Monday, October 28, 2019

War Poets and the five senses Essay Example for Free

War Poets and the five senses Essay Poetry can evoke a wide spectrum of emotions ranging from sadness to exultation through the poets manipulation of the 5 primal senses; sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. This essay shall explore the emotive language used by Great War poets in order to evoke the senses in the reader, so that the more abstract issues in war can become tangible in those who are lucky enough to have never experienced battle. All forms of imaginative literature, including drama and film, follow the same principle, which can be summed up in the slogan, Show, dont tell. This quote definitely also applies to poetry, for it is often said that to directly tell the reader the tone or the imagery in poetry is heavy-handed. Wilfred Owen, in his poem Dulce Et Decorum Est, uses imagery to brutal effect. Bent double like old beggars under sacks this simile brings to mind the poor, crippled, dirty beggar that has been through hardship after hardship. Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, as under a green sea, I saw him drowning This image of a man drowning under the horrific mustard gas employed in World War One is a powerful one, and makes the reader, who likely doesnt know of mustard gas, understand the horror Owen went through. Siegfried Sassoon also used the Great Wars terrible imagery in his poetry. In his poem Prelude: The Troops he uses short, simple descriptive words spread throughout a stanza to constantly reinforce the drudgery of the image he is trying to instill in the reader. Shapeless gloom drizzling daybreak stamp their sodden boots dulled, sunken these. Dispersed throughout a stanza, these words are certainly effective while not being obvious. Sight is the most useful and oft-manipulated sense that poetry uses to construct mental and tangible images that speak to the reader from abstract ideas, situations or feelings. Sound is often referred to as the secondary sense, after sight, though it has just as much power and influence when described correctly. Sound specifically in war poetry has a very prominent place. Anthem for Doomed Youth fully utilizes sound, though the language Owen uses is simple and poignant. stuttering rifles rapid rattle shrill, demented choirs of  wailing shells these quotes, when read, immediately evoke the sounds of artillery and gunfire, common sounds in the Great War. Owen utilizes this to give the sense of overbearing, foundation shaking explosions and to give the reader an auditory feeling of being in the trenches. Arbitrary and abstract ideas expressed in this way become very real when reading them out loud to yourself. Smell is perhaps the most primal of all the five senses. Though imagery and sound are used most often in film and other media, smell is forgotten. However, smell is one of the most powerful of all the senses in its ability to affect the reader. Who has ever forgotten the stench of rotting meat, or of gunpowder. Siegfried Sassoons the rank stench of those bodies haunts me still is indicative of this. By using the primal sense of smell poets can access the deeper parts of the human psyche, and instill deep emotions in the reader without the reader even realizing it. Owen and Sassoon knew this and both utilize it often in their poetry. Relating to the topic, tangible means to be perceptible by the senses; Earlier on in the evolutionary sense we evolved from animals whose primary sense was smell, and to become tangible, an abstract issue must affect the primary or base emotions. Smell is the most effective in this. Taste is lesser known in poetry because it is so difficult to adequately describe, though Owen tries in Dulce Et. Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues Taste is perhaps the most difficult of the senses to accurately describe, thus is also harder to use to make abstract ideas less so. Touch is one of the most effective senses a poet can manipulate to make abstract ideas more tangible. Through invoking the sense of touch, a poet can stir the reader to easily imagine what the poet wants. Most of all in war poetry, touch is embodied in the sense of pain, for war is the cause of more pain than anything else. Wilfred Owens poetry almost always speaks of pain, death and suffering, and indeed this is true in almost all war poetry. Everyone has experienced physical pain at some stage in their life thus the usage of pain in poetry is always going to affect the reader, for every  reader understands pain. Pain is perhaps the primary feeling during wartime. Emotional or physical, none leave the trenches without experiencing it and by using it in poetry, the reader understands with perfect clarity what the poet is describing, just by imagining their own pain. The five senses are the most important things in poetry, for while an abstract idea may be perfect in its conception and tone, it cannot truly speak to a reader without allowing the reader to feel the poetic message in a more primal way. Wilfred Owen and Sigfreid Sassoon surely understood this as the senses are strong components of their respective works. This allows their poetry to speak to any reader, and explains their huge popularity among the poetic world. The five senses are difficult to describe and harder to use, but without them abstract issues such as in Dulce Et Decorum Est would be difficult indeed to appreciate.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

New Life :: essays research papers

It’s another crisp blue morning in the town of Flagstaff. Two Dogs bark protectively from across the street warning a passer by not to shit in our neighborhood. In my mind Flagstaff is not a solid place, it is continually changing. As I’ve been getting older, my perception of Flagstaff has been growing too. I’ve been coming up to Flag since I was ten years old. At that time, the town felt so old and rustic. It was a place where one could escape from the desert heat, from sitting through boring Sunday sermons, and from the monotony of everyday life. I would come up every weekend with friends to climb in the surrounding canyons. This was our training ground for many years. Bouldering in the forest with beers and buds proved to be an excellent way of getting stronger. Flagstaff was a place where we could push our limits, work on projects and achieve incredibly rewarding goals. Although climbing was always our main priority, we felt that it was important to balance the anguish of rock climbing with the relief of Advil and cold beer. This is where the construction and corruption of my character began. As my friends got older, they began migrating north for college and a new era of Flagstaff emerged. I still came up on weekends to go climbing, but people were becoming harder to motivate. I guess it was half to do with the fact that the climbing was so accessible that you could just go climb any time you wanted, but a new force was also emerging. It came to be known as the â€Å"Evil Party Vortex†. It was a strong gravitational pull which had shifted our focus from climbing to boozing. Late nights lead to shorter days. We seldom got out of the house before 1:00. Coffee intake was so extreme that when you finally got out to the rocks, nervous tremors would shake you off the wall. My climbing was going down hill. I really wanted to move up to join my friends in pursuits of drunken belligerence, yet at the same time I really wanted to travel and rock climb. After I graduated from high school I knew I would be going to NAU, but not right away. I was originally just going to take one year off, but I ended up taking two. I was always searching for the next challenging adventure.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe Research Paper Since the beginning of time, people have been interested in dark and depressing stories about horror. Edgar Allen Poe was a great writer of his time. Many people enjoyed his dark and gloomy stories. Edgar Allen Poe wrote during the romantic era and his dark and depressing life greatly influenced his gothic writing and his famous story The Cask of Amontillado. Edgar Allen Poe lived a really depressing life. Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. He died two years after his wife in 1949 due to brain lesion. TCA) (gothic literature) Before his death he went to the best schools then later joined the army, after he was forced out of school due to bad depts, where he published two of his collections. (TCA) After he got discharged from the army he joined the United States Military Academy at West Point were he published his last collection. (TCA) Poe Published three collections. (TCA) His first collection published while he was in the army, Tamerlane, and Other Poems â€Å"by a Bostonian. † Went unnoticed. TCA) His second collection, AL Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor poems published in 1829 only received slighty more attention when it appeared. (TCA) His third collection Where Peoms was published in 1831. (TCA) Poe wrote during the romanticism period. Although Poe wrote in the romanticism era, Poe mainly wrote gothic literature. (gothic literature) Romanticism was the era of writing the focused on humankind and used emotion to show its writes works. (gothic literature) Romanticism began in the mid 18th century, the n later picked up 19 century, and then declined in the late 19th century. gothic literature) Romanticism was very touching to most individuals during its time. (gothic literature). The romanticism era included writers such as Edgar Allen Poe , Nathaniel Hawthorne, and many other writers of its time frame. The Cask of Amontillado is one of Poe ’s famous stories. (TCA) The Cask of Amontillado is like many of Poe’s other stories, One in particular The Tell-Tale Heart I, another one of Poe’s famous stories. (TCA) Were in most of his murderers, Montressor doesn’t understand his antagonist. Read also Edgar Allan Poe DrugsMany of Poes other stories have a narrator harming another human. (TCA) The Cask of Amontillado is about two men Montressor and Fortunato who are great friends. (TCA) One day   Montressor made Fortunato believe that they were just going to see  an Amontillado, a type of alcoholic beverage called cherry. (TCA) When really Montressor lures Fortunato into his families wine cellar. (TCA) Were Fortunato gets very intoxicated. (TCA) As Montressor and Fortunato get deeper into Fortunato’s families wine cellar Fortunato gets even more intoxicated. TCA) Until Montressor Later traps Fortunato into a room very deep into the cellar, were Fortunato later dies. (TCA) Edgar Allen Poe wrote during the romanticism era and his dark and depressing life greatly influenced his famous story The Cask of Amontillado. Edgar was a well know american poet and short story writer. Poe was particularly important to the ongoing influence of the Gothic on contemporary liter ature Edgar depressing life lead him to be one of the world’s most know horror writer of his time. â€Å"Gothic Literature. Literary Movements for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Literary Movements. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 281-309. Gale U. S. History In Context. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. www. galegroup. com Benton, Richard P. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado: Overview. † Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. www. galegroup. com Clendnning, John. â€Å" â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† Edgar Allen Poe. † Short Story Criticism Ed. Anna Sheets Nesbit.Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 335-341. Stewart, Kate. â€Å" â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† Edgar Allen Poe. † Short Story Criticism Ed. Anna Sheets Nesbit. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 347-350 â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† Edgar Allen Poe †Short Story Criticism Ed. Anna Sheets Nesbit. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 297-298 Poe, Edgar A. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado. † Web. 9 Dec. 2011. . Didn’t know how to make the single equation mark so I just used another equation mark*

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ethnic literature

Ethnic Literature and Postcolonialism In Barta's ; â€Å"Gad's Tangs'† Reading by using Postcolonial theory The definition of ethnic literature â€Å"is literature like any other, except that it contains ethnic references. † (Reilly p. 2). Another definition of ethnic literature is when there is a literature work that contain religious beliefs, racial issues, linguistics, or cultural heritage. In another word, ethnic literature is the literary work that includes particular culture, beliefs, or linguistics distinction. Postcolonial literary theory draws attention in the issue of cultural difference emerging in the society.One of the issues hich may often appear during the class discussion is hybridity. It seems that people who have been faced by the fact that they are living in a ‘hybrid world' tend to be confused by their real status. They realize for their interest, but they can not avoid the possibility becoming ‘in between'. Although , they are included i nto one part, the native part, but on the other hand they can not deny the deep feeling to be pleasant considering themselves different with the other. There is a kind of more value they have compared with their surround, and they think it is worthy to be kept.Of course, this feeling comes into their mind by some reasons. There must be an additional value added into their original culture. The additional value may be in the form of a new ideology, belief or view which are brought by the dominating. The dominated rarely conscious with the impact. They usually only feel that it is a natural process which become the impact of daily social interaction they are engaged in. Another issue which emerges in postcolonial discussion is about dominated-dominating one. We can not expect who actually take the role as ‘dominating' or ‘dominated'.The practice may turn over, the dominated may become the dominating in the same time oward different object, vice versa. We are also introduce d by ‘Otherness' theory. It makes someone consider that she or he are different from the other, and other people is not the same with her or him. Gad's Tangs' tells a story about a girl life, namely Teyi. She is a Javanese girl who grew up in the Javanese tradition. She lives with his parents and sibling in tangsi area. She was taught to become an obedient girl by her mother with many limitations as a girl. She helps her mother to sell fried bananas every day.Teyi finds herself limited by some rules which are considered as the right rules for her mother. She even does not know how ‘love' or how to be ‘loved' by a man. She was taught to be a polite woman. She finally finds who she is when she is introduced to Putri Parasi by Ndara Tuan Kapten SarJubehi who has helped her. That is the beginning of her new experience to recognize a new world, the world that she has never imagined before. Putri Parasi teaches her everything to be ‘a good lady. Putri Parasi likes Teyi for her politeness. She more likes Teyi after being saved when her disease comes immediately.Putri Parasi expects to teach her how to behave well. She even teaches Teyi to speak Dutch. Teyi starts to be able to read and write. Putri Parasi really wants to prepare her to be taken to Surakarta Keraton and introduced her to a man who will be married with her. She plans to make Teyi deserve to have a husband from Keraton families. In the novel Gadis Tangsi written by Suparto Brata, we can see some unexpected phenomenon occur. It makes me realize that actually there are still many things covered even by what Javanese people considered as ‘budaya adiluhung.The word ‘politeness', ‘hospitality and ‘dignity which come into people mind when they heard about Javanese culture become blur after they read this novel. Javanese woman who is considered as an obedient woman and become a mercy for whom takes her as a wife may be surprised by what Suparto tells about Teyi a nd Dumilah. He brings them in this novel as representative of Javanese woman character, in different point of view. However, the story about them, for me, is far from the stereotype of common Javanese women (may be Just a few). The feeling of ‘in between' seem to be experienced by Teyi.She starts to know about how the way the higher status people behave since she meets Putri Parasi. Teyi realizes that her life style is quite different from her, and she is glad when she knows hat Putri Parasi does not mind introducing this new culture to her. From this intentional interaction, after she is taught how to behave like ‘putri bangsawan', Teyi starts to consider she has a chance to be the same with them. Even she lives with her parents, she starts to consider that she is better than them. She has been raised from the lower part. She has more power than the people in the house.The very obvious impact of this teaching actually appears when Teyi has been left by Putri Parasi. Aft er she passed away, Teyi become independent from the influence of Putri Parasi. Although, there are still some traces of her teaching inside Teyi which reflect in the way she behaves. She seems take the dominating position over her husband, Sapardal. Sapardal feeling about his lower position when they have been married becomes the cause of the divorce. Only two days of marriage, and Teyi considers that she has a right to sue divorce, while Sapardal can only keep silent without any comment.In this relationship, Sapardal as a man who actually considered as the dominating' take the role as the dominated'. He does not feel on the same level with Teyi. He admits that he has no power compared to Teyi. He even has no courage to touch her in their first night of marriage. Here, we can see the role between man and woman has shifted. Brata seems to show us that the role of people in the society is like running on the moving wheel. The dominating and dominated are only a symbol of someone posi tion, which also can be shifted based on where we are standing.Sapardal may fail in maintaining his position as superior in front of Teyi. The cultural change also appears in this novel. Sexual intercourse is not considered as a sacral any longer for almost all the women in this novel. During my reading, I wonder if I ead Indonesian culture literary work, especially belong to Javanese one. However, Brata wrote the novel using the Indonesian condition in the past, in the colonial occupation. In this situation, it is not easy to determine which one who still hold the original value since the influence of other ideology come into the life in that simple way.The force of a new ideology input is not directly felt in this novel. The indigenous people enjoy the acculturation between the dominated and the dominating. It also happens in the shifting of the way they see sexual intercourse actually is. What we call as a taboo becomes commonly conducted by the people. Teyi is defined as a free woman, even she has been married and becomes a wife of Sapardal, and she breaks the rule by having intercourse with Ndara Tuan Kapten SarJubehi. It seems that she wants to take a revenge to Dumilah who is considered nad cheated ner by having romantic attair witn ner master.Sapardal can not do anything. He has failed to become a good husband. This thinking is from his own side. When we look at this phenomenon, again, Teyi proves that she has had a power over a man from her own society. She starts to have a right to consider a man like Sapardal is not at the same level with her. However, in my opinion it will not happen if Sapardal never has the way of thinking. Actually, he has thought that she is great and different from the other woman in his environment before they are married. That makes he has no courage to touch her at their first night.It also makes Teyi feels not being regarding or respecting as a wife. She thinks that Sapardal has no desire toward her, and she thinks that it is better to ask divorce. What a short way of thinking! I found that Teyi has put a wrong way of thinking about what Putri Parasi had taught to her. It seems that she does not consider marriage as a sacral relationship any longer. ‘Love' relationship has been considered as a ‘real' relationship when we have passion to have sex with our couple. Is that so simple? That is the way Teyi think about love basically.It is shown also when she does not mind to have sex with her ex-master, Ndara Tuan Kapten SarJubehi, and then she starts to love someone else, Ndara Mas Kus. There is no any guilty feeling. Finally, we can conclude that there are three aspect of postcolonial reading for Gadis Tangsi has been discussed above. First, hybridity appears when Teyi finds herself has involved nd being a part of Putri Parasi's society, Keraton environment since she has been able to behave and speak like her, so she considers that she is a part of Putri community.While she has that feeling, she still can not avoid other people consideration about her who is only becoming a servant and will not become like them. Second, dominating feeling toward Sapardal comes into her mind. There is dominating-dominated in shifting model between them. It seems a denial for a man who usually considered as the dominating one, while Teyi proves that it can be shifted. Last, ‘Otherness' theory also emerges in this novel. After having taught to ave attitude and behave like Putri Parasi model, Teyi finally considers herself different with other woman in her society.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Determining Properties of Pero essays

Determining Properties of Pero essays Determining Properties of Peroxidase Enzyme Jeremy Jones and 2:00 Tues. 1406 lab classmates Biology Department, Tarrant County College, Fort Normal function of peroxidase enzyme is to convert hydrogen peroxide to into water and oxygen. Experiments were carried out to check peroxidase activity at different concentration levels, pH levels, temperatures, and check effect of boiling and Peroxidase is a large protein containing hundreds of amino acids and has an iron ion located at its active site. It is easy to obtain and work with, making it an ideal candidate for lab work. The peroxidase reaction can be measured by following the increased oxygen levels. The simplest way to measure oxygen levels is to test with a dye that reacts to chemically active oxygen. The dye will turn from colorless to colored in a dye-coupled reaction. Guaiacol is a dye that turns brown when oxidized. The enzyme, substrate, and dye can be mixed together and immediately placed in a spectrophotometer. The absorbance at 500nm will increase as more color accumulates. Hypotheses: 1. More peroxidase activity will be observed at higher levels of concentration. 2. More peroxidase activity will be observed at mid-level temperatures and mid-pH levels. 3.Boiling will cause complete denaturation of 4. Hydroxylamine will inhibit all peroxidase activity. All experiments carried out as per Biological Investigations, 6th Edition by Warren D. Dolphin. See Lab Topic 6, Determining the Properties of an Enzyme. 1. Peroxidase activity increased steadily with increased concentration. Tubes 6 and 7 with 2 ml of extract actually went off the absorbance scale at 100 2. Temperature was measured from 4 degrees Celsius to 48 degrees Celsius. Optimum results were obtained at ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Meet an Online Company That Writes Original Papers for Students

Meet an Online Company That Writes Original Papers for Students is a custom writing service founded in 2005 and focusing on premium quality academic research writing services. We provide custom research papers written for you from scratch. We also provide professional essay writers for hire they will write your paper to meet your academic needs. Looking for someone to write your paper? No Problem! We are a reliable, trustworthy professional essay writing service that will get you a top-quality product at a reasonable price. Our goal is also to provide you with a best custom term paper writing service on the web. The data we’ve collected since 2005 shows that a lot of students outsource their writing tasks to ghost writers or professional researchers to get a well-researched and properly done piece of writing. Here are the top 5 benefits of this solution:   You won’t have to spend hours in libraries, doing the background research. The research will not only be conducted in a professional manner, it will fully meet your style, your language – no one will ever find out you didn’t write this paper. You will be able to concentrate on things that are of most importance to you. You will get this extra unnecessary deadline stress off of you. You will learn from example, but the learning will be much more enjoyable easy. Research shows that on average, college graduates are still making 60% more than high school ones – so college is still important.  However, modern education is already facing big problems, as it is unable to keep up with the pace the world develops. By the time you graduate, your knowledge will already get outdated. This holds especially true for disciplines like IT, medicine, marketing, management and many others. So don’t waste your time, join our service and enjoy the ease of outsourcing the tedious writing tasks to the writing professionals. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to focus on Microsoft; Oprah Winfrey chose to focus on her career in the media – and chose to discontinue her studies at Tennessee State University – they chose to quit; you can be smart enough and outsource your homework! Top 10 Things we are going to give you: We will treat you with respect Our customer support service is centered around you; our world revolves around you since you are the center of our universe.   Our customers are our greatest asset and we show respect for them in every way we can. We are a trustworthy partner We will not ask you for your personal details like your teaching institution, your address unless you want to provide this information to us. You will remain anonymous at all times Your name will never ever be disclosed to anyone, your files and contact information will remain on our secure servers. Your confidentiality is our #1 priority. We will stay in touch with you 24/7 to provide assistance Our support team is online 24/7, ready to assist you via chat, phone or email. You will get a 100% authentic, custom written paper All our papers are written from scratch are based on your assignment instructions. There will be no other paper like yours in the entire world! We will scan your paper for plagiarism, making sure it’s fully original Before we actually deliver your paper, we will scan it with our anti-plagiarism software. The anti-plagiarism module we use is based on the Rabin-Karp’s algorithm and it provides the most accurate results. A dedicated MBA or PhD-level professional will work with you   After analyzing your order requirements, we assign a professional writer to work on your paper. Typically we select the writer with a level of expertise higher than you need: e.g. an MBA level writer for BA/BSc level project. However, depending on your needs, we can select a writer with a higher level, all the way up to Ph.D. to work on your paper. We will meet your deadline Our support team is constantly monitoring all the orders and controls delivery. That way you can rest assured your paper is in good hands. Typically, we upload our papers 4-8 hours before the deadline. We will communicate with you to make sure we are on the right track We know it for a fact that communication between all key stakeholders is the key to success. We will ask you questions, writers will ask you questions and do not hesitate to ask us questions too – it’s the only way to ace your project. We will give you accumulate discount   Our accumulative discount policy starts with $100 you spend. The basic discount level is 3% and it goes all the way up to 15%. The more you order, the more you save! Besides, we also have discounts to our first-time customers, allowing them to save up to 20% off their first order. We will give you confidence that your paper is in the right hands You will see your paper is in the right hands by the type of questions we ask. You will see our writers are professionals and they are good at what they do! Contact us today to enjoy the benefits of a professional writing service. Our customer support team is available to you 24/7 and is always ready to assist. Our professional writers will do the background research and the writing required to ace your paper. Also, we offer first-time discounts for our new customers. If you place your first order, you will get 15% off your order. Hurry up, the offer expires in 24 hours!

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Battle of Oriskany in the American Revolution

Battle of Oriskany in the American Revolution The Battle of Oriskany was fought August 6, 1777, during the American Revolution (1775-1783).  In early 1777, Major General John Burgoyne proposed a plan for defeating the Americans. Believing that New England was the seat of the rebellion, he proposed severing the region from the other colonies by marching down the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor while a second force, led by Colonel Barry St. Leger, advanced east from Lake Ontario and through the Mohawk Valley. Rendezvousing at Albany, Burgoyne, and St. Leger would advance down the Hudson, while General Sir William Howes army advanced north from New York City. Though approved by Colonial Secretary Lord George Germain, Howes role in the plan was never clearly defined and issues of his seniority precluded Burgoyne from issuing him orders. Assembling a force of around 800 British and Hessians, as well as 800 Native American allies in Canada, St. Leger began moving up the St. Lawrence River and into Lake Ontario. Ascending the Oswego River, his men reached the Oneida Carry in early August. On August 2, St. Legers advance forces arrived at nearby Fort Stanwix. Garrisoned by American troops under Colonel Peter Gansevoort, the fort guarded the approaches to the Mohawk. Outnumbering Gansevoorts 750-man garrison, St. Leger surrounded the post and demanded its surrender. This was promptly refused by Gansevoort. As he lacked sufficient artillery for battering down the forts walls, St. Leger elected to lay siege (Map). American Commander Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimerapprox. 800 men British Commander Sir John Johnsonapprox. 500-700 men American Response In mid-July, American leaders in Western New York first learned of a possible British attack into the region. Responding, the leader of Tryon Countys Committee of Safety, Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer, issued a warning that the militia may be needed to block the enemy. On July 30, Herkimer received reports from friendly Oneidas that St. Legers column was within a few days march of Fort Stanwix. Upon receipt of this information, he immediately called out the countys militia. Gathering at Fort Dayton on the Mohawk River, the militia mustered around 800 men. This force included a group of Oneidas led by Han Yerry and Colonel Louis. Departing, Herkimers column reached the Oneida village of Oriska on August 5. Pausing for the night, Herkimer dispatched three messengers to Fort Stanwix. These were to inform Gansevoort of the militias approach and asked that receipt of the message be acknowledged by firing three cannons. Herkimer also requested that part of the forts garrison sortie to meet his command. It was his intention to remain in place until the signal was heard. As the next morning progressed, no signal was heard from the fort. Though Herkimer wished to remain at Oriska, his officers argued for resuming the advance. The discussions became increasingly heated and Herkimer was accused of being a coward and having Loyalist sympathies. Angered, and against his better judgment, Herkimer ordered the column to resume its march. Due to difficulty in penetrating the British lines, the messengers sent on the night of August 5 did not arrive until later the next day. The British Trap At Fort Stanwix, St. Leger learned of Herkimers approach on August 5. In an effort to prevent the Americans from relieving the fort, he ordered Sir John Johnson to take part of his Kings Royal Regiment of New York along with a force of rangers and 500 Seneca and Mohawks to attack the American column. Moving east, Johnson selected a deep ravine approximately six miles from the fort for an ambush. Deploying his Royal Regiment troops along the western exit, he placed the Rangers and Native Americans down the ravines sides. Once the Americans had entered the ravine, Johnsons men would attack while a Mohawk force, led by Joseph Brant, would circle around and strike the enemys rear. A Bloody Day Around 10:00 AM, Herkimers force descended into the ravine. Though under orders to wait until the entire American column was in the ravine, a party of Native Americans attacked early. Catching the Americans by surprise, they killed Colonel Ebenezer Cox and wounded Herkimer in the leg with their opening volleys. Refusing to be taken to the rear, Herkimer was propped up under a tree and continued to direct his men. While the main body of the militia was in the ravine, those troops at the rear had not yet entered. These came under attack from Brant and many panicked and fled, though some did fight their way forward to join their comrades. Assailed on all sides, the militia took heavy losses and the battle soon degenerated into numerous small unit actions. Slowly regaining control of his forces, Herkimer began pulling back to the edge of the ravine and American resistance began to stiffen. Concerned about this, Johnson requested reinforcements from St. Leger. As the battle became a pitched affair, a heavy thunderstorm erupted which caused a one-hour break in the fighting. Taking advantage of the lull, Herkimer tightened his lines and directed his men to fire in pairs with one firing and one loading. This was to ensure that a loaded weapon was always available should a Native American charge forward with a tomahawk or spear. As the weather cleared, Johnson resumed his attacks and, at the suggestion of Ranger leader John Butler, had some of his men reverse their jackets in an effort to make the Americans think a relief column was arriving from the fort. This bit of trickery failed as the Americans recognized their Loyalist neighbors in the ranks. Despite this, British forces were able to exert heavy pressure on Herkimers men until their Native American allies began to leave the field. This was largely due to both the unusually heavy losses sustained in their ranks as well as word arriving that American troops were looting their camp near the fort. Having received Herkimers message around 11:00 AM, Gansevoort had organized a force under Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willett to sortie from the fort. Marching out, Willetts men attacked the Native American camps south of the fort and carried off plenty of supplies and personal belongings. They also raided Johnsons camp nearby and captured his correspondence. Abandoned at the ravine, Johnson found himself outnumbered and was forced to withdraw back to the siege lines at Fort Stanwix. Though Herkimers command was left in possession of the battlefield, it was too badly damaged to advance and retreated back to Fort Dayton. Aftermath of the Battle In the wake of the Battle of Oriskany, both sides claimed victory. In the American camp, this was justified by the British retreat and Willetts looting of the enemy camps. For the British, they claimed success as the American column failed to reach Fort Stanwix. Casualties for the Battle of Oriskany are not known with certainty, though it is estimated that American forces may have sustained as many as 500 killed, wounded, and captured. Among the American losses was Herkimer who died on August 16 after having his leg amputated. Native American losses were approximately 60-70 killed and wounded, while British casualties numbered around 7 killed and 21 wounded or captured. Though traditionally seen as a clear American defeat, the Battle of Oriskany marked a turning point in St. Legers campaign in western New York. Angered by the losses taken at Oriskany, his Native American allies became increasingly disgruntled as they had not anticipated in taking part in large, pitched battles. Sensing their unhappiness, St. Leger demanded Gansevoorts surrender and stated that he could not guarantee the garrisons safety from being massacred by the Native Americans following a defeat in battle. This demand was immediately rejected by the American commander. In the wake of Herkimers defeat, Major General Philip Schuyler, commanding the main American army on the Hudson, dispatched Major General Benedict Arnold with around 900 men to Fort Stanwix. Reaching Fort Dayton, Arnold sent forward scouts to spread misinformation regarding the size of his force. Believing that a large American army was approaching, the bulk of St. Legers Native Americans departed and began fighting a civil war with the American-allied Oneidas. Unable to maintain the siege with his depleted forces, St. Leger was forced to begin retreating towards Lake Ontario on August 22. With the western advance checked, Burgoynes main thrust down the Hudson was defeated that fall at the Battle of Saratoga. Selected Sources National Park Service: Battle of OriskanyFort Stanwix National Monument: Battle of OriskanyBattle of Oriskany