Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Peer Review (gasp!)
Our in-class review was very helpful. Professor Littlejohn forced us to bring a 2-page summary of our current paper. This really made me prepare for the review. Furthermore, I did not want to embarrass myself in front of my peers, so I put some good work into the summary. The peer review presented to me by my paired-up peer was actually quite uplifting. He said that I had a compelling story, and that I had few errors. My peer review for his paper, however, was not so pleasant. He submitted very little work, and I mentioned this in my review. I spoke with him about some changes and additions he could make, and he took my criticism quite well. With this I learned that the peer review process could be very helpful in writing a major paper, and it also keeps students up-to-date on their projects. So with my current progress, it seems that I am on my way to an A-grade project. Or at least I hope...
Dreamweavin #2
At this point, I should be fairly far along in the design of my website, according to the course syllabus. But all I have is the sample website that i created 2 weeks ago. I have managed, however, to add a lot of commentary. I have also included new pictures and a few more pages. Actually, it is turning out quite nice ...for a sample site. But what about my actual website? I can't seem to decide on a proper layout or format. And the colors! What colors will i use? black-and-white, brown, the school colors (orange and blue)? i don't know!
A Solid Thesis
With 3 weeks left to complete my final paper and digital project, I still do not have a solid thesis. Professor Littlejohn helped me come up with one in class, and I attempted to fit it into my paper. But I soon found that it simply did not fit. I have pages of good content for my paper, but I still can't come up with a thesis. I have already performed hours of research using primary and secondary resources, and my story of T.J., as I am writing it, is quite compelling. I only hope that a thesis statement forms up in my mind along the way...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Photoshopped
I checked out the book Longstreet's Aide: the Civil War Letters of Major Thomas J. Goree from the Grisham Library, and in it contained some very nice photos that I could have used for my digital project. The first photo was of a youthful T.J. Goree. It was probably taken in his early twenties as a lawyer. This would have been just a short few years before he enlisted in the Confederate Army. The second picture was a family photo of the Goree family. All the siblings were present for the photo including the four brothers and the only Goree sister, Sarah. T.J.'s father had passed away, so they held up a portrait of him. What's odd is that Thomas' mother was alive at the time of the photoshoot, but she was not present. Her portrait was held up in her stead.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Digital Project PR #2
TJ Goree #2 - Thomas Jewett Goree was born on November 14, 1835 in Marion, Alabama. When he was 15, Thomas, or better known as TJ, moved with his family to Huntsville, Texas. At the age of 18, he attended Baylor & earned a law degree, and by 1858, he formed a law partnership (Goree). In 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, he left everything behind to join the Confederate Army. “The military service career of T. J. began July 1, 1861 as a volunteer with a small band referred to as the Texas Rangers” (Longstreet). On a ship headed from Galveston to New Orleans, Goree met Major James Longstreet, who had just resigned from the U.S. Army (Antietam). From this point on, the two became close friends, and TJ fought in almost every battle alongside General Longstreet. “Goree, who was eventually promoted to captain, served as Longstreet's aide-de-camp throughout the war and was involved in almost every battle in which Longstreet's division took part. He was never wounded, though he had several horses shot out from under him, and his clothing was riddled with bullet holes” (Handbook). “[Goree] served under General James Longstreet from the first battle of Manassas until the final curtain at Appomattox, nearly four years later” (Longstreet).
As a young officer in the Confederate Army, T.J. was very informed of the situation both on the battlefield, on civil matters, and on the international stage. He wrote several letters during his time as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. He wrote to his brother in Huntsville concerning possible alliances with England. He even gave advice on what crops his brother should grow with the threat of the Union blockade and the possibility of a long war (Goree L). Furthermore, as expected from personal letters, his opinion was not always professional. T.J. often spoke poorly of Union soldiers and generals, but he had even harsher words for lackluster Confederate generals and Confederate President Davis himself. Many of the words he devoted to his letters described the condition of the Confederate soldiers while on the battlefield, and how the soldiers’ morale was affected by victory and defeat.
In several of his letters to his relatives and close friends, T.J. gave details on the strategies and conditions of his unit & other units. In today’s armed forces, this would be considered a major security breach. Luckily for the South, letters such as these were not easily intercepted by Union intelligence. But these descriptions laid out by T.J. in his letters gave insight on the conditions of the Confederate soldiers on the ground. T.J. described how the climate and seasons greatly affected the soldiers’ performance and ability to make war. In one letter to his mother, T.J. explained how physically difficult it was to write to her because of the extreme winter cold.
After the war, T.J. went back home to Texas, where he oversaw the Raven Hill Plantation near Huntsville. “His mother had purchased [the plantation] from Sam and Margaret M. L. Houston in 1858… On June 25, 1868, Goree married Elizabeth Thomas Nolley who was head of Andrew Female College at Huntsville” (Handbook). In 1870, the couple relocated to Madison County, Texas, where T.J. formed another law partnership. In 1877, T.J. was appointed superintendent of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, an office he held for fourteen years (Longstreet). He later moved to Galveston, where he survived the devastating Hurricane of 1900. On March 5,1905, Thomas Jewett Goree died of pneumonia in Galveston, Texas at the age of 69.
Sources:
Antietam on the Web. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Antietam on the Web,http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=1090.
Goree, L. “Goree, Thomas Jewett Family” in Walker County History. Tides at Stephen F. Austin State University, http://tides.sfasu.edu:2006/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/Huntsville&CISOPTR=1169&REC=2.
Goree, L. “The Thomas Jewett Goree Letters, Vol. 1: The Civil War Correspondence.” Bryan,Texas: Family History Foundation, 1981. Print.
The Handbook of Texas. “Goree, Thomas Jewett.” The Handbook of Texas Online,http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/fgo17.html.
Longstreet’s Command. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Living History Association,http://www.longstreetscommand.org/Goree.html.
As a young officer in the Confederate Army, T.J. was very informed of the situation both on the battlefield, on civil matters, and on the international stage. He wrote several letters during his time as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. He wrote to his brother in Huntsville concerning possible alliances with England. He even gave advice on what crops his brother should grow with the threat of the Union blockade and the possibility of a long war (Goree L). Furthermore, as expected from personal letters, his opinion was not always professional. T.J. often spoke poorly of Union soldiers and generals, but he had even harsher words for lackluster Confederate generals and Confederate President Davis himself. Many of the words he devoted to his letters described the condition of the Confederate soldiers while on the battlefield, and how the soldiers’ morale was affected by victory and defeat.
In several of his letters to his relatives and close friends, T.J. gave details on the strategies and conditions of his unit & other units. In today’s armed forces, this would be considered a major security breach. Luckily for the South, letters such as these were not easily intercepted by Union intelligence. But these descriptions laid out by T.J. in his letters gave insight on the conditions of the Confederate soldiers on the ground. T.J. described how the climate and seasons greatly affected the soldiers’ performance and ability to make war. In one letter to his mother, T.J. explained how physically difficult it was to write to her because of the extreme winter cold.
After the war, T.J. went back home to Texas, where he oversaw the Raven Hill Plantation near Huntsville. “His mother had purchased [the plantation] from Sam and Margaret M. L. Houston in 1858… On June 25, 1868, Goree married Elizabeth Thomas Nolley who was head of Andrew Female College at Huntsville” (Handbook). In 1870, the couple relocated to Madison County, Texas, where T.J. formed another law partnership. In 1877, T.J. was appointed superintendent of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, an office he held for fourteen years (Longstreet). He later moved to Galveston, where he survived the devastating Hurricane of 1900. On March 5,1905, Thomas Jewett Goree died of pneumonia in Galveston, Texas at the age of 69.
Sources:
Antietam on the Web. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Antietam on the Web,http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=1090.
Goree, L. “Goree, Thomas Jewett Family” in Walker County History. Tides at Stephen F. Austin State University, http://tides.sfasu.edu:2006/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/Huntsville&CISOPTR=1169&REC=2.
Goree, L. “The Thomas Jewett Goree Letters, Vol. 1: The Civil War Correspondence.” Bryan,Texas: Family History Foundation, 1981. Print.
The Handbook of Texas. “Goree, Thomas Jewett.” The Handbook of Texas Online,http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/fgo17.html.
Longstreet’s Command. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Living History Association,http://www.longstreetscommand.org/Goree.html.
Dreamweavin...
Dreamweaver is an amazing program. But only if you know how to use it. After following Professor Littlejohn's overhead instructions, I felt confident that I could easily adapt to using this software. After all, I have always been pretty PC-savvy. First he made us follow the format of a random website and showed us how to create the basic setup for a site. This came as quite simple to me. I played around with the tools, commands, etc., and I quickly had a sample website up and running. The design process was quite interesting, but I could see how it could easily be overwhelming for a lot of people.
Digital Project PR #1
TJ Goree #1 - Thomas Jewett Goree was born on November 14, 1835 in Marion, Alabama. When he was 15, Thomas, or better known as T.J., moved with his family to Huntsville, Texas. At the start of the American Civil War, Goree met future Confederate general James Longstreet on a ship headed from Galveston to New Orleans. From this point on, the two became close friends, and T.J. fought in almost every battle alongside General Longstreet. "[Goree] served under General James Longstreet from the first battle of Manassas until the final curtain at Appomattox, nearly four years later” (Longstreet).
As a young officer in the Confederate Army, T.J. was very informed of the situation both on the battlefield and on the international stage. He wrote several letters during his time as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. He wrote to his brother in Huntsville concerning possible alliances with England. He even gave advice on what crops his brother should grow with the threat of the Union blockade and the possibility of a long war (Goree L). Furthermore, as expected from personal letters, his opinion was not always professional. T.J. often spoke poorly of Union soldiers and generals, but he had even harsher words for lackluster Confederate generals and Confederate President Davis himself. Many of the words he devoted to his letters described the condition of the Confederate soldiers while on the battlefield, and how the soldiers’ morale was affected by victory and defeat.
After the war, T.J. went back home to Texas, where he oversaw the Raven Hill Plantation near Huntsville. In 1870, he moved to Madison County, Texas with his wife. While there, he formed a law partnership. In 1877, T.J. was appointed superintendent of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, an office he held for fourteen years (Longstreet). He later moved to Galveston, where he survived the devastating Hurricane of 1900. On March 5,1905, Thomas Jewett Goree died of pneumonia in Galveston, Texas at the age of 69.
Sources:
Antietam on the Web. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Antietam on the Web,http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=1090.
Goree, L. “Goree, Thomas Jewett Family” in Walker County History. Tides at Stephen F. Austin State University, http://tides.sfasu.edu:2006/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/Huntsville&CISOPTR=1169&REC=2.
Goree, L. “The Thomas Jewett Goree Letters, Vol. 1: The Civil War Correspondence.” Bryan, Texas: Family History Foundation, 1981. Print.
The Handbook of Texas. “Goree, Thomas Jewett.” The Handbook of Texas Online, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/fgo17.html.
Longstreet’s Command. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Living History Association, “http://www.longstreetscommand.org/Goree.html.
As a young officer in the Confederate Army, T.J. was very informed of the situation both on the battlefield and on the international stage. He wrote several letters during his time as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. He wrote to his brother in Huntsville concerning possible alliances with England. He even gave advice on what crops his brother should grow with the threat of the Union blockade and the possibility of a long war (Goree L). Furthermore, as expected from personal letters, his opinion was not always professional. T.J. often spoke poorly of Union soldiers and generals, but he had even harsher words for lackluster Confederate generals and Confederate President Davis himself. Many of the words he devoted to his letters described the condition of the Confederate soldiers while on the battlefield, and how the soldiers’ morale was affected by victory and defeat.
After the war, T.J. went back home to Texas, where he oversaw the Raven Hill Plantation near Huntsville. In 1870, he moved to Madison County, Texas with his wife. While there, he formed a law partnership. In 1877, T.J. was appointed superintendent of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, an office he held for fourteen years (Longstreet). He later moved to Galveston, where he survived the devastating Hurricane of 1900. On March 5,1905, Thomas Jewett Goree died of pneumonia in Galveston, Texas at the age of 69.
Sources:
Antietam on the Web. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Antietam on the Web,http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=1090.
Goree, L. “Goree, Thomas Jewett Family” in Walker County History. Tides at Stephen F. Austin State University, http://tides.sfasu.edu:2006/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/Huntsville&CISOPTR=1169&REC=2.
Goree, L. “The Thomas Jewett Goree Letters, Vol. 1: The Civil War Correspondence.” Bryan, Texas: Family History Foundation, 1981. Print.
The Handbook of Texas. “Goree, Thomas Jewett.” The Handbook of Texas Online, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/fgo17.html.
Longstreet’s Command. “Thomas Jewett Goree.” Living History Association, “http://www.longstreetscommand.org/Goree.html.
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