Battle of Trenton in the American Revolution

The Battle of Trenton was fought December 26, 1776, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). General George Washington commanded 2,400 men against a garrison of about 1,500 Hessian mercenaries under the command of Colonel Johann Rall. Background Having been defeated in the battles for New York City, General George Washington and the remnants of the Continental Army retreated across New Jersey in the late fall of 1776. Vigorously pursued by the British forces under Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis, the American commander sought to gain the protection afforded by the Delaware River. As they retreated, Washington faced a crisis as his battered army began to disintegrate through desertions and expiring enlistments. Crossing the Delaware River into Pennsylvania in early December, he made camp and attempted to reinvigorate his shrinking command. Badly reduced, the Continental Army was poorly supplied and ill-equipped for winter, with many of the men still in summer uniforms or lacking shoes. In a stroke of luck for Washington, General Sir William Howe, the overall British commander, ordered a halt to the pursuit on December 14 and directed his army to enter winter quarters. In doing so, they established a series of outposts across northern New Jersey. Consolidating his forces in Pennsylvania, Washington was reinforced by around 2,700 men on December 20 when two columns, led by Major Generals John Sullivan and Horatio Gates, arrived. Washingtons Plan With the morale of the army and public ebbing, Washington believed that an audacious act was required to restore confidence and help boost enlistments. Meeting with his officers, he proposed a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton for December 26. This decision was informed by a wealth of intelligence provided by spy John Honeyman, who had been posing as a Loyalist in Trenton. For the operation, he intended to cross the river with 2,400 men and march south against the town. This main body was to be supported by Brigadier General James Ewing and 700 Pennsylvania militia, which were to cross at Trenton and seize the bridge over Assunpink Creek to prevent enemy troops from escaping. In addition to the strikes against Trenton, Brigadier General John Cadwalader and 1,900 men were to make a diversionary attack on Bordentown, NJ. If the overall operation proved a success, Washington hoped to make similar attacks against Princeton and New Brunswick. At Trenton, the Hessian garrison of 1,500 men was commanded by Colonel Johann Rall. Having arrived at the town on December 14, Rall had rejected his officers advice to build fortifications. Instead, he believed that his three regiments would be able to defeat any attack in open combat. Though he publicly dismissed intelligence reports that the Americans were planning an attack, Rall did request reinforcements and asked that a garrison be established at Maidenhead (Lawrenceville) to protect the approaches to Trenton. Crossing the Delaware Combating rain, sleet, and snow, Washingtons army reached the river at McKonkeys Ferry on the evening of December 25. Behind schedule, they were ferried across by Colonel John Glovers Marblehead regiment using Durham boats for the men and larger barges for the horses and artillery. Crossing with Brigadier General Adam Stephens brigade, Washington was among the first to reach the New Jersey shore. Here a perimeter was established around the bridgehead to protect the landing site. Having completed the crossing around 3 a.m., they began their march south toward Trenton. Unknown to Washington, Ewing was unable to make the crossing due to the weather and heavy ice on  the river. In addition, Cadwalader had succeeded in moving his men across the water but returned to Pennsylvania when he was unable to move his artillery. A Swift Victory Sending out advance parties, the army moved south together until reaching Birmingham. Here Major General Nathanael Greenes division turned inland to attack Trenton from the north while Sullivans division moved along the river road to strike from the west and south. Both columns approached the outskirts of Trenton shortly before 8 a.m.  on December 26. Driving in the Hessian pickets, Greenes men opened the attack and drew enemy troops north from the river road. While Greenes men blocked the escape routes to Princeton, Colonel Henry Knoxs artillery deployed at the heads of King and Queen Streets.  As the fighting continued, Greenes division began to push the Hessians into the town. Taking advantage of the open river road, Sullivans men entered Trenton from the west and south and sealed off the bridge over Assunpink Creek. As the Americans attacked, Rall attempted to rally his regiments. This saw the Rall and Lossberg regiments form on lower King Street while the Knyphausen regiment occupied Lower Queen Street. Sending his regiment up King, Rall directed the Lossberg Regiment to advance up Queen toward the enemy. On King Street, the Hessian attack was defeated by Knoxs guns and heavy fire from Brigadier General Hugh Mercers brigade. An attempt to bring two three-pounder cannon into action quickly saw half the Hessian gun crews killed or wounded and the guns captured by Washingtons men. A similar fate befell the Lossberg regiment during its assault up Queen Street. Falling back to a field outside of town with the remnants of the Rall and Lossberg regiments, Rall began a counterattack against the American lines. Suffering heavy losses, the Hessians were defeated and their commander fell mortally wounded. Driving the enemy back into a nearby orchard, Washington surrounded the survivors and forced their surrender. The third Hessian formation, the Knyphausen regiment, attempted to escape over the Assunpink Creek bridge. Finding it blocked by the Americans, they were quickly surrounded by Sullivans men. Following a failed breakout attempt, they surrendered shortly after their compatriots. Though Washington wished to immediately follow up the victory with an attack on Princeton, he elected to withdraw back across the river after learning that Cadwalader and Ewing had failed to make the crossing. Aftermath In the operation against Trenton, Washingtons losses were  four men killed and eight wounded, while the Hessians suffered 22 killed and 918 captured. Around 500 of Ralls command were able to escape during the fighting. Though a minor engagement relative to the size of the forces involved, the victory at Trenton had a massive effect on the colonial war effort. Instilling a new confidence in the army and the Continental Congress, the triumph at Trenton bolstered public morale and increased enlistments. Stunned by the American victory, Howe ordered Cornwallis to advance on Washington with around 8,000 men. Re-crossing the river on December 30, Washington united his command and prepared to face the advancing enemy. The resulting campaign saw the armies square off at Assunpink Creek before culminating with an American triumph at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. Flush with victory, Washington wished to continue attacking up the chain of British outposts in New Jersey. After assessing his tired armys condition, Washington instead decided to move north and enter winter quarters at Morristown.

Odepius Rex Demonstrates Success Leads to Folly Essay

â€Å"Oedipus Rex demonstrates that success leads to folly, arrogance and mistakes in behaviour.† Discuss. Oedipus the King is a play that recognises the importance of humility and recompense. Oedipus’ acknowledgement of the Gods’ superiority is evident in his fear of the prophecy coming true, indeed, he flees from Corinth for precisely this reason. But at the same time through Oedipus’ self-blinding (where he â€Å"alone† is responsible for his fate) there is a sense of wilful defiance in the face of the omniscient gods. The sane voice of the Chorus sheds light on the people’s fear and awe of the gods. And what of those who foolishly question prophets and fate? As we see in Jocasta, providence does not provide. Certainly, the success of humanist†¦show more content†¦Success is subsidiary to an immovable fate, and Oedipus’ past success leads him into an honourable search for Laius’ killer, a search that gradually intertwines with his own past. Promising the citizens of Thebes he will â€Å"fight† for Laius â€Å"as if he we re my [his] father†, Oedipus gains inspiration from his past success and believes finding Laius’ killer is another opportunity to demonstrate his intellectual ability. In this sense, success does contribute to Oedipus’ downfall, but one must be careful to measure this aspect of the play against the will of the gods. Unlike Oedipus, Jocasta arguably lacks the courage to deal with the consequences of their incestuous relationship, opting for suicide rather than Oedipus’ self-inflicted punishment. As Jocasta questions the infallibility of the gods’ manifestation on earth however (by mocking prophets and oracles), her humanist character is equally strong. But Oedipus is the arbitrator searching for an objective truth. Conversely Jocasta does not desire the truth, pleading with Oedipus to â€Å"Stop – in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search!† For Jocasta ostensible success in thwarting prophecy by sending her only son Oedipus to die on Mount Cithaeron has led her to question the reliability of prophets and oracles, a position that would be seen as perilous by Greek audiences at the time. Her

India Foreign Trade Policy Free Essays

India: Foreign Trade PolicyAlthough India  has steadily opened up its economy, its tariffs continue to be high when compared with other countries, and its investment norms are still restrictive. This leads some to see India as a ‘rapid globalizer’ while others still see it as a ‘highly protectionist’ economy. Till the early 1990s, India  was a closed economy: average tariffs exceeded 200 percent,  quantitative restrictions on imports  were extensive, and there were stringent restrictions on foreign investment. We will write a custom essay sample on India: Foreign Trade Policy or any similar topic only for you Order Now The country began to cautiously reform in the 1990s, liberalizing only under conditions of extreme necessity. Since that time, trade reforms have produced remarkable results. India’s trade to GDP ratio has increased from 15 percent to 35 percent of GDP  between 1990 and 2005, and the economy is now among the fastest growing in the world. Average non-agricultural tariffs have fallen below 15 percent, quantitative restrictions  on imports  have been eliminated, and foreign investments norms have been relaxed for a number of sectors. India  however retains its right to protect when need arises. Agricultural tariffs average between 30-40 percent, anti-dumping measures have been liberally used to protect trade, and the country is among the few in the world that continue to ban foreign investment in retail trade. Although this policy has been somewhat relaxed recently, it remains considerably restrictive. Nonetheless, in recent years, the government’s stand on trade and investment policy has displayed a marked shift from protecting ‘producers’ to benefiting ‘consumers’. This is reflected in its  Foreign Trade Policy for 2004/09  which states that, â€Å"For India to become a major player in world trade †¦ we have also to facilitate those imports which are required to stimulate our economy. â€Å"India  is now aggressively pushing for a more liberal global trade regime, especially in services. It has assumed a leadership role among developing nations in global trade negotiations, and played a critical part in the Doha  negotiations. Regional and Bilateral Trade AgreementsIndia  has recently signed trade agreements with its neighbors and is seeking new ones with the East Asian countries and the United States. Its regional and bilateral trade agreements – or variants of them – are at different stages of development:   * India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement, * Trade Agreements with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, China, and South Korea. * India-Nepal Trade Treaty, * Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with Singapore. Framework Agreements with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Thailand and Chile. Preferential Trade Agreements with   Afghanista, Chile, and Mercosur (the latter is a trading zone between Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay). World Bank InvolvementAs a number of research institutions in the country provide the Government with good, just-in-time, and low-cost analytical advice on trade-related issues, the World Bank has focused on provid ing analysis on specialized subjects at the Government’s request. In the last three years, the Bank has been working with the Ministry of Commerce in a participatory manner to help the country develop an informed strategy for domestic reform and international negotiations. Given the sensitivity of trade policy and negotiation issues, the Bank’s role has been confined to providing better information and analysis than was previously available to India’s policymakers. World Bank ReportsOver the last two years, the World Bank has completed two reports:Sustaining India’s Services Revolution: Access to Foreign Markets, Domestic Reforms and International Negotiation:  The study concludes that  to sustain the dynamism of India’s services sector, the country must address two critical challenges: externally, the problem of actual and potential protectionism; and domestically, the persistence of restrictions on trade and investment, as well as weaknesses in the regulatory environment. From Competition at Home to Competing Abroad: The Case of Horticulture in India:  This study finds that the competitiveness of India’s horticulture sector depends critically on efficient logistics, domestic competition, and the ability to comply with international health, safety and quality standards. The study is based on primary surveys  across fifteen Indian States. A third study, dealing with barriers to the movement of professionals is under preparation. The Bank has also held a number of workshops and conferences with a view to providing different stakeholders with a forum to express their views on trade-related issues. | | | | | Permanent URL for this page:  http://go. worldbank. org/RJEB2JGTC0| | Publications| * Studies on India-Bangladesh Trade (Vol. 1 of 2)   * Studies on India-Bangladesh Trade (Vol. 2 of 2)   * Sustaining India’s Services Revolution  | | | | | | * Home  |   * Site Map  |   * Index  |   * FAQs  |   * Contact Us  |   * Search  |   *   RSS| How to cite India: Foreign Trade Policy, Essay examples