Battle of Camden

The Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), also known as the Battle of Camden Court House, was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis routed the numerically superior U.S. forces led by Major General Horatio Gates about four miles north of Camden, South Carolina, thus strengthening the British hold on the Carolinas following the capture of Charleston.
The rout was a personally humiliating defeat for Gates, the U.S. general best known for commanding the American forces at the British defeat at Saratoga three years previously. His army had possessed a great numerical superiority over the British force, having twice the personnel, but his command of them was seen as shambolic. Following the battle, he was regarded with disdain by his colleagues and he never held a field command again. His political connections, however, helped him avoid any military inquiries or courts martial into the debacle.
Background.
Following the British defeat at Saratoga in 1777, and the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, the French entered the American Revolutionary War in June 1778, followed by the Spanish in June 1779. With the war at a stalemate in the north, the British decided to renew their "southern strategy" to win back their rebellious North American colonies. The strategy relied on the Loyalists joining forces with British regulars to roll northward through North Carolina and Virginia, besieging the rebels in the north on all sides. This campaign repeated the successful December 1778 Capture of Savannah, with Sir Henry Clinton's successful Siege of Charleston in May 1780. British forces then campaigned in the Back Country, capturing the key towns of Georgetown, Cheraw, Camden, Ninety Six, and Augusta. Clinton returned to New York on 5 June, after the southern remnants of the Continental Army were defeated in May at the Battle of Waxhaws, tasking Lord Cornwallis with the pacification of the remaining portions of the state.
The Patriot resistance remaining in South Carolina consisted of militia under commanders such as Thomas Sumter, William Davie, and Francis Marion. Washington sent Continental Army regiments south, consisting of the Maryland Line and Delaware Line, under the temporary command of Major General Jean, Baron de Kalb. Departing New Jersey on 16 April, they arrived at the Buffalo Ford on the Deep River, 30 miles south of Greensboro, in July. Horatio Gates, the "Hero of Saratoga" arrived in camp on 25 July, to take command. Two days later, Gates ordered his army to take the direct road to Camden, against the advice of his officers, including Otho Holland Williams. Williams noted the country they were marching through "was by nature barren, abounding with sandy plains, intersected by swamps, and very thinly inhabited," and what few inhabitants they might come across were most likely hostile. All of the troops had been short of food since arrival at the Deep River.
On 7 August, Gates was joined by 2,100 North Carolina militiamen under the command of General Richard Caswell. At Rugeley's Mill, 15 miles north of Camden, 700 Virginia Militia under the command of General Edward Stevens joined Gates' "Grand Army". In addition, Gates had Armand's Legion. However, at this stage, Gates no longer had the help of Marion's or Sumter's men, and in fact had sent 400 of his Continentals to help Sumter with a planned attack on a British supply convoy. Gates also refused the help of Col. William Washington's cavalry. Apparently Gates planned on building defensive works 5.5 miles north of Camden in an effort to force British abandonment of that important town. Gates told his aide Thomas Pinckney he had no intention of attacking the British with an army consisting mostly of militia.
Camden was garrisoned by about 1,000 men under Lord Rawdon. General Cornwallis, alerted to Gates' movement on August 9, marched from Charleston with reinforcements, arriving at Camden on August 13, increasing the effective British troop strength to 2,239 men.
Gates ordered a night march to commence at 10:00 p.m. on 15th Aug., despite his army of 3,052, of which two-thirds were militia, having never maneuvered together. Unfortunately, their evening meal acted as a purgative while they marched, with Armand's horse in the lead. On a collision course was Cornwallis' army, also on a 10:00 p.m. night march, with Tarleton's dragoons in the lead. A short period of confusion ensued when the two forces collided around 2:00 a.m., but both sides soon separated, not wanting a night battle.
Deployments.
Gates formed up before first light. On his right flank he placed Mordecai Gist's 2nd Maryland Brigade (three regiments) and the Delaware Regiment, with Baron de Kalb in overall command of the right wing. On his left flank, he placed Caswell's 1,800 North Carolina militia; to the left of them were Stevens' 700 Virginians, and behind the Virginians were 120 men of Armand's Legion. Gates and staff stayed behind the reserve force, Smallwood's 1st Maryland Regiment, about 200 yards behind the battle line. Thus, the total number of Continentals on the field numbered 900. Gates placed seven guns along the line, manned by about 100 men. Also present, but whose disposition was unknown, were 70 mounted volunteer South Carolinians. Gates' formation, though a typical British practice of the time, placed his weakest troops against the most experienced British regiments, while his best troops would face only the weaker elements of the British forces.
Cornwallis had roughly 2,239 men, including Loyalist militia and Volunteers of Ireland. Cornwallis also had the infamous and highly experienced Tarleton's Legion, who were formidable in a pursuit situation. Cornwallis formed his army into two brigades. On the right was Lt. Col James Webster, facing the inexperienced militia with the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers and the 33rd Regiment of Foot. Lord Rawdon was in command of the left, facing the Continental Infantry with the Irish Volunteers, Banastre Tarleton's infantry and the Loyalist troops. In reserve, Cornwallis had two battalions of the 71st Regiment of Foot and Tarleton's cavalry force. He also placed four guns in the British center. As Gates had done, Cornwallis placed his more experienced units on the right flank, and his less experienced units on the left flank.
Battle.
Gates ordered Stevens and de Kalb to attack, while Cornwallis issued the same order to Webster. The 800 strong 33rd Fusiliers advanced with bayonets towards the 2,500 soldiers in the Virginia and North Carolina militia. The militia, however, had never used bayonets before. The American left wing collapsed as the Virginians and then the North Carolinians fled. The Virginians fled so fast that they suffered only three wounded. The North Carolinians fled all the way back to Hillsborough, North Carolina.
According to Williams, referring to the British charge, "the impetuosity with which they advanced, firing and huzzaing, threw the whole body of militia into such a panic that they generally threw down their loaded arms and fled in the utmost consternation. The unworthy example of the Virginians was almost instantly followed by the North Carolinians."
Furthermore, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, then governor of Virginia, "picture it as bad as you possibly can and it will not be as bad as it really is."
A member of the North Carolina militia, Garret Watts, later confessed, "It was instantaneous. There was no effort to rally, no encouragement to fight. Officers and men joined in the flight. I threw away my gun..."
Rawdon's troops advanced in two charges, but heavy fire repulsed his regiments. The Continental troops then launched a counterattack which came close to breaking Rawdon's line, which began to falter. Cornwallis rode to his left flank and steadied Rawdon's men. Instead of pursuing the fleeing militia, Webster wheeled to the left, into the Continentals. One of the North Carolina militia brigades that had been stationed next to the Delaware Line held its ground, the only militia unit to do so.
De Kalb called up the reserve 1st Maryland Brigade to support the 2nd, but they could get no closer than several hundred feet. However, as Lt. Col. Benjamin Ford of the 6th Maryland Regiment stated to Williams' entreaties, "We are outnumbered and outflanked. See the enemy charge with bayonets." With the British closing in on three sides, Cornwallis ordered Tarleton's cavalry to charge into the rear of the Continental line. The cavalry charge broke up the formation of the Continental troops, who finally broke and fled. However, Gist was able to move 100 Continentals in good order through a swamp, where the cavalry could not follow. Additionally, about 50 to 60 Maryland Line Continentals, under the leadership of Maj. Archibald Anderson, Lt. Col. John Eager Howard, and Capt. Robert Kirkwood, were able to retreat in good order.
According to Tarleton, "rout and slaughter ensued in every quarter."
De Kalb, attempting to rally his men, was unhorsed, and would die of his numerous wounds (11 in total; 8 by bayonet and 3 by musket balls) two days later as a British prisoner. After just one hour of combat, the American troops had been utterly defeated, suffering over 2,000 casualties. Tarleton's cavalry pursued and harried the retreating Continental troops for some before drawing rein. By that evening, Gates, mounted on a swift horse, had taken refuge away in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to Charles Stedman, one of Cornwallis' officers, "The road for some miles was strewn with the wounded and killed who had been overtaken by the legion in their pursuit. The numbers of dead horses, broken wagons, and baggage scattered on the road formed a perfect scene of horror and confusion: Arms, knapsacks, and accoutrements found were innumerable; such was the terror and dismay of the Americans."
Casualties.
The British casualties were 68 killed, 245 wounded and 11 missing.
Hugh Rankin says, "of the known dead, 162 were Continentals, 12 were South Carolina militiamen, 3 were Virginia militiamen and 63 were North Carolina militiamen". David Ramsay says, "290 American wounded prisoners were carried into Camden after this action. Of this number, 206 were Continentals, 82 were North Carolina militia and 2 were Virginia militia. The resistance made by each corps may in some degree be estimated from the number of wounded. The Americans lost the whole of their artillery - 8 field pieces, upwards of 200 wagons and the greatest part of their baggage." A letter from Cornwallis to Lord George Germain, dated 21 August 1780, says that his army took "about one thousand Prisoners, many of whom wounded" on August 18.
The website Documentary History of the Battle of Camden, 16 August 1780 details on its Officer Casualties at Camden page the fates of 48 Continental officers at Camden: 5 were killed, 4 died of wounds, 4 were wounded without being captured, 11 were wounded and captured and 24 were captured without being wounded. These ratios would suggest that many of the Americans wounded in the battle escaped capture.
Analysis.
There are many reasons given for Gates' defeat. The most prominent are the following:
Tactical evaluation.
Gates, as a former British officer, was accustomed to the traditional British deployment of the most experienced regiments on the place of honor: the "right" flank of the battle line. Gates had therefore placed the Continental regiments on his right flank, and the mass of militia which had joined him—of whom nearly all of the Virginians had never been in a battle—on the left flank, facing the most experienced British regiments. Gates was also too far behind his troops to observe the battle or see what the British were doing. Tarleton claims Gates made four errors, including not taking a stronger position on Saunders' Creek before Cornwallis arrived, moving his army at night, the placement of his militia, and the adjustment of his disposition just before battle.
Strategic evaluation.
Aside from tactics on the battlefield, Gates had made several strategic errors before joining the battle:
Aftermath.
Gates proceeded onwards to Hillsborough, a distance of 180 miles, where he arrived on the 19th and then composed his report to Congress on 20 Aug. The report to the President of the Continental Congress, Samuel Huntington, began, "In deepest Distress and Anxiety of Mind, I am obliged to acquaint your Excellency with the Total Defeat of the Troops under my Command." In a 30 Aug. letter to George Washington, Gates wrote, But if being unfortunate is solely a Reason sufficient for removing me from Command I shall most cheerfully submit to the Orders of Congress; and resign an office few Generals would be anxious to possess..."
Gates lost control of the southern army. However, Daniel Morgan and Nathanael Greene defended Gates' actions, but not his decision to fight. Major General Greene, George Washington's original preference, was subsequently given command of the southern army.
Gates, who had strong political connections in the Continental Congress, successfully avoided inquiries into the debacle.
Legacy.
The Camden Battlefield is located about north of Camden. Approximately 479 acres of the core of the battlefield is owned by the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, and is undergoing preservation in private-public partnership. The original five acres were owned by the Hobkirk Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution who gave their portion over to the current owners. The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Aspects of the battle were included in the 2000 movie "The Patriot", in which Ben and Gabriel Martin are seen watching a similar battle. Ben comments at the stupidity of Gates fighting "muzzle to muzzle with Redcoats". The film is not historically accurate, depicting too many Continental troops relative to the number of militia, and showing the Continentals and militia retreating at the same time.
Order of battle.
British and Loyalists.
The British and loyalist order of battle was as follows:
Overall Command: Lt. Gen. Lord Cornwallis
Right Brigade:
Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. James Webster
Left Brigade:
Commanding Officer: Col. Lord Rawdon
Reserves:
Patriots.
The Patriots' order of battle consisted of 4,100 soldiers:
Overall Command: Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates
Right Flank:
Commanding Officer: Brig. Gen. Mordecai Gist
Center:
Commanding Officer: Brig. Gen. Richard Caswell
Left Flank:
Commanding Officer: Brig. Gen. Edward Stevens
Reserve:
Commanding Officer: Brig. Gen. William Smallwood


8th Support Group (United Kingdom)

The 8th Support Group was a brigade-sized military formation of the British Army during the Second World War, attached to the 8th Armoured Division, composed of Regular Army units. The Support Group as part of 8th Armoured Division was sent to North Africa but never saw active service as a complete formation. As the division could not be provided with a lorried infantry brigade, it was broken up and was finally disbanded in Egypt on 1 January 1943.
Following the Second Battle of El Alamein a plan was put forth to use the remains of the division as a self-contained pursuit force to dart forward into the German–Italian rear as far as possibly Tobruk; however the plan to use the division was shelved and units in the forward area were used instead.
Order of battle.
The 8th Support Group was constituted as follows during the war:


Richard Crenna

Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an award-winning American motion picture, television, and radio actor and television director.
Crenna starred in such motion pictures as "The Sand Pebbles", "Wait Until Dark", "Un Flic", "Body Heat", the first three "Rambo" films, "Hot Shots! Part Deux", and "The Flamingo Kid". His first success came on radio in 1948 as high school student Walter Denton co-starring with Eve Arden and Gale Gordon in the CBS series "Our Miss Brooks". Crenna continued with the comedy in its 1952 move into television. He also starred as Luke McCoy in the ABC, and later CBS, television series, "The Real McCoys" (1957–1963).
Early life.
Crenna was born November 30, 1926, in Los Angeles, the only child of Edith J. (née Pollette), who was a hotel manager in Los Angeles, and Dominick Anthony Crenna, a pharmacist. His parents were both of Italian descent. Crenna attended Virgil Junior High School, followed by Belmont High School in Los Angeles, from which he graduated in 1944.
World War II service.
Following high school, Crenna served in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving in the infantry as a radioman, where he saw combat in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge (late 1944 – early 1945). He also briefly served in the Pacific Theater of World War II processing intercepted Japanese radio messages.
Education.
After World War II, Crenna attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Acting career.
Radio years.
Crenna got his acting start on radio. In 1937, he had gained his first role, that of "the kid who did everything wrong" on "Boy Scout Jamboree", a show on which he continued to appear occasionally in numerous roles until 1948. In the following year, he started playing Walter "Bronco" Thompson on "The Great Gildersleeve", a role he played until 1954. He also originated the role of geeky Walter Denton on the Radio Comedy "Our Miss Brooks" alongside Eve Arden and Gale Gordon in 1948, and followed that role when the series moved to television in 1952. He remained in that role until 1957. He appeared as a delivery boy in "My Favorite Husband" (episode "Liz Cooks Dinner for 12"), was Oogie Pringle on "A Date With Judy" (episode "The Competitive Diet", among several other episodes of the show) and as a teenager on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (episode "Watching the Neighbor's Daughter".)
Early television years.
As previously mentioned, Crenna played Walter Denton on radio's "Our Miss Brooks", remaining with the cast when it moved into television in 1952. He remained with the show until it was canceled in 1957. He guest-starred on the "I Love Lucy" episode "The Young Fans", with Janet Waldo and on NBC's 1955–56 anthology series "Frontier", in the lead role of the episode entitled "The Ten Days of John Leslie". In 1955, he was the guest star on "The Millionaire" in the episode "The Ralph McKnight Story".
Crenna appeared in 1956 on the television series "Father Knows Best", in the episode "The Promising Young Man," as a young man named Woody. In 1957, he played a bank robber on the "Cheyenne" television series (season 2, episode 19).
When the "Our Miss Brooks" TV series was canceled in 1957, Crenna was searching for a new series to showcase his talent. Crenna then joined the cast of the comedy series "The Real McCoys", as Luke McCoy – alongside veteran actor Walter Brennan, who played Grandpa Amos McCoy. Kathleen Nolan was cast as his young wife, Kate McCoy. Crenna ultimately became one of the series's four directors during its six-year run (1957–63).
1960s–1970s.
In the 1960s, Richard Crenna directed many episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" and was credited as "Dick Crenna". He also directed episodes of "Lou Grant", which ran on CBS from 1977–82.
Crenna portrayed California state senator James Slattery in the CBS-TV series, "Slattery's People" (1964–65). For his acting in this series, he was twice nominated for an Emmy Award with slightly different names: for "Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment" and for "Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series", both in 1965. Crenna was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best TV Star – Male" for this same role, again in 1965. In 1966, Crenna played beside Steve McQueen as an ill-fated captain of an American gunboat in 1920s China in "The Sand Pebbles".
During the 1970s, Crenna continued acting in such Western dramas such as "The Deserter", "Catlow", "The Man Called Noon", and "Breakheart Pass". He made a notable performance in Jean-Pierre Melville's final film "Un Flic" in 1972. In 1976, Crenna returned to weekly network television in the Norman Lear CBS sit-com "All's Fair", a political satire co-starring Bernadette Peters. Despite high expectations and good critical reviews, it lasted just a single season. The 1978 NBC-TV miniseries, "Centennial", based on James A. Michener's historical novel "Centennial", saw Crenna in the role of deranged religious fanatic Colonel Frank Skimmerhorn, who ordered the 1864 massacre of Colorado American Indians.
1980s–early 2000s.
Crenna won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television nomination for his performance in the title role of the 1985 film "The Rape of Richard Beck".
Crenna then played John Rambo's ex-commanding officer, Colonel Sam Trautman, in the first three "Rambo" films, a role for which he was hired after Kirk Douglas left the production a day into filming. Trautman became the veteran actor's most famous role; his performance received wide critical praise. He also spoofed the character in "Hot Shots! Part Deux" in 1993.
Crenna portrayed New York City Police lieutenant of detectives Frank Janek in a series of seven popular made-for-television films, beginning in 1988 and ending in 1994. The character of Janek had originally appeared in a series of novels by William Bayer.
Legacy.
Crenna was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard.
Illness and death.
Crenna developed pancreatic cancer and died of heart failure at age 76 on January 17, 2003, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife, Penni, and his three adult children by his side, according to his daughter, Seana Crenna. His remains were cremated.


Lewis B. Schwellenbach

Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach (September 20, 1894 – June 10, 1948) was a United States Senator from Washington, a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington and the 5th United States Secretary of Labor.
Education and career.
Born on September 20, 1894, in Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin, Schwellenbach moved to Spokane, Washington with his parents in 1902, attending the Spokane elementary and high schools. He received a Bachelor of Laws in 1917 from the University of Washington School of Law. He was an assistant instructor at the University of Washington from 1916 to 1917. He entered service during World War I as a Private in the 12th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army in 1918 until his discharge as a Corporal in 1919. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Seattle, Washington from 1919 to 1935. He was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination for Governor of Washington in 1932.
Congressional service.
Schwellenbach was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from January 3, 1935, to December 16, 1940, when he resigned. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1940, having been appointed to the federal bench. He was a delegate to the Inter-Parliamentary Union at The Hague, Netherlands in 1938.
Federal judicial service.
Schwellenbach was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 6, 1940, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington vacated by Judge J. Stanley Webster. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 6, 1940, and received his commission on November 20, 1940. His service terminated on June 30, 1945, due to his resignation to become Secretary of Labor.
Secretary of Labor.
Schwellenbach was appointed United States Secretary of Labor by President Harry S. Truman and served from July 1, 1945, until his death in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on June 10, 1948. He was interred in Washelli Cemetery in Seattle.
Events of Schwellenbach's tenure as Secretary.
During Schwellenbach's tenure as Secretary, fear of post war unemployment brought the United States Congress to pass the Employment Act of 1946, which made promotion of maximum employment the Nation's top priority. Schwellenbach promoted abolition of war time wage and price controls. He had to deal with a post war wave of strikes. The Republican 80th United States Congress passed the Taft–Hartley Act. Staff cuts were made at the United States Department of Labor. The Conciliation Service was removed from the Department of Labor and established as the independent Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). During his term, the Department's international work was institutionalized; the Office of International Labor Affairs (now the Bureau of International Labor Affairs) was established as a unit in the Office of the Secretary.
Personal life.
Schwellenbach's brother, Edgar W. Schwellenbach, served as a Justice of the Washington Supreme Court.


Close Combat Clasp

The Close Combat Clasp () was a World War II German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for participation in hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters. Intended primarily for infantry, other Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, ground Luftwaffe units and paratroopers were also eligible.
Eligibility.
The award was bestowed in three classes:
Close combat actions were counted from 1 December 1942, with earlier long service on the Eastern Front counting towards the award, with 15 continuous months counting as 15 combat days; 12 months as 10 days; and 8 months as 5 days.
For those who had received disabling wounds, there was discretion to make the award after 10, 20 and 40 actions.
As the war continued, a number of amendments were made to the award criteria:
The Gold Close Combat Clasp was often regarded in higher esteem than the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by the German infantry, and Hitler reserved the right to bestow this class personally. Of the roughly 18–20 million soldiers of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, 36,400 received the Bronze Class, 9,500 the Silver Class and 631 the Gold Class.
Design and wear.
The clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket, above any medal ribbon bar. Only one badge, the highest level received, was worn. It was die-cast and made of either tombac or later zinc. The design of all three classes was the same, with a centerpiece consisting of the eagle and swastika national emblem surmounting a crossed bayonet and hand grenade with, each side, a spray of oakleaves, interspersed with a sunburst ray effect. The clasp was slightly curved and measured 9.7cm by 2.6cm.
Nazi-era awards were initially banned by the post-war Federal Republic of Germany. In 1957 many World War II military decorations, including the Close Combat Clasp, were re-authorised for wear by qualifying veterans. As displays of the swastika were banned, the clasp was re-designed to remove the eagle and swastika symbol, with members of the Bundeswehr wearing the badge on the ribbon bar, represented by a small replica of the award on a field grey ribbon.
Luftwaffe version.
Luftwaffe ground troops and paratroopers had been eligible for the Close Combat Clasp from its creation. In November 1944 a Luftwaffe version was approved, applying the same award criteria and three classes as the existing clasp. The badge comprised a laurel wreath set behind a Luftwaffe eagle and swastika surmounting a crossed bayonet and hand grenade, all in silver. This was flanked by two sprays of oak leaves, in bronze, silver or gold to denote the appropriate class. While awards of the new clasp were authorised, and award certificates issued, there is no evidence that it was actually manufactured and presented before the end of the war.
The Luftwaffe Close Combat Clasp was among the decorations re-authorised for wear by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1957, the modified design omitting the swastika, but retaining the Luftwaffe eagle emblem.


Morale, Welfare and Recreation

Morale, Welfare and Recreation, abbreviated MWR, is a network of support and leisure services designed for use by U.S. servicemembers (active, Reserve, and Guard), their families, military retirees, veterans with 100 percent service-connected disability, current and retired DoD civilian employees, and other eligible participants.
Organization.
Each branch of the United States Armed Forces has a branch of MWR. MWR provides free and discounted recreation to military personnel and their families. Although the facilities provided vary from base to base, the types of services, facilities and programs provided can include fitness centers, pools, marinas, bowling centers, golf courses, restaurants, conference centers, catering, programs for single sailors with special events, access to internet, movies and video games. Army MWR also offers accredited family child care and youth and school aged services at many installations.
Army and Air Force.
The Army and Air Force's MWR services is paid for via the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Roughly 70% of Army & Air Force Exchange Service earnings are paid to MWR programs. In the last ten years, more than $2.24 billion has been contributed by the Exchange to the Army and Air Force to spend on quality of life improvements for Soldiers, Airmen and their families.
Army.
The United States Army’s MWR is run by the G9, Family and MWR Directorate of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command.
The United States Army's Family and MWR Programs is a military organization whose primary mission is to provide the United States Army with programs that fulfill and support the Army Family Covenant. The organization strives to provide soldiers and their families with "the same quality of life afforded the society they protect."
Air Force.
The United States Air Force’s Outdoor Rec agency, the Air Force Services Activity.
Marines.
The United States Marines’ MWR program is the Marine Corps Community Services.
Navy.
The United States Navy's MWR program is run by the Navy Installations Command.
Navy MWR is in most areas where there are Navy personnel stationed in the United States, internationally, and in the fleet. Many of their programs are operated by "non-appropriated funds," or by the proceeds that they earn rather than by tax dollars.
Coast Guard.
United States Coast Guard MWR.


Find and Replace (audio drama)

Find and Replace is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series "Doctor Who". In it, Katy Manning reprises her role as Jo Grant from the television series, and Iris Wildthyme from the Big Finish audio series.
The Companion Chronicles "talking books" are each narrated by one of the Doctor's companions and feature a second, guest-star voice along with music and sound effects.
Plot.
In a department store lift at Christmas, Jo Grant meets a strange-looking alien named Huxley. He tells her about her past, back in the 1970s, working at MIAOW with a mysterious alien known as Iris Wildthyme. This isn't quite how Jo remembers things. So Iris Wildthyme herself takes them back in time to ask the Third Doctor.
Reception.
Reviewer Richard McGinlay praises Katy Manning's portrayals of Jo Grant and Iris Wildthyme, saying "it really does feel as though there are two actresses in the studio, rather than just one providing both voices." "Doctor Who" scholar Elizabeth Sandifer writes that "Find and Replace" incorporates a critique of patriarchical elements of the character of the Third Doctor and of "Doctor Who" in general.


New York Volunteers

The New York Volunteers, also known as the New York Companies and 1st Dutchess County Company, was a British Loyalist Provincial regiment, which served with the British Army, during American Revolutionary War. Eventually, the New York Volunteers became the 3rd American Regiment, after being place on American establishment.
Regiment formed.
The "New York Volunteers" were raised in Halifax, Province of Nova Scotia, in January, 1776. Two companies, in the 1776 New York Campaign. The Volunteers participated in the 1777 Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery. In October, 1778 they were sent to East Florida and were present, at the 1779 capture of Savannah and the 1780 Charleston. The Volunteers were at the 1780 Battle of Camden and the 1781 Hobkirk's Hill.
On May 2, 1779 New York Volunteers were placed on the American Establishment, as the 3rd American Regiment. A detachment of the regiment served, under Charles Grey in the defence of Plymouth, when their transport ship was blown across the Atlantic, after encountering foul weather, while sailing down the North American coastline. It was disbanded in Canada in 1783.


39 Engineer Regiment (United Kingdom)

39 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers is a regiment of the British Army formed in 1951 and based in Kinloss in Scotland.
The regiment consists of five squadrons:


Schellenberg order of battle

The following units and commanders fought at the Battle of Schellenberg on July 2, 1704.
Allied army.
Left Wing.
John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough
Main Body.
General Charles Churchill
Artillery.
Colonel Holcroft Blood
Right Wing.
Louis William, Margrave of Baden
Infantry.
General Johann Karl Graf von Thüngen
Cavalry.
General Hermann Otto II of Limburg Stirum (mw)
Franco-Bavarian Army.
Jean Baptist, Comte d'Arco
Second in command: Alessandro, Marquis de Maffei


Lynx (comics)

Lynx is the name of three fictional characters appearing in DC Comics.
Fictional character biographies.
Dome's Henchman.
The first Lynx is a henchman of Doctor Dome, a Plastic Man villain.
Ghost Dragons.
Lynx was originally seen as the girlfriend of Billy Hue, leader of the Parisian branch of the Ghost Dragons, a Chinese youth gang with members from Macau, Kowloon, and Hong Kong that served the ruthless King Snake. King Snake, known to the public at large as Sir Edmund Dorrance, was a British businessman and criminal. Robin (Tim Drake) met her in Paris and was dazzled by her beauty. Billy Hue later failed to kill Clyde Rawlins, an American interfering in King Snake’s affairs, due to Robin's interference. Hue was killed by King Snake as punishment, and Ling was dubbed Lynx and given leadership of the Ghost Dragons in his place. When Lynx failed to kill Robin and prevent him from interfering in King Snake's plans, his warped sense of good manners prevented him from killing her, although he still felt he could punish her in another way. King Snake moved the Ghost Dragons to Gotham, and Robin discovered one of her eyes had been put out by King Snake. She felt this mutilation to be Robin’s fault, and swore revenge.
The Ghost Dragons gradually began carving a "turf" in Gotham, with Lynx at their head and King Snake working from the shadows, badly wounded after his first encounter with Robin. Lynx still served King Snake, and clashed with Robin on several occasions. She was part of a Gotham gang war between the Ghost Dragons and the Russian Odessa, leading her into conflict with both Robin, and the Huntress. Eventually, she came to hate the idea that the Ghost Dragons were led by a white man, and after King Snake killed a member of the Triads (an act she considered highly foolish) she led a revolt against him. King Snake was arrested, and Lynx became sole leader of the Ghost Dragons. She attempted to expand the gang's territory, into the Gotham suburbs, but was stopped by Robin and Spoiler.
Subsequently, she spent time as a mercenary, but eventually returned to Gotham and resumed control of the Ghost Dragons. When Gotham was declared a No Man’s Land the Ghost Dragons controlled a part of the city, and they held it for much of the No Man's Land period. Eventually, Lynx was approached by Batman, who recruited her in stopping a man who selling Gotham children as slaves. The alliance did not continue afterwards, and once Gotham was reopened, Lynx returned to her criminal life.
During the "War Crimes"story arc, Lynx attempted to expand Ghost Dragon territory, and came into conflict with Batgirl (Cassandra Cain). When Lynx proved unable to best Batgirl in combat, one of her Ghost Dragon gang members attempted to interfere in the fight, accidentally beheading her as she struggled with Batgirl.
During the "One Year Later" storyline, she had returned from the dead, having been brought back by League of Assassin Mystics, only to be killed again by Batgirl immediately after. Lynx's corpse was put into a Batgirl costume, and Robin was framed by Batgirl for the murder. Robin set off to prove his innocence, and that the girl in the costume was not the real Batgirl. In the end, he was successful.
Third Lynx.
Preview solicitations for "Robin" #179 show a new Lynx in a cat-like costume.
In the "Battle For The Cowl" storyline, a new Lynx is recruited by Black Mask to be part of a group of villains that aim to take over Gotham. She is seen fighting with Man-Bat against gang members in "Battle for the Cowl" #1, and is also seen with all the Gotham Heroes in the third issue.
She later appears in "Red Robin". After being captured and unmasked by Red Robin, Lynx reveals that she is a teenager and claims to be an undercover officer from Hong Kong. After receiving intel from Cassandra Cain that indicates that the Hong Kong Police Department is indeed using teenagers for undercover operations, Red Robin frees Lynx from prison. Just before departing into the night, Lynx kisses Red Robin, which causes him to realize that there is an attraction between them.
Powers and abilities.
Lynx is a master of martial arts and trained in the use of guns and hand-to-hand weapons.


5th Royal Tank Regiment

5th Royal Tank Regiment (5 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army in existence for 52 years, from 1917 until 1969. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as E Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917.
At the Battle of Cambrai in late 1917, during the First World War, the squadron of tanks led by Arthur George Griffiths made a huge impact on the battle. The commanding general asked for the squadron of tanks to be doubled in size, and so Griffiths's squadron evolved into the 5th Tank Regiment.
The regiment saw wide-ranging service in the Second World War, and fought in nearly all of the major allied campaigns from the 1940 retreat from France through the Western Desert Campaign, Normandy and on into Germany. It became part of the 22nd Armoured Brigade, of the 7th Armoured Division.
In December 1946, the regiment was the first to use Centurion tanks in regular service.
In 1960, under the command of Hugo Ironside, it amalgamated with 8th Royal Tank Regiment without change of title. It was disbanded in 1969.
The 5th Royal Tank Regiment Reunion Association holds annual reunions.
In 2007, an image of a 1944 tank commander in the 5th Royal Tank Regiment uniform was used on one of a series of Royal mail stamps featuring British Army uniforms.
Commanding officers.
The commanding officers included:


Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez

Alfredo Cantu "Freddy" Gonzalez (May 23, 1946 – February 4, 1968) was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for service in the Battle of Huế during the Vietnam War.
Early years.
Gonzalez was born on May 23, 1946, in Edinburg, Texas, the only child of mother Dolia Gonzalez. He graduated from Lamar Grammar School in 1955, and from Edinburg High School in 1965. Despite his small size, weighing only , he was an All-District football player in high school.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from San Antonio, Texas, on June 3, 1965, but was discharged and enlisted in the regular Marine Corps a month later, on July 6. He completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, the following September, and individual combat training at Camp Pendleton, California, that October.
He then became a rifleman with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and served in that capacity until January 1966. Promoted to private first class on January 1, he served a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam as a rifleman and squad leader with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He was promoted to lance corporal on October 1 and to corporal on December 1 before his tour ended in February 1967. Upon his return to the United States, he saw duty as a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
He became an instructor at Camp Lejeune, teaching Marines the techniques of guerrilla warfare, and expected to serve out the rest of the war in that capacity. His plans changed when he learned that an entire platoon, including men who had served under him during his tour, had been killed in an ambush in Vietnam. Gonzalez requested to be sent back for a second deployment. Ordered to the West Coast in May 1967, he joined the 3rd Replacement Company, Staging Battalion, at Camp Pendleton in California, for transfer to East Asia. On July 1, 1967, he was promoted to sergeant, and later that month arrived in the Republic of Vietnam. He served as a squad leader and platoon sergeant with the 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division.
During the initial phase of the Battle of Huế in late January 1968, Gonzalez and his unit were sent by truck convoy to reinforce units in the city. When the convoy came under fire near the village of Lang Van Lrong on January 31, he led his men in clearing the area. Further down the road, he received shrapnel wounds while carrying an injured man to safety. When the convoy was halted by a machine gun bunker, he led his platoon towards the position and destroyed it with hand grenades. Eventually reaching the city of Huế, his unit became engaged in heavy combat there. Gonzalez was seriously wounded on February 3, but refused medical treatment. The next day, when a large North Vietnamese force inflicted heavy casualties on his company, he used anti-tank weapons to fire on the fortified positions. He successfully checked the North Vietnamese advance and silenced a rocket emplacement before being mortally wounded by a rocket. He took cover in the Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church, where he died.
For his actions during the Battle of Huế from January 31 to February 4, 1968, Gonzalez was awarded the Medal of Honor. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew formally presented the medal to Gonzalez's mother on October 31, 1969, during a ceremony at the White House.
Medal of Honor citation.
He is buried at Hillcrest Memorial Park in his hometown of Edinburg, Texas.
Honors.
The United States Navy guided missile destroyer , commissioned in 1996, is named in his honor. His mother, Dolia, has an uncommonly close relationship with the ship and its crew. She attends many of the ship's major ceremonies, including departures and arrivals from deployments and changes of command. The crewmen exchange letters with Dolia Gonzalez, known as the ship's "mother," and call her during deployments.
The Alfredo Gonzalez Texas State Veterans Home in McAllen, Texas is named in his honor.
Two biographies by former Edinburg resident John W. Flores; "When The River Dreams: The Life of Marine Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez," printed in fall 2006, and "Marine Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez: Vietnam War Hero," scheduled for release by McFarland Publishing Company, in fall 2013.
The Museum of South Texas History holds a permanent display containing Gonzalez's uniform and medals. At The Basic School in Stafford County, Virginia, where Marine Corps officers are trained, there is an Alfredo Gonzalez Hall. In Edinburg, both an elementary school and a major east-west thoroughfare (Freddy Gonzalez Drive) are named in his honor.
Awards and decorations.
Gonzalez's awards include:


39 (Skinners) Signal Regiment

39 (Skinners) Signal Regiment (Volunteers) is an Army Reserve regiment in the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army. The regiment forms part of 1 Signal Brigade, providing military communications for national operations. The Lynx badge is a reminder of the unit's connection with the Worshipful Company of Skinners.
History.
The regiment was formed in 1967 by the amalgamation of 65 Signal Regiment and 92 Signal Regiment, with some personnel from the disbanded Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars at Banbury.
In 1971 a new 5 (Banbury) Squadron was formed, which in 1975 became 5 (Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars) Signal Squadron.
47 (Middlesex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron at Uxbridge formed part of the regiment from 1995 to 2006, when it transferred to 71 (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment.
In 2000, the North Somerset Yeomanry designation was revived for the Headquarters Squadron of 39 (Skinners) Signal Regiment and, in 2008, that squadron, as 93 (North Somerset Yeomanry) Squadron, became the Regiment's Support Squadron.
In 2006, 94 (Berkshire Yeomanry) Squadron transferred from 31st Signal Regiment.
In 2014, under Army 2020, 43 (Wessex and County & City of Bristol) Signal Squadron transferred from 21 Signal Regiment and 53 (Welsh) Signal Squadron transferred from 37 Signal Regiment, while 5 (QOOH) Squadron transferred to the Royal Logistic Corps.
Current structure.
The current structure of the regiment is as follows:


Technician fifth grade

Technician fifth grade (abbreviated as T/5, TEC5 or TEC-5) was a United States Army technician rank during World War II. The grades of Technician in the third, fourth and fifth grades were added by War Department on the 8th of January 1942 per Army Regulation 600-35. An update issued on the 4th September 1942, added a letter "T" to the rank insignia.
Those who held this rank were addressed as corporal, though were often called a "tech corporal". Technicians possessed specialized skills that were rewarded with a higher pay grade, but had no command authority. The pay grade number corresponded with the technician's rank. T/5 was under the pay grade 5, along with corporal. Technicians were easily distinguished by the "T" imprinted on the standard chevron design for that pay grade.
The technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, though the concept was brought back with the specialist ranks in 1955.


267th Indian Armoured Brigade

The 267th Indian Tank Brigade was a short lived armoured brigade of the Indian Army during the Second World War. It was reconstituted as 72nd Indian Infantry Brigade.
History.
The brigade was formed on 3 July 1942 at Sialkot with three regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps. These were infantry battalions of the British Army that were converted to an armoured role:
It moved to Secunderabad in October under the command of the 43rd Indian Armoured Division and then to Poona. The brigade was intended for service in the Burma Campaign during the Second World War but in the event it never left India. On 1 April 1943, it was reconstituted as the 72nd Indian Infantry Brigade.
Units.
The brigade commanded the following units:


Fort Donelson Confederate order of battle

The following Confederate Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Fort Donelson of the American Civil War. Order of battle compiled from the army organization, and the reports. The Union order of battle is listed separately.
Army of Central Kentucky.
General Albert Sidney Johnston
Fort Donelson.
BG Bushrod Johnson
BG Gideon J. Pillow
BG John B. Floyd
BG Gideon J. Pillow
BG Simon B. Buckner, Sr.


Mary Shotwell Ingraham

 Mary Shotwell Ingraham (January 5, 1887 – April 16, 1981) was an American social reformer and the founder of the United Service Organizations (USO). She was the first woman to receive the Medal for Merit award.
Early life.
Ingraham was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 5, 1887. She was daughter of Henry Titus Shotwell and Alice Wyman (Gardner) Shotwell.
Mid life and education.
Ingraham attended and graduated from Vassar College in 1908 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Wesleyan University in 1958 and also from Columbia University in 1961.
Awards.
Ingraham was the president of the Brooklyn Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) from 1922 to 1939. She was president of the National Board of the YWCA from 1940 to 1946 and involved with the YWCA's war work and interracial efforts. Ingraham was founder in 1941 of the United Service Organizations, more often referred to as the USO. She inspired and promoted USO shows and entertainment for service people during World War II. She was given the United States Medal for Merit in 1946 by President Harry Truman for her work, the first woman to receive this award. The award is the highest Presidential award given to civilians for outstanding service related to the military.
Family.
Ingraham married Henry Andrews Ingraham, a lawyer, on October 28, 1908. They lived in Brooklyn, New York. One of their children was Mary Alice Ingraham Bunting-Smith (1910–1998), also known as "Polly", the first woman to be appointed to serve on the United States Atomic Energy Commission. The other children were Henry Gardner Ingraham, Winifred Andrews Ingraham and David Ingraham.
Religion.
Ingraham was a Quaker from an ancestral line of Quakers.
Death.
Ingraham died in Huntington, Long Island, New York, on April 16, 1981.


Mauler (comics)

Mauler (an acronym for Mobile Armored Utility Laser-guided E-beam, Revised) is a name used by four fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history.
The first version appears in "Daredevil" #167 (Nov. 1980) and was created by David Michelinie and Frank Miller.
The second character first appears in "Iron Man" #156 (March 1982) and was created by David Michelinie; John Romita Jr. and Pablo Marcos.
Fictional character biography.
Aaron Soames.
Aaron Soames was an elderly, former employee of Cord Conglomerate deprived of his pension benefits by a computer error. Soames stole the prototype suit of Mauler armor in the hopes of punishing Edwin Cord who was indifferent to Soames' plight. Soames had two skirmishes with the hero Daredevil, and after humiliating Cord by symbolically erasing his existence as well by destroying his driver's license, credit cards and other means of personal identification (he did not intend to do him any actual harm), he was killed with advanced weaponry by Cord's men. Daredevil was one of the few mourners at Soames' funeral.
Turk Barrett.
The Mauler armor reappears when small-time criminal Turk Barrett steals the armor and attempts to kill Daredevil. Barrett is defeated in seconds by Daredevil.
Brendan Doyle.
Later, a mercenary Brendan Doyle is hired by the now imprisoned Edwin Cord to steal the armor from Stark International (the company of Iron Man's alter ego Tony Stark) and destroy all records of the suit design and history. Although successful in stealing the suit, Doyle is prevented from reaching the records by former comrade Jim Rhodes, and decides to keep the suit. As a soldier for hire, Doyle battles the heroes Spider-Man and Wonder Man and encounters Spider-Man once again while trying to retrieve his infant son. Doyle reappears during the Armor Wars when the Mauler armour confiscated by the hero (who is tracking down technology based on his stolen designs).
Doyle eventually gains a new suit of Mauler armor and battles Canadian superhero team "Alpha Flight". Jim Rhodes briefly impersonates the Mauler. Doyle returns during the Civil War caused by the Superhuman Registration Act, and encounters superhero team the Avengers.
Brendan Doyle is later recruited by Mandarin and Zeke Stane to join the other Iron Man villains in a plot to take down Iron Man.
Following the death of his 5-year-old son Danny, who had been given up for adoption, in a car accident, Doyle kidnapped a young boy named Bobby Morris under the delusion that he was Danny. Doyle was found by Hyperion, and attempted to use the Mauler suit to kill him until Hyperion managed to persuade him to stop and surrender to the authorities.
Fourth incarnation.
Roderick Kingsley later sold one of the Mauler armors to an unnamed criminal. This version of Mauler is seen on Kingsley's side at the time when the Hobgoblin (who was actually the butler Claude) was leading his forces into attacking the Goblin King's Goblin Nation. After Hobgoblin was killed by Goblin King, Mauler was among the villains that defected to the Goblin Underground.
Powers and abilities.
The Mauler armor provides heavy protection from physical and energy-based attacks, boosts the wearer's strength and courtesy of turbines allows flight. In addition to internal life support systems, a laser cannon that doubles as an electron particle gun is mounted on the left arm. The right palm of the armor can also generate a high-frequency electric shock.


Regimental depot

The regimental depot of a regiment is its home base for recruiting and training. It is also where soldiers and officers awaiting discharge or postings are based and where injured soldiers return to full fitness after discharge from hospital before returning to full duty. Normally, a variety of regimental stores will also be kept at the depot. The regimental depot is not the same as the regimental headquarters (where the main officers' mess and certain central functions are based), though in practice the two will often be co-located in the same place.
In the British Army, regimental depots are permanent bases, and before modern amalgamations, were frequently located in the geographical area from which the regiment took its name.
The Indian Army equivalent is that of a regimental centre.
List of UK Infantry Regimental Depots in the 1880s.
A list of barracks in Britain and Ireland, either designated or "newly built" to serve as localization depots for infantry regiments in the wake of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s and the Childers Reforms which followed.
List of UK Cavalry Regimental Depots in the 1910s.
A list of barracks in Britain and Ireland either designated or "newly built" to serve as depots for cavalry regiments.


Operation Sea Lion order of battle

The German plan for a land invasion of England in 1940 was code-named Operation Sea Lion ("Unternehmen Seelöwe" in German). This is the Operation Sea Lion order of battle for the modified German plan produced on 30 August, 1940.
German forces.
Heeresgruppe A.
Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt
Heeresgruppe C.
Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
British forces.
Home Forces.
General Alan Brooke<br>
Chief of Staff: Lieutenant-General Bernard Paget


List of vice-admirals of Gloucestershire

The Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire was responsible for the defence of the county of Gloucestershire, England.
History.
As a vice-admiral, the post holder was the chief of naval administration for his district. His responsibilities included pressing men for naval service, deciding the lawfulness of prizes (captured by privateers), dealing with salvage claims for wrecks and acting as a judge.
The earliest record of an appointment was of Edmund Brydges, 2nd Baron Chandos 1559–1573.
In 1863 the Registrar of the Admiralty Court stated that the offices had 'for many years been purely honorary' (HCA 50/24 pp. 235-6). Appointments were made by the Lord High Admiral when this officer existed. When the admiralty was in commission appointments were made by the crown by letters patent under the seal of the admiralty court.
Vice-admirals of Gloucestershire.
This is a list of people who have served as Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire.


Colonel on the staff


Rodney Maxwell Davis

Rodney Maxwell Davis (April 7, 1942 – September 6, 1967) was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism above and beyond the call of duty in 1967, during the Vietnam War.
Davis joined the Marine Corps in 1961, and was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in 1967. In September 1967, during a search and destroy exercise as part of Operation Swift, Davis's company was attacked by enemies. When Davis's platoon retreated into a trench, Davis ran up and down his company's line and encouraged the men to fight, returning fire at the same time. When an enemy grenade came close to several men, Davis jumped on the grenade, saving his men's lives.
Biography.
Davis was born on April 7, 1942, in Macon, Georgia, to Gordon N. Davis and Ruth A. Davis. He attended elementary school and high school there and graduated from Peter G. Appling High School, May 29, 1961.
Shortly after graduation, Davis enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in his hometown, August 31, 1961; then reported for recruit training with the First Recruit Training Battalion Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion of recruit training in December 1961, he was transferred to the Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and underwent Individual Combat Training with the Second Battalion, First Infantry Training Regiment, graduating the following February.
Davis then joined Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, FMF, at Camp Lejeune and served as a rifleman until May 1964. While stationed at Camp Lejeune, he was promoted to private first class, April 1, 1962, and to lance corporal, January 1, 1964.
As a lance corporal, Davis was ordered to London, England, for a three-year tour of duty as a Guard with the United States Marine Detachment, Naval Activities. He was promoted to corporal on January 1, 1966, and to sergeant on December 1, 1966.
Ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in August 1967, Davis was assigned duty as a Platoon Guide with Company B, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division. On September 6, 1967, he was operating with his unit in the Quảng Nam Province on a search and clear mission during Operation Swift, when they were attacked by a large North Vietnamese force. Elements of the platoon were pinned down in a trench line by mortars, heavy automatic and small-arms fire. He went from man to man encouraging them on and also returning fire at the same time. An enemy hand grenade fell in the trenches his men were fighting from and without hesitation he threw himself upon the grenade. He saved his fellow Marines in this selfless act and thus earned the nation's highest military decoration: the Medal of Honor.
Presentation of the medal was made posthumously to Davis's widow, Mrs. Judy P. Davis, by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew in his office. The presentation is "in the name of the Congress of the United States."
Davis was survived by his wife, Judy, and two daughters, Nichola Davis and Samantha J. Davis-Steen.
After death.
The City of Macon did not allow black decedents to be buried inside the city limits in 1967. Davis was buried in an all-black cemetery outside the city. About 2010, several white Marines were driving by Macon, including one man who was saved by Davis. They stopped to pay their respects at his gravesite and were angered to find that the wooden monument to Davis was rotting, and the cemetery was covered in weeds and had many headstones falling over. They removed all the weeds around Davis's grave and many graves around it, and cleaned up a section of the cemetery before leaving. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines Association was informed and donations arranged. Civilians and other Marines, families, and surviving spouses accumulated over $60,000 and a large, granite monument was built at Davis's grave site. Several times a year, a gathering is organized and the entire cemetery is weeded and tended to. Donations continue to be accumulated and are now used mainly for scholarships of deserving children.
Military awards.
Davis' decorations and awards include:
Medal of Honor citation.
The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
SERGEANT RODNEY M. DAVIS
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as the right guide of the Second Platoon, Company B, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division, in action against enemy forces in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam, on September 6, 1967. Elements of the Second Platoon were pinned down by a numerically superior force of attacking North Vietnamese Army Regulars. Remnants of the platoon were located in a trench line where Sergeant Davis was directing the fire of his men in an attempt to repel the enemy attack. Disregarding the enemy hand grenades and high volume of small arms and mortar fire, Sergeant Davis moved from man to man shouting words of encouragement to each of them firing and throwing grenades at the onrushing enemy. When an enemy grenade landed in the trench in the midst of his men, Sergeant Davis, realizing the gravity of the situation, and in a final valiant act of complete self-sacrifice, instantly threw himself upon the grenade, absorbing with his own body the full and terrific force of the explosion. Through his extraordinary initiative and inspiring valor in the face of almost certain death, Sergeant Davis saved his comrades from injury and possible loss of life, enabled his platoon to hold its vital position, and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
/S/ "RICHARD M. NIXON"


Gettysburg Union order of battle

The Union order of battle during the Battle of Gettysburg includes the American Civil War officers and men of the Army of the Potomac (multiple commander names indicate succession of command during the three-day battle (July 1–3, 1863)).
Order of battle compiled from the army organization during the battle, the casualty returns and the reports.
Army of the Potomac.
MG George G. Meade, Commanding
General Staff and Headquarters.
General Staff:
General Headquarters:
Command of the Provost Marshal General: BG Marsena R. Patrick
Guards and Orderlies:
Engineer Brigade: BG Henry W. Benham
I Corps.
MG John F. Reynolds (k)

MG Abner Doubleday

MG John Newton

General Headquarters:
II Corps.
MG Winfield S. Hancock (w)

BG John Gibbon

BG William Hays

General Headquarters:
III Corps.
MG Daniel E. Sickles (w)

MG David B. Birney (w)
V Corps.
MG George Sykes
General Headquarters:
VI Corps.
MG John Sedgwick
General Headquarters:
XI Corps.
MG Oliver O. Howard

MG Carl Schurz
General Headquarters:
XII Corps.
MG Henry W. Slocum

BG Alpheus S. Williams
Provost Guard:
Cavalry Corps.
MG Alfred Pleasonton
Headquarter Guards:
Artillery Reserve.
BG Robert O. Tyler

Cpt James M. Robertson
Headquarter Guard:


35th Brigade (United Kingdom)

The 35th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army that saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars.
First World War.
It was one of the "New Army" or "Kitchener's Army" brigades, and assigned to the 12th (Eastern) Division and served on the Western Front during the First World War.
Second World War.
The brigade was disbanded after the war in 1919. However, it was reformed in the Territorial Army, now as the 35th Infantry Brigade, in 1939 when the Territorial Army was doubled in size. The brigade was raised as a duplicate of the 131st Infantry Brigade and consisted of three 2nd Line battalions of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey). The brigade again served with the 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division and was sent with the division to France in 1940 to join the rest of the British Expeditionary Force. The division and brigade both suffered very heavy casualties during the Battle of France and had to be evacuated to England. The 12th Division was disbanded in July 1940, due to the heavy casualties it suffered and the brigade was transferred to the 1st London Division, reforming it as a standard infantry division. In November 1940 the brigade was redesignated 169th (London) Infantry Brigade, and served with the 56th Division for the remainder of the war.


Bau-Bataillon 87

 Bau-Bataillon 87 (Construction Battalion 87) was an auxiliary unit of the Wehrmacht (Nazi Germany) during World War II. The personnel were a German cadre and nationals of Central Asia (1., 2., 3. Turkestanische Kompanie). It was formed on August 26, 1939. On September 23, 1943 it was renamed Bau-Pionier-Bataillon 87 (Construction Engineering Battalion).


Gene Taylor (Mississippi politician)

Gary Eugene Taylor (born September 17, 1953) is an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 2011 and previously a member of the Mississippi Senate from 1983 to 1989. He was defeated for re-election in 2010 by State Representative Steven Palazzo. He currently serves on the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission.
Taylor was a member of the Democratic Party until becoming a Republican in 2014.<ref name="http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/28/5377861/moore-will-run-again-for-congress.html"></ref>
Early life, education and career.
Taylor was born in New Orleans and is a 1975 graduate of Tulane University where he majored in political science and history. He completed additional post-graduate work in business and economics at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1978 through 1980.
Taylor worked as a sales representative for Stone Container Corporation, working a territory from New Orleans to the Florida panhandle, from 1977 through 1989.
From 1971 through 1984, Taylor served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, where he attained the rank petty officer first class. While in the coast guard, he commanded a search and rescue boat and earned several commendations.
Early political career.
Taylor was elected to the Bay St. Louis City Council in 1981, and then to a vacant seat in the Mississippi State Senate in 1983. As a State Senator, Taylor and fellow Senator Steven Hale filed a lawsuit challenging the Senate powers of Democratic Lieutenant Governor Brad Dye. Taylor and Hale claimed that Dye's control of committee appointments violated the state constitution's separation of powers. The Supreme Court of Mississippi sided with Dye, but the suit against a powerful leader from his own party helped establish Taylor's reputation for political independence.
U.S. House of Representatives.
Tenure.
Taylor was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, and his voting record was one of the most conservative among Democrats in the House.
According to a 2011 survey by the "National Journal", Taylor was the most conservative Democrat in the House.
He represented a district that had turned almost solidly Republican at the national level, though as late as 2010 most local offices were split between the two parties. The 4th has not supported the official Democratic presidential candidate since 1956 (when the Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson). During Taylor's final term, it was the most Republican district in the nation to be represented by a Democrat, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+20. In 2000, 2004, and 2008, it gave the Republican presidential candidate his best total in the state. It was a foregone conclusion that Taylor would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired.
A leading Democratic Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Taylor led committee and floor fights to improve the medical benefits of military retirees and extend TRICARE health insurance to members of the National Guard and Reserves. Taylor also focused on U.S. policy in Latin America, sponsoring the successful cap on the number of U.S. troops that can be sent to Colombia without explicit Congressional authorization. Taylor also was a leading critic of the Base Realignment and Closure process, accusing the Department of Defense of smuggling in policy changes that were unrelated to excess capacity or facilities. Taylor served as the Ranking Democrat on the Projection Forces Subcommittee in the 109th Congress, and became chairman of the renamed Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces in the 110th Congress. He and the previous subcommittee chairman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), who became the ranking member of the subcommittee, advocate for more nuclear-powered surface ships in order to reduce the Navy's dependence on imported oil. Taylor was also a member of the Readiness subcommittee of the Armed Services committee in the 110th Congress.
In House Armed Services Committee hearings, Taylor was sharply critical of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other administration witnesses, particularly regarding shortages of armor for troops and vehicles in Iraq. He decried the lack of urgency to speed up production and procurement of armored vehicles and jammers to block the signals of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
He voted for all four articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton in 1998—the only Democrat in Congress to do so. He was one of just five Democrats to support at least one article of impeachment. He refused to endorse Clinton's reelection bid in 1996, but refused to switch parties despite numerous overtures from the Republicans. In the 2004 Democratic primaries, Taylor endorsed Wesley Clark. He voted for John McCain in 2008. The Christian Coalition gave Taylor an overall rating of 76% and he has endorsed the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Taylor was a strong critic of the Bush Administration's fiscal policy. He voted against the tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003, claiming that the cuts contained in those bills would only increase the national debt. He derided the prescription drug plan passed in 2003 as a giveaway to companies that donate to the Republican Party. He was one of the House's most vehement opponents of free trade agreements and was strongly opposed to the Bush administration's proposals for reforming Social Security. He also voted at times with more liberal members of the House with regards to Cuba. Since coming to the House, he voted in favor of most campaign finance laws and other laws favored by more progressive elements of the Democratic Party to reform politics.
Taylor was a staunch and consistent opponent of most free trade agreements. He voted against NAFTA and GATT. He voted against fast-track authority in 1998 and 2002. He also opposed Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with China in 2000.
Taylor has a mixed voting record on environmental issues; he has voted repeatedly against the ban on drilling in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), while voting at other times with the mainstream of his party. He has also denounced Vice President Dick Cheney's ties to Halliburton.
In 2006, Taylor was the only Democrat to support all four amendments to the bill to renew the Voting Rights Act. However, Taylor did vote in favor of final passage of the unamended bill, as did all House Democrats.
Taylor has been a staunch advocate of maintaining the "Buy American" requirements in Defense contracting, and of maintaining the Jones Act requirements that vessels operating between U.S. ports must be American-flagged, American-made, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens. In February 2007, he was one of two Democrats to oppose "H CON RES 63", which expressed opposition to a troop surge in the Iraq War.
Much of Taylor's district took a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed his home in Bay St. Louis (27 miles west of Biloxi) as well as Lott's home in Pascagoula. He moved to Kiln while he rebuilt his home in Bay St. Louis.
When former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Michael D. Brown appeared before the committee, Taylor reacted angrily to Brown's attempts to put primary responsibility for the failed response at the state and local level. Taylor seemed particularly upset that several first responders in Hancock County, his home county, were forced to loot a Wal-Mart to get food and supplies. They also had to wait several days after the storm before they got any help from FEMA workers. He told Brown that FEMA "fell on (its) face" in its response to Katrina, which he said rated "an F-minus in my book."
In April 2009, Taylor voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Political campaigns.
1988.
After one term, he ran as the Democratic candidate to succeed Republican incumbent and House Minority Whip Trent Lott in what was then the 5th District when Lott made a successful run for the Senate. He lost to Harrison County Sheriff Larkin I. Smith by almost 10 points. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee offered very little help to Taylor, believing the district to be too heavily Republican. Vice President George H. W. Bush defeated Michael Dukakis by approximately a 70 to 30 margin in the district, and Lott beat Wayne Dowdy by a similar margin in the Senate race. Although about 30,000 Bush and Lott voters split their tickets to vote for Taylor, he could not overcome the Republican tide in the district.
1989.
Smith died in a plane crash eight months later. In the special election to fill Smith's seat, Taylor picked up 42 percent of the vote to lead Republican Thomas H. Anderson, Jr. and Democrat Mike Moore in the first round. Some leading Democrats had tried to convince Taylor to stand aside and not seek the position in deference to Moore, who was the state's Attorney General and who was also a Gulf Coast resident, but Taylor doubled Moore's vote total on the first ballot. Two weeks later, Taylor beat Anderson, Lott's Chief of Staff, with 65 percent of the vote. Taylor took office on October 24, 1989.
1990 through 2008.
Taylor won a full term in 1990 with 81 percent of the vote against realtor Sheila Smith, the widow of his predecessor in the House. He easily turned back spirited reelection challenges in 1992, 1994 and 1996, taking over 60 percent of the vote each time. However, he was reelected in 1998 with 77 percent of the vote and was reelected five more times after that by an average of 70 percent of the vote. His district was renumbered the 4th after the 2000 redistricting cost Mississippi a congressional seat.
2010.
Taylor was defeated by Republican state representative Steven Palazzo on November 2, 2010. His vote against Barack Obama for president in 2008 became a campaign issue when Taylor released campaign ads pointing to his support of McCain as evidence of his bipartisanship. However, Palazzo attacked Taylor for supporting Pelosi as Speaker and claimed Taylor voted with his party's leadership 82 percent of the time. Taylor was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee.
In the following lame duck session of Congress, Taylor dropped his opposition to the Navy's plan to buy both classes of Littoral combat ship, even though this greatly reduced the chances that a shipyard in his former district would then be able to bid for follow on contracts.
2014.
Taylor opposed Palazzo in the Republican primary in the June 2014 election. Taylor was seeking to become the first Mississippi U.S. Representative since 1884 to return to the House of Representatives after losing reelection. He believed that his district had become too Republican for him to challenge Palazzo as a Democrat. Indeed, since Taylor left office, no Democrat running in the district has cleared the 40 percent mark, and only one has even cleared 30 percent.
Taylor, who was out-raised by Palazzo by almost 6-to-1 and out-spent by over 10-to 1, ran a grassroots campaign, emphasizing his work to secure funding for the district in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and his efforts to support veterans and funding for military bases in the district. He has contrasted this with Palazzo's vote against funding for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts and supporting sequestration which cut the defense budget. Despite actively campaigning to and drawing large numbers of Democrats into the Republican Primary, Taylor lost a close race to Palazzo, 50.5-43%
Post-congressional career.
Taylor was appointed to the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission by District 3 Supervisor Lisa Cowand in March 2012.
Personal life.
Taylor and his wife Margaret have three children. He holds a black belt in Taekwondo.


Blenheim order of battle

The following units and commanders fought in the Battle of Blenheim during the War of the Spanish Succession on August 13, 1704.
Allied Army.
Captain General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
Centre.
Lieutenant General Charles Churchill
Right, Army of Imperial Austria.
Field Marshal Prince François Eugène von Savoy-Carignan
Franco-Bavarian Army.
Camille d'Hostun de la Baume, Duc de Tallard, Marshal of France
Blenheim Wing Command.
Lieutenant General Philippe, Marquis de Clérambault
Maréchal de Camp, the Marquis de Blansac
Between Blenheim and Oberglauheim.
Marquis de Montpeyroux
The Army of the Elector of Bavaria.
Prince Maximillian II Emmanuel Wittelsbach, Elector of Bavaria
Second in command Marshal Marsin
Marquis du Bourg's Corps.
Lieutenant General the Marquis du Bourg
Marquis de Blainville's Corps.
Lieutenant General the Marquis de Blainville
Marquis de Rosel's Corps.
Lieutenant General the Marquis de Rosel
Count d'Arco's Corps.
Field Marshal Johann Baptist, Count d'Arco


5th U-boat Flotilla

The 5th U-boat Flotilla (German "5. Unterseebootsflottille"), also known as Emsmann Flotilla, was a U-boat flotilla of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" during World War II.
The flotilla was formed in December 1938 in Kiel under the command of "Korvettenkapitän" Hans-Rudolf Rösing. It was named in honour of "Oberleutnant zur See" Hans Joachim Emsmann, a U-boat commander during World War I, who died on 28 October 1918 after his U-boat was sunk by a mine. The flotilla was disbanded in January 1940 and the boats were all transferred to 1st Flotilla.
The flotilla was re-formed as "5th U-boat Flotilla" in June 1941 under the command of "Kapitänleutnant" Karl-Heinz Moehle as a training flotilla with her base in Kiel. In 1946 Moehle was sentenced to five years in prison, after being found guilty of passing the Laconia Order to new U-boat commanders before they went out on patrol. He was released in November 1949.


Margherita Cagol

Margherita Cagol (8 April 1945 – 5 June 1975) was a former leader of the Italian left-wing organization, the Red Brigades ("Brigate Rosse"). She was married to Renato Curcio.
Life.
She was born to a middle-class family in Sardagna, Trentino, in the north of Italy. Her mother was a pharmacist and her father a prosperous merchant, owner of a perfumery. In 1964 she enrolled in the faculty of Social Science at the University of Trento. She soon became involved with left-wing student movements, where she got to know Renato Curcio. They worked for the publication "Lavoro Politico" (Political Work). She graduated in 1969. She married Renato Curcio in a Catholic ceremony, after which the couple moved to Milan, where she intended to study for a further two years.
In Milan, the Curcios became full-fledged freedom fighters. The Red Brigades were formed with Alberto Franceschini in the second half of 1970 as a result of the merger of Renato Curcio's Proletarian Left and a left wing student and worker group. After getting arrested in February 1971 for occupying a vacant house, the Curcios and the most "extreme" members of the Proletarian Left went completely underground and organized the Red Brigades. They spent the next three years, from 1972 to 1975, engaging in a series of bombings and kidnappings of prominent figures. Renato Curcio was captured and jailed, but freed by Margherita in a raid on the prison five months later, on 18 February 1975.
In April, Cagol, Mario Moretti and Renato Curcio met in a house near Piacenza to discuss their strategy. The organization was growing and they needed further finance to continue their militant activities. They decided to follow the example of the South American guerrillas and carry out a series of kidnappings, one of the victims being the industrialist Vallarino Gancia. He was chosen because he was wealthy and lived in a region with which they were familiar. According to Renato Curcio, he had also financed a Fascist organization. He was kidnapped on 4 June while on his way to his villa in Canelli, near Asti, bundled into a transporter, and taken to the farmhouse (Cascina Spiotta) on the hills of Acqui Terme. This farmhouse had been purchased some time before by Cagol, and had been used by members of the Red Brigades from Turin. Renato Curcio did not take part in the operation; as a prison escapee, his picture had been published all over Italy, and it was considered too dangerous. Cagol, along with a companion, were left to guard Gancia. Later that evening Cagol phoned Renato to tell him that the operation had been a success. The following morning the Carabinieri began investigating farmhouses in the neighbourhood. Cagol had been on watch during the night, and had gone to bed. Her companion, who took over the watch, fell asleep, and did not wake up until the Carabinieri started knocking at the door. Their escape route was blocked by the Carabinieri’s car, so they decided to storm out. In the ensuing gunfight, two police officers were wounded and one was killed, as was Cagol. Renato Curcio was again captured by the government in January 1976, tried, convicted and imprisoned.


Battle of Honey Springs

The Battle of Honey Springs, also known as the Affair at Elk Creek, on July 17, 1863, was an American Civil War engagement and an important victory for Union forces in their efforts to gain control of the Indian Territory. It was the largest confrontation between Union and Confederate forces in the area that would eventually become Oklahoma. The engagement was also unique in the fact that white soldiers were the minority in both fighting forces. Native Americans made up a significant portion of each of the opposing armies and the Union force contained African-American units.
The battleground is about northeast of what is now Checotah, Oklahoma and south of Muskogee. It was also about southwest of Fort Gibson.
Background.
At the start of the American Civil War, for cultural and economic reasons, all of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory opted to side with the Confederate States of America, raising native troops under the leadership of General Douglas H. Cooper. They drove out pro-Union Creek Indian forces after a short campaign culminating in the Battle of Chustenahlah. However, by 1863, Confederate fortunes in the region had sunk. A Union campaign launched from Kansas led by Major General James G. Blunt drove Confederacy forces from the north of the region, and many of the Cherokee switched sides to support the Union. Union forces led by Colonel William A. Phillips reoccupied Fort Gibson in Indian Territory during April, threatening Confederate forces at Fort Smith. However, Phillips' supply line stretched from Fort Gibson to Fort Scott, Kansas, to the north along the old Texas Road cattle trail. Confederate cavalry, operating from Cooper's encampment at Honey Springs, frequently harassed Fort Gibson and attacked its supply trains.
The Battle of Honey Springs was important for many reasons, among them:
Preparations for battle.
Honey Springs was a stage stop on the Texas Road before the Civil War. Its several springs provided water for men and horses. The U.S. Army equipped it with a commissary, log hospital, and numerous tents for troops. To prepare for an invasion, in 1863 the Confederate Army sent 6,000 soldiers to the spot. Provisions were supplied from Fort Smith, Boggy Depot, Fort Cobb, Fort Arbuckle, and Fort Washita. However, the Confederates failed to stop a 200-wagon Federal supply train in an engagement known as the Battle of Cabin Creek. The supply train reached Fort Gibson about the same time as General Blunt himself arrived, accompanied by more troops and artillery. Federal forces at the fort totalled only about 3,000 men.
According to his after-action report to General Schofield, Blunt arrived in the area on July 11. He found the Arkansas River was high and ordered his troops to begin building boats to ferry them across the river. During this time, he apparently contracted encephalitis, because he had to spend July 14 in bed fighting a high fever.
Believing they were numerically superior, the Confederates plotted a counteroffensive against Union forces at Fort Gibson, to be launched by Cooper's Indians and some attached Texan troops, and 3,000 soldiers of Brigadier General William Cabell's brigade, camped in Fort Smith, Arkansas, which were expected to reach Honey Springs by July 17. Cooper moved his army forward to Honey Springs, Indian Territory, an important Confederate supply depot, to rest and equip, while awaiting Cabell's brigade, marching to link up with Cooper. Union forces under General Blunt got wind of Cooper's plan however, and opted to attack him first, before Cabell arrived, which would have given the Confederates overwhelming numerical superiority. Blunt's command included three federal Indian Home Guard Regiments recruited from all the Five Nations and the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry, with two white cavalry battalions (6th Kansas and 3rd Wisconsin), one white infantry battalion consisting of six companies of the 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment, and two Kansas artillery batteries making the remainder.
The Union advance.
Blunt's troops crossed the Arkansas River in the late afternoon of July 16. They began marching toward Honey Springs at 11 P. M., and continued through the night. They encountered a Confederate picket near Chimney Rock, a local landmark. After routing the picket, they met a Confederate scouting party north of Elk Creek. They came upon the Confederate camp on Elk Creek early in the morning on July 17. Confederate pickets saw the enemy guns in the early light and rushed to inform Cooper. After eating breakfast and resting from the march, Blunt formed his men into two brigades. One brigade, led by William A. Phillips and composed of a battalion of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry, the First and Third Regiments of Indian Home Guards, a battalion of the Second Colorado Infantry, and Capt. Henry Hopkins's (four-gun) battery of Kansas Artillery, plus two guns of Captain Edward A. Smith's battery attached to the cavalry. The other brigade, commanded by Col. William R. Judson, consisted of the Third Wisconsin Cavalry, the Second Regiment of Indian Home Guards, and the First Kansas Colored Infantry with an estimated 700 soldiers, and the remainder of Smith's battery of Kansas Artillery.
Battle.
Blunt's attack began on July 17, with desultory morning skirmishing that revealed many of the Confederate soldiers had wet gunpowder, causing numerous misfires and accidents. The main Union attack began at mid-afternoon, and the beginning of a rain squall intensified the Confederate's ammunition problems. Opposing artillerymen each eliminated one gun on the opposing side during an early artillery duel. Then Blunt saw an opportunity, and ordered the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry to attack. Colonel James M. Williams led the Colored Volunteer infantry forward, but the Confederates held their ground. Williams was wounded, but his troops conducted a disciplined withdrawal and sporadic firing continued. Afterwards, Blunt wrote
I never saw such fighting as was done by the Negro regiment...The question that negroes will fight is settled; besides they make better soldiers in every respect than any troops I have ever had under my command.
During this period the 2nd Indian Home Guards, fighting for the Union, accidentally strayed into no man's land between the Confederate and Union lines. The Federal commanders gave the order for the Home Guards to fall back, the Confederates assumed it was an order to retreat and attacked. The Confederates charged into an established defensive line held by the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, which repulsed the charge.
Cooper pulled his men back towards the depot to obtain new ammunition, but the Federals continued to press his army closely. Heavy fighting occurred when Cooper's men made a stand at a bridge over Elk Creek, roughly 1/4 of a mile south of the original position. Union forces continued driving them back further and gradually beginning to turn Cooper's left, causing a general Confederate retreat. Cooper attempted to fight a rearguard action, making a last stand another 1/2 mile south near Honey Springs Depot. Despite a notable half-hour stand by the Choctaw and Chickasaw regiment, the Indians and Texans were badly organized, disheartened, and in many cases due to poor powder, unarmed. Most simply continued to flee.
Victorious Union forces took possession of the Honey Springs depot, burning what couldn't be immediately used, and occupying the field. Blunt trumpeted the battle as a major victory, claiming Union losses of only 76 (17 dead and 60 wounded), with enemy casualties in excess of 500, although Cooper reported only 181 Confederate casualties (134 killed or wounded and 47 taken prisoner). Cooper claimed that his enemy's forces losses were over 200.
Reasons for Union victory.
The Union army, including its black and Native American forces, had a definite edge in both quantity and quality of weaponry. The Union artillery had ten 1857 12-pounder Napoleon howitzers, two 6-pound howitzers, and plenty of Springfield rifles. The Union troops also had an abundance of shot, shells and canisters.
The Confederate troops were poorly armed, typically with obsolete smoothbore muskets and flintlock shotguns. Ammunition for these was primarily made with cheap Mexican gunpowder that was very susceptible to damage by rainy weather.
The terrible equipment of the Confederates, and the rain squall which ruined their powder, played a large part in the Confederate defeat, although some eyewitness sources, notably future Creek Indian chief George Washington Grayson, claimed Cooper's poor generalship was responsible for the defeat, arguing that about half the Confederate army was never even engaged.
Aftermath.
After the battle, the defeated Confederates withdrew, leaving their dead comrades behind, and met up with Cabell's 3,000 man relief force about 50 miles away. General Blunt did not pursue them because his own troops and horses were very tired. He ordered them to camp overnight at the battlefield, where they could treat the wounded and bury the dead of both sides. Blunt himself was still suffering a high fever from his bout of encephalitis. He finally had to spend the rest of the day in bed. Late the next day Blunt ordered the troops to return to Fort Gibson. Later, Cooper wrote a letter to Blunt, thanking him for burying the Confederate dead. After the war, the Union corpses were exhumed and reburied in Fort Gibson National Cemetery.
The battle was the largest ever fought in the Indian Territory, and would indeed prove to be decisive. The Oklahoma Historical Society even compared its importance to the Battle of Gettysburg. The victory opened the way for Blunt's forces to capture Fort Smith and the Arkansas River Valley all the way to the Mississippi River. The Confederates abandoned Fort Smith in August, 1863, leaving it for the Union forces to recover. Despite the efforts of notable Confederate officers like Stand Watie, Confederate forces in the region would never regain the initiative or engage the Union army in an open, head-on battle again, instead relying almost entirely on guerrilla warfare and small-scale cavalry actions to fight the Federal Army. The loss of the supplies at Honey Springs depot would likewise prove disastrous. Confederate forces, already operating on a shoe-string budget and with bad equipment, would come to increasingly rely on captured Union war material to keep up the fight.
Opposing forces.
Confederate.
Colonel Stand Watie was supposed to have participated in the battle, but just before it began, Cooper sent them toward Webbers Falls as a diversion.
Battlefield today.
The battlefield is located east of U.S. Highway 69 in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, between Rentiesville, and Oktaha. It is managed by the Oklahoma Historical Society. According to the 1997 Master Plan Report, the original battlefield covered , of which the Oklahoma Historical Society owned in 1997. The northern third is in Muskogee County and the southern two-thirds is in McIntosh County.
On Aug. 21, 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced a $1.9 million public-private partnership that includes the Oklahoma Historical Society, McIntosh County and an area nonprofit organization to build a visitor's center to replace the existing facility consisting of a small trailer. A November 2011 story in the "Tulsa World" newspaper cites the U.S. Department of the Interior report as giving consideration of designating the Honey Springs Battlefield as a U.S. National Battlefield Park.
In 2013 the battlefield was named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.
The Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved of the battlefield.


Field cornet

A field cornet () is a term formerly used in South Africa for either a local government official or a military officer.
The office had its origins in the position of "veldwachtmeester" in the Dutch Cape colony, and was regarded as being equivalent to a sergeant. The British administration enhanced its importance with the term field cornet, making it equivalent to an officer's rank.
The term was used for a civilian official in a local government district ("drostdy") of the Cape Colony, acting as and invested with the authority of a military officer and empowered to act as a magistrate. The field cornet was subject to the landdrost of the district and acted as his representative. As such, a field cornet performed important functions in administrative, judicial and police matters. In addition, in peacetime the field cornet was the head of the militia, was responsible for maintaining law and order in his area, and was tasked with supervising the handover of postal items on arrival in his district.
The term later came to denote a military rank equivalent to that of a lieutenant in the Boer armies as well as in the South African Army between 1960 and 1968. A second lieutenant was referred to as an "assistant field cornet".
The term field cornet replaced the word adjutant in the commando organisation in 1968.


5th Guards Infantry Brigade (German Empire)

The 5th Guards Infantry Brigade (German: 5. Garde-Infanterie-Brigade) was a unit in the Imperial German Army prior to and during the First World War. At the outbreak of war, it was part of the 3rd Guards Infantry Division of the Guards Reserve Corps and consisted of the 5th Foot Guards and 5th Guards Grenadiers. In May 1915, the brigade was transferred to the newly created 4th Guards Infantry Division; at about the same time, in accordance with the regulated increase in brigade size from two to three regiments, the 93rd Reserve Infantry Regiment was assigned to the unit.


Crater Union order of battle

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of the Crater (July 30, 1864) of the American Civil War. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.
Union Forces.
General in Chief.
LTG Ulysses S. Grant, commander in chief
Army of the Potomac.
MG George Meade
Provost Guard:

BG Marsena R. Patrick
Engineer Brigade:

BG Henry W. Benham
Signal Corps: Cpt Benjamin F. Fisher
Guards and Orderlies:

IX Corps.
MG Ambrose Burnside
Provost Guard:
Army of the James.
MG Benjamin F. Butler
Siege Artillery: Col Henry L. Abbot
XVIII Corps.
MG Edward Ord