when skydiving, and a musician might be most content when performing a solo to a standing-room-only crowd. These high-pressure situations can be magical, meaningful and content moments, but they are not peaceful. Be Careful When You "Describe" Always keep in mind that the essay is a place for you to tell the admissions folks more about yourself, and for you to demonstrate that you are well prepared for college. The first task asked of you in prompt #4 Describe a place or environment is also the least challenging part of the question. Describing, unlike analyzing, is a pretty low-level form of thinking. This part of the essay has no self-analysis or introspection, so it is not saying much about you, your passions, or how well your mind works. Because of this, dont spend too many of your 650 words describing. Be clear, concise, and engaging as you describe the place you have chosen, but then move on. The description should not be the bulk of your essay. The "What" and the "Why" The end of the prompt is most important. The question is asking you why you feel and act the way you do in your special place. Why is this place or environment meaningful to you? Dig deep. A shallow response isnt going to impress anyone. The student who writes Im most content on the soccer field because Ive always loved soccer hasnt really answered the question. Why do you love soccer? Are you a competitive person? Do you like the teamwork? Does soccer help you escape from other parts of your life? Does it make you a better person? How has your time on the soccer field made you grow? What exactly makes the soccer field so full of meaning for you? A Final Word About an Essay on a Meaningful Place If you really explore the why of this question and go easy on the describing, your essay will be on track to succeed. It might help to rethink prompt #4 in these terms: Tell us about a place that is meaningful to you so that we can get to know you better. The college is asking for an essay because it has holistic admissions, and the admissions officers really do want to get to know you as an individual. The essay is one of the only places on your application (aside from an interview) where you can put forth your personality, interests, and passions. Whatever you focus on in your application essay- whether it be a place, a person, or an event- the essay needs to be about you at its core. To test out your essay, give it to an acquaintance or teacher who doesnt know you particularly well, and ask what that person learned about you from reading the essay. Ideally, the response will be exactly what you want the college to learn about you. Last of all, no matter which essay prompt you choose, pay attention to style, tone, and mechanics. The essay is first and foremost about you, but it also needs to demonstrate a strong writing ability.