Y is for Yorktown (Blogging through the Alphabet)

This post contains affiliate links. For more information please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Many of the locations in the United States of America were named for places overseas. This is true of places such as Birmingham, Alabama; Canterbury, Connecticut; Concord, Massachusetts; and Yorktown, Virginia. Of course, in addition to English names we also find influence of the Spanish, French, and German settlers – as well as others. The historic town of Yorktown, which sits upon the York River, is important to American history because it is the last major battle of the American Revolution.

There are many excellent resources to use when studying the Colonial and American Revolutionary time periods of American history. And there are so many different aspects one could study when learning about the Revolutionary War but learning about the last major battle – the Siege of Yorktown is extraordinarily important. In September and October of 1781, the combined military forces of the Americans and French led the Yorktown campaign which would ultimately see Lord Cornwallis surrender.

General Washington and Comte de Rochambeau 

Land Attack 

The British at Yorktown were vulnerable to both land attacks and a blockade by sea. This combined attack on the British started in late September 1781 with General George Washington's American forces and Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau's French forces surrounding Yorktown.

Blockade by Sea 

Cornwallis was hopeful that the relief forces being sent from New York would arrive to assist the British. He had received notice from General Clinton, commander in chief of the British Army, that men would be sent from New York but he failed to realize that a blockade would prevent the troops from arriving. The French fleet, under Admiral Francois Joseph, Comte de Grasse, prevented the British ships from providing the relief British soldiers.

Artillery Barrage 

The Franco-American forces attack moved closer to Yorktown as Cornwallis abandoned his trenches further out and moved closer to the York River. This allowed the French and American soldiers to move the cannons closer to fire upon the city. So from early to mid-October, the Franco-American forces fired upon Cornwallis and the British defenses crumbled. British food and ammunition were running low and there was no sign of reinforcements being able to make their way to Cornwallis.

Surrender 

On October 17, 1781, Lord Cornwallis asked for terms of surrender. Two days later, on October 19, approximately 8,000 British troops surrendered. This was the last large battle of the American Revolution. Some fighting would continue for two more years until the formal peace treaty was signed in 1783 but this was the last major action between the Revolutionaries and the British.


Today you can visit Yorktown Battlefield which is part of Colonial National Historic Park in Virginia.

Images from WPClipart.com

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like: 

  

Orange, red, and yellow leaves fall to the ground...November Writing Prompts

With leaves falling all around you and your children, perhaps you could use some inspiration for your writing tasks for the month of November. Or maybe the snow has already started falling where you live. This month I am sharing several photographs and a new, free resource for you and your family. 

Happy Writing! 

November Writing Prompts 

If you or your children are inspired by any of the photographs or prompts, I would love to hear about it! Thank you.

X is for Xerxes (Blogging through the Alphabet)

Who would have thought that one of the letters that was the easiest for me to decide upon was the letter X? When I was preparing my list for this series of Blogging through the Alphabet, I knew the Persian king, Xerxes, would be a perfect choice. However, I did not realize that finding information about him would prove to be difficult if I wasn't relying up on the Internet.

Xerxes I ruled the Persian Empire from 486 BC, when he succeeded his father Darius I, to 465 BC, when he was assassinated. While he was king, he expanded the Persian Empire to include territory from modern-day Turkey and the North African coast all the way to the Indus River Valley. He also led a war against the Greek city-states. The land and sea force that Xerxes raised to attack the Greeks included more than 180,000 men.

There are perhaps two things for which Xerxes is most remembered – the continuation of building his father's city and the capture and burning of Athens in 480 BC. 

Persepolis 

The third capital of the Persian Empire – Persepolis – was started by Darius I. When Xerxes took over the empire, he continued to work on completing the city. It is believed that Xerxes finished the work on the Treasury and its surrounding buildings. The city would disappear from history when Alexander the Great covered the city by earth but it would be excavated in the 1940s. In Persepolis, we see the diversity of the empire represented in the variety of architectural styles. One can find a great palace complex that holds offices, treasuries, reception halls, and audience halls. 

Attack on Greek City-States 

Perhaps the Spartans that faced Xerxes' troops at the mountain pass of Thermopylae are remembered more than the Persian king is? At the Battle of Thermopylae, Spartans held back the Persian troops as they marched south from Macedonia until a traitor told Xerxes of another pass through the mountains. 

The Persians were able to push towards Athens. They captured and burned the city – including the Acropolis.  Even though the Persians were victorious over the Athenians on land, things would not work out in their favor at sea.

Approximately 1000 Persian ships sailed from home and they met the Greeks in the Bay of Salamis. The Greeks had a fleet of 20 triremes which were better suited to maneuvering in the bay. The Greeks were able to crush the Persian fleet while Xerxes watched from shore. With the defeat, he returned to Asia Minor. The Persians would never attack the Greek city-states again.

I created a Emperors of Persia Handout for you to download this week! It lists the emperors from Cyrus the Great to Darius III.

Minecraft Birthday: Punch Trees and Party!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Everyone in our family enjoys Minecraft (okay, maybe Dad doesn't enjoy it as much as the rest of us but he will still play the video game with us if we ask). When we asked our soon-to-be five-year-old what theme he wanted for his birthday party, Minecraft was a top choice.

Food

As our teen had a Minecraft-themed birthday party a few years ago, we wanted to try to serve some different foods this time. Plus – with our 5-year-old's birthday being in June, we were able to grill food outdoors rather than just rely upon indoor cooking like we usually do for our teen's birthday in September.  

We prepared hamburgers and hot dogs for the beef and pork of Minecraft. The other foods in the Minecraft world consist of bread (hamburger and hot-dog rolls), fish (Swedish fish), baked potatoes (potato salad), carrots, and melon (gummy melon candy).

We also had lots of different types of snacks and candies to represent the different ores and other items from the Minecraft game. 

Ores: Lapis, gold, iron, diamond, redstone, emerald, and coal 

Lava and Water: Jello 

Sticks: Pretzel sticks 

Treats and Sweets

We put together an Enderman Cake and decorated cupcakes like the cake from the game.

Enderman cake

Cupcakes decorated like the cake (It's a lie!) from Minecraft

Decorations

As usual, I like to have the children involved with preparing the decorations for the parties. It provides the perfect opportunity to work on arts and crafts, learn new skills, and cooperate to ensure everyone has a fun time. 

Our teen helped with making a Minecraft Birthday Sign

Minecraft Tools 

Our teen drew the templates for the sword, ax, and shovel and I traced them onto cardboard from boxes and cut them out. Then our two younger children and I painted them along with a few torches to decorate the house. Yes, we could have bought the foam ones but it wouldn't have provided as much fun as painting lots of Minecraft objects on the living room floor! 

Minecraft Creatures 

I had been saving old boxes for quite a while in our basement and now was the time to use them! I painted them white and then used both construction paper and plastic tablecloths to create a pig and enderman.

Nether Portal and Photo Background 

At the entry way to our kitchen, I created a Nether Portal with purple and black crepe paper.

My husband and I used a blue tablecloth, white construction paper, and green construction paper to create a Minecraft backdrop for photos.

Other Decorations 

In a previous post, I shared how we created Minecraft Character faces to decorate. We also used Minecraft toys that our sons have gotten as gifts over the years. Our teen and I also created spawn eggs using permanent markers and old plastic eggs. 

Games

The kids played Creeper Toss with Creeper Spawn Eggs and this giant Creeper Head I made from a cardboard box.

The party was a great hit with our son, family, and friends. I love being able to help our children celebrate with fun parties.

 

Book Club: Book Review of Day by Day through the Gospel of John

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in return for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy. Thank you.

When my copy of Day by Day through the Gospel of John: 365 Timeless Devotions From Classic Writers compiled and edited by Lance Wubbels arrived for me to review, I was surprised by the quality of the book. It is a beautiful hardcover book with a ribbon to mark one's place over the course of the year. As this is a devotional, I did not read it cover to cover but instead started reading it at the beginning when I received access on NetGalley and picked up with the appropriate day when the hardcover arrived in the mail.

The introduction by Lance Wubbels provides an excellent explanation of what this book is:

"Verse by verse, following the biblical text consecutively through the life of Jesus Christ, here are 365 devotional readings packed with profound biblical commentary, sound wisdom, and practical application for a Christian's daily walk." 

Starting with January 1st and John 1:1 the reader is taken through the Book of John with Christian leaders and writers such as Alexander Whyte, Charles Spurgeon, Andrew Murray, Charles Finnay, Catherine Booth, and others. There are many days that I found particularly wonderful to read including February 23 which addressed one of my favorite Bible Verses - John 3:16. Alexander Maclaren writes "that however little I may love or think about Him [God], it does not make one ounce of difference as to the fact that He loves me." This is a great reminder in the middle of winter and each and every day of our lives.

I love the fact that Day by Day through the Gospel of John makes available the writings of very important scholars, leaders, and writers that otherwise would be difficult to obtain or read. Each day I have enjoyed opening the devotional to read the Word of God in the Gospel according to John and a reflection by a classic writer. The ribbon attached to the book makes it so easy to mark my place as we move through the calendar year.

In addition to the daily reflections, there is an introduction by Lance Wubbels, short biographies of the classic writers and contributors, and the ribbon bookmark. These only add to the value of this beautiful hardcover edition.

Personally, I really do find that each day speaks to me and I hope that you will also find this to be true. The text of the book is easy to read and I found it lays flat on the table which makes it easy to read. I recommend this book for those seeking a new way to study the Bible, those who enjoy devotionals, and those looking for a gift for a loved one.