Potomac River

The Potomac River: What can we do to help? The Potomac river runs through Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. It is 405 miles long and flows in to the Chesapeake Bay. Washington D.C. started using the Potomac river as their main source of drinking water in 1864 after building and opening the Washington aqueduct. (“Documentary History of American Water-works”) Pollution began to become a problem for the Potomac river in the beginning of the 19th century as agriculture advanced. The main sources of pollution were sewage and chemicals that drained into the river. This drainage led to excessive nitrogen and phosphorus sediment build up in the river. Excessive nitrogen deposits led to dead zones in the river. A dead zone is…

During the 17th century, many Europeans, especially the English came over to America in search of a life better than the one they had in England. In the early to mid 1600s, two different groups of people, the participants from the Virginia Company and the Puritans. Despite this similarity, both the participants and the Puritans had other intentions of moving to America and with this, many other differences. Taking all the advantages and disadvantages the two groups had into consideration, the…

George B. McClellan 1826-1885 was a United States Army officer, railroad president, and politician who served as a major general during the Civil War 1861-65. McClellan organized the Army of the Potomac in 1861 and briefly served as general-in-chief of the Union Army. McClellan was well liked by his men but his reluctance to attack the Confederacy with the full force of his Army despite having a significant advantage put him on bad terms with President Abraham Lincoln. In 1862 McClellan…

aggressive leader. General Hooker spearheaded the Union assault at the Battle of Antietam, which ended in a stalemate. During the devastating Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg, General Hooker’s units sustained heavy casualties. General Hooker recognized the futility of the Union’s effort to assault the Confederate forces that were firmly entrenched and repeatedly repelled the Union’s assaults. After the defeat at Fredericksburg, General Hooker was so critical of the leadership…

In April 1861, General Robert E. Lee was offered command of the Union Army by Abraham Lincoln. Lee declined this offer writing “I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children,” (p.81). The General a few days later, accepted his appointment as commander in chief to Virginia;s military. Lee knew that the North was plentiful in resources so they would win a war of abrasion. With this in mind, he hoped that the south could win a few battles and pressure Lincoln to stop the…

Soldiers that were rested and ready to fight. Unlike the Union Army in which Soldiers were untrained and were not used to long road marches, hence causing a domino effect of exhausted Soldiers in the battlefield. To complicate matters even more, during the planning process there were serious issues with the maps and its geography, which brought serious discrepancies in marching routes and distances for rally points. There was a spy in Washington D.C. that informed the Confederates of the…

failures that helped him in the long run. Lincoln was forced to make many difficult decisions that both did and did not turn result in his favor. The strengths and weaknesses which Lincoln displayed during the war led to the ultimate success for the Union in uniting the states. Lincoln’s failures can be considered part of what drove him to succeed. In terms of failures, many battles fought and lost in the war can be considered. The Seven Days battles can be considered significant in this case.…

Al sick will be away by tomorrow night. Everything being done to carry out your orders.” Although many in Washington would have hoped to see the Army of the Potomac falter as they had done in the campaign, McClellan evacuated the army in a quick and timely manner. Washington began receiving accounts regarding the army’s admirable progress. A wire sent by Major General John A. Dix on August 16th read, “ from all accounts the movement is progressing rapidly and successfully.” While General…

Over 600,000 casualties was the devastating result of the Civil War, America’s bloodiest military conflict. The South’s decision to secede from the Union is what prompted the onset of the Civil War, which started April 12, 1861- May 9,1865. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a Colonel for the Union army. Although he was in multiple battles in the Civil War, he is most remembered for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg. Of all battles fought during the Civil War, it was argued that the Battle of…

The purpose of the stream table investigation was to investigate the variables that influence erosion rates in a stream. Sediments that were eroded at or near Linganore High School end up in the Chesapeake Bay. Sediments eroded from rocks in Linganore Creek and are carried to the Monocacy River. From there, the sediments are taken to the Potomac River. The Potomac River’s water and anything loose in it are dispensed into the Chesapeake Bay. Water transports the material from Linganore to the…