The Larami Corporation was a toy company established by David W. Ring in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , in 1959. It produced licensed toys based on movies and television shows. Often low-quality, these were manufactured in Hong Kong and Japan for sale on grocery store toy aisle racks for under a dollar.
106-559: By the 1980s, Larami had a growing water gun product line, and launched the Super Soaker brand in 1991. In 1995, it was acquired by Hasbro Inc , which renamed it Larami Inc. before retiring it in 2002. In 1947, David W. Ring and his brother founded Ring Brothers Toy Wholesale, selling toys to retailers out of the back of his car. Ring founded the Larami Corporation in 1959 after being introduced to toy imports during
212-519: A Catholic at the behest of his foster family. According to Lewis's account, which was repeated by later authors, Sherman was baptized in the Ewing home by a Dominican priest who found the pagan name Tecumseh unsuitable and instead named the child William after the saint on whose feast day the baptism took place. Sherman had already been baptized as an infant by a Presbyterian minister and recent biographers believe, contrary to Lewis's claims, that he
318-641: A Cylon soap bubble toy called the Battlestar Galactica Cylon Bubble Machine to coincide with the television series of the same name. In the same year, a commercial was also made for the product featuring its use in dispensing "big bunches of bubbles" and a jingle . The jingle was described in one review as "amazingly goofy with a chorus yelping, 'Battlestar Galacticaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ...CYLON BUBBLE MACHINE!'" and in an interview Re-imagined Series comics writer Greg Pak as said "I still periodically find myself humming
424-599: A general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognition for his command of military strategy but criticism for the harshness of his scorched-earth policies, which he implemented in his military campaign against the Confederate States . British military theorist and historian B. H. Liddell Hart declared that Sherman was "the most original genius of
530-538: A streetcar company called the Fifth Street Railroad. Thus, he was living in the border state of Missouri as the secession crisis reached its climax. While trying to hold himself aloof from politics, he observed first-hand the efforts of Congressman Frank Blair , who later served under Sherman in the U.S. Army, to keep Missouri in the Union. In early April, Sherman declined Montgomery Blair 's offer of
636-541: A general store in Coloma , which earned him $ 1,500 in 1849 while his army salary was only $ 70 a month. Sherman also earned money from surveying and by the sale of lots in Sacramento and Benicia . Even though he earned a brevet promotion to captain in 1848 for his "meritorious service", his lack of combat experience and relatively slow advancement within the army discouraged him. Sherman would eventually become one of
742-609: A hike with Halleck to the summit of Corcovado , overlooking Rio de Janeiro in Brazil , in order to examine the city's aqueduct design. Sherman and Ord disembarked in Monterey, California on January 28, 1847, two days before the town of Yerba Buena acquired the new name of "San Francisco". Sherman and Halleck lived in a house in Monterey, now known as the " Sherman Quarters ", from 1847 to 1849. In June 1848, Sherman accompanied
848-790: A household name and was decisive in ensuring Lincoln's re-election in November. Sherman's success caused the collapse of the once powerful " Copperhead " faction within the Democratic Party , which had advocated immediate peace negotiations with the Confederacy. It also dealt a major blow to the popularity of the Democratic presidential candidate, George B. McClellan , whose victory in the election had until then appeared likely to many, including Lincoln himself. According to Holden-Reid, "Sherman did more than any other man apart from
954-428: A large oak tree, his cigar glowing in the darkness. Heeding, Sherman later said, "some wise and sudden instinct not to mention retreat," he made a noncommittal remark: "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" "Yes," Grant replied, puffing on his cigar. "Lick 'em tomorrow, though." Sherman proved instrumental to mounting the successful Union counterattack of the following day, April 7. At Shiloh, Sherman
1060-601: A lawyer who was a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court , died unexpectedly of typhoid fever in 1829. His widow, Mary Hoyt Sherman, remained with eleven children and no inheritance. Nine-year-old Sherman was raised by a Lancaster neighbor and family friend, attorney Thomas Ewing . Ewing was a prominent member of the Whig Party who became U.S. senator for Ohio and the first Secretary of the Interior . Sherman
1166-536: A license to practice law, despite not having studied for the bar, but had little success as a lawyer. In 1859, Sherman accepted a job as the first superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy in Pineville, Louisiana , a position he sought at the suggestion of Major Don Carlos Buell and obtained through the support of General George Mason Graham . Sherman
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#17327941733001272-626: A lot in the swamp of San Francisco." The failure of Page, Bacon & Co. triggered a panic surrounding the "Black Friday" of February 23, 1855, leading to the closure of several of San Francisco's principal banks and many other businesses. Sherman, however, succeeded in keeping his own bank solvent. In 1856, during the vigilante period , he served briefly as a major general of the California militia . Sherman's San Francisco branch closed in May 1857, and he relocated to New York City on behalf of
1378-541: A major strategic victory, putting navigation along the Mississippi River entirely under Union control and effectively cutting off the western half of the Confederacy from the eastern half. During the siege of Vicksburg, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston had gathered a force of 30,000 men in Jackson, Mississippi , with the intention of relieving the garrison under the command of John C. Pemberton that
1484-527: A native of Virginia and an enthusiastic secessionist. Boyd later recalled witnessing that, when news of South Carolina's secession from the United States reached them at the Seminary, "Sherman burst out crying, and began, in his nervous way, pacing the floor and deprecating the step which he feared might bring destruction on the whole country." In what some authors have seen as an accurate prophecy of
1590-472: A new climb to success at Shiloh and Corinth under Grant. Still, if he muffed his Vicksburg assignment, which had begun unfavorably, he would rise no higher. As a man, Sherman was an eccentric mixture of strength and weakness. Although he was impatient, often irritable and depressed, petulant, headstrong, and unreasonably gruff, he had solid soldierly qualities. His men swore by him, and most of his fellow officers admired him. In December, Sherman's forces suffered
1696-626: A promise by President Lincoln that he would not be given such a prominent leadership position. Having succeeded Anderson at Louisville, Sherman now had principal military responsibility for Kentucky , a border state in which the Confederates held Columbus and Bowling Green , and were also present near the Cumberland Gap . He became exceedingly pessimistic about the outlook for his command and he complained frequently to Washington about shortages, while providing exaggerated estimates of
1802-402: A reservoir for portability. During the 1980s, the motorized water gun was perhaps at its most prolific. Companies such as Entertech and Larami created water guns modeled after guns popularized in movies such as Rambo . At the heart of these devices was a small motor and crankshaft that converted a rotary motion into a forward-backward pumping motion to drive a small pump akin to those found in
1908-498: A severe repulse at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou , just north of Vicksburg . Sherman's operations were supposed to be coordinated with an advance on Vicksburg by Grant from another direction. Unbeknownst to Sherman, Grant abandoned his advance, and Sherman's river expedition met more resistance than expected. Soon after, Major General John A. McClernand ordered Sherman's XV Corps to join in his assault on Arkansas Post . Grant, who
2014-450: A simple rubber squeeze bulb into which water could be drawn, then forcibly expelled out the nozzle by squeezing the bulb rapidly. This design has inherent limitations regarding the amount of pressure that one can achieve (fully dependent on the user's hand gripping strength) as well as the need to refill after each shot. Many early small water guns used the same trigger based pumping mechanism used for spray bottles . In this type of device,
2120-423: A sliding piston divider. After all the water is expelled from the pressure chamber, the sliding piston prevents loss of the pressurized air, thus reducing the number of times the water gun must be pumped in order to achieve optimal firing pressure. "Hydro Power" is a term coined by Buzz Bee Toys, referring initially to their series of water guns that employed an elastic rubber bladder to pressurize water. Similar to
2226-583: A spring-based catapult mechanisms for launching balls of water out of its nozzle. The Water Warriors Steady Stream uses a spring-based mechanisms as a sort of water capacitor to allow this otherwise piston-based water gun to produce a constant stream of water so long as the user pumps quickly enough. Additionally, the Super Soaker Quick Blast employs a spring-based firing chamber to propel its stream forward. Peristaltic pump systems have also been used in some water guns models, most notably
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#17327941733002332-707: A successful completion. After Chattanooga, Sherman led a column to relieve Union forces under Ambrose Burnside , thought to be in peril at Knoxville . In February 1864, he commanded an expedition to Meridian, Mississippi , intended to disrupt Confederate infrastructure and communications. Sherman's army captured the city of Meridian on February 14 and proceeded to destroy 105 miles of railroad and 61 bridges, while burning at least 10 locomotives and 28 railcars. The army took 4,000 prisoners and commandeered many wagons and horses. Thousands of refugees, both black and white, joined Sherman's columns, which on February 20 finally withdrew toward Canton . The Meridian campaign marked
2438-460: A trigger. As more air is pumped in, the air in the reservoir is compressed, increasing in pressure; the water is under pressure by the now compressed air. Upon opening the nozzle valve, the water is pushed out through the nozzle as the pressurized air attempts to re-equilibrate with atmospheric pressure. This system allows pumping energy to be stored and used as needed. As well, unlike the methods noted above, this air pressure system allows production of
2544-461: A trip to Japan earlier that year. Larami specialized in low-cost, low-quality licensed toys based on popular movies and television shows during the 1960s and 1970s, toy guns, and toy water guns. During the 1980s, Larami expanded its water gun line, licensing designs for a battery-operated water gun from inventor Alan Amron in 1984. By 1987, Alvin Davis and Myung Song had become co-owners of Larami. At
2650-455: A uniform, continuous stream of water. The limitation of this design is the need for a large number of strokes to pressurize a larger reservoir. As well, poorly sealed reservoirs would render a water gun useless. Moreover, these water guns cannot be refilled unless emptied and depressurized. Opening a pressurized reservoir blaster while there is pressure remaining in the system can result in copious local water spray or even an unexpected launch of
2756-462: Is the only eminent American named from an Indian chief". According to Sherman's Memoirs , he was named William Tecumseh because his father had "caught a fancy for the great chief of the Shawnees , ' Tecumseh ' ". However, Lloyd Lewis's 1932 biography claimed that Sherman was originally named only Tecumseh and that he acquired the name William at the age of nine or ten, when he was baptized as
2862-515: Is the volume of water that can be effectively moved per pump. Increasing pump volume would require more user effort to push the fluid out, making larger designs impractical. However, this technology remains widely used today both in spray bottles as well as small water guns that can be found in a wide variety of shapes and colors. A piston pumper is another version of this system. They are generally bigger than squirt guns and spray bottles. Piston pumpers do not have triggers. Instead, they fire by moving
2968-483: Is used to toggle whether the pump is priming/pre-pressurizing the pressure chamber with air or whether the pump is moving water into the pressure chamber. Akin to pre-pressurizing the Separate Pressure Chamber water guns, the split air/water pressure chamber takes this one step further by preventing the accidental, undesired release of the pre-pressurized air by keeping it separated from the water by
3074-738: The Battle of Fort Henry and the Battle of Fort Donelson , the Battle of Shiloh , the campaigns that led to the fall of the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River , and the Chattanooga campaign , which culminated with the routing of the Confederate armies in the state of Tennessee. In 1864, when Grant went east to serve as the General-in-Chief of the Union Armies , Sherman succeeded him as
3180-470: The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain . The Confederate victory at Kennesaw Mountain did little to halt Sherman's advance toward Atlanta. In July, the cautious Johnston was replaced by the more aggressive John Bell Hood , who played to Sherman's strength by challenging him to direct battles on open ground. Meanwhile, in August, Sherman "learned that I had been commissioned a major-general in the regular army, which
3286-794: The Cincinnati Commercial described him as "insane". By mid-December 1861 Sherman had recovered sufficiently to return to service under Halleck in the Department of the Missouri. In March, Halleck's command was redesignated the Department of the Mississippi and enlarged to unify command in the West. Sherman's initial assignments were rear-echelon commands, first of an instructional barracks near St. Louis and then in command of
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3392-463: The Department of the Missouri , who found him unfit for duty and sent him to Lancaster, Ohio, to recuperate. While he was at home, his wife Ellen wrote to his brother, Senator John Sherman, seeking advice and complaining of "that melancholy insanity to which your family is subject". In his private correspondence, Sherman later wrote that the concerns of command "broke me down" and admitted to having contemplated suicide. His problems were compounded when
3498-628: The Golden Gate on the overturned hull of a foundering lumber schooner. Sherman suffered from asthma attacks, which he attributed in part to stress caused by the city's aggressive business culture. Late in life, Sherman said of his time in San Francisco, under frenzied real estate speculation: "I can handle a hundred thousand men in battle, and take the City of the Sun, but am afraid to manage
3604-505: The Mexican–American War , Sherman was assigned to administrative duties in the captured territory of California. Along with fellow Lieutenants Henry Halleck and Edward Ord , Sherman embarked from New York City on the 198-day journey around Cape Horn , aboard the converted sloop USS Lexington . During that voyage, Sherman grew close to Ord and especially to the intellectually distinguished Halleck. In his memoirs, Sherman relates
3710-477: The U.S. Congress , a prominent advocate against slavery . Before the Civil War, however, the more conservative William had expressed some sympathy for the white Southerners' defense of their traditional agrarian system, including the institution of slavery. On the other hand, he was adamantly opposed to the secession of the southern states . In Louisiana, he became a close friend of professor David French Boyd ,
3816-648: The Union . Sherman commanded a brigade of volunteers at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, and then was transferred to the Western Theater . He was stationed in Kentucky, where his pessimism about the outlook of the war led to a breakdown that required him to be briefly put on leave. He recovered and forged a close partnership with General Ulysses S. Grant . Sherman served under Grant in 1862 and 1863 in
3922-572: The Union Army during the Civil War: Hugh Boyle Ewing , later an ambassador and author, and Thomas Ewing Jr. , who was a defense attorney in the military trials of the Lincoln conspirators . Sherman's niece, Euthanasia Sherman Meade , was a pioneering woman physician in California. Sherman's unusual given name has always attracted attention. One 19th-century source, for example, states that "General Sherman, we believe,
4028-470: The XVII Corps under Sherman's young protégé, Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson . During the long and complicated maneuvers against Vicksburg, one newspaper complained that the "army was being ruined in mud-turtle expeditions, under the leadership of a drunkard [Grant], whose confidential adviser [Sherman] was a lunatic". When Vicksburg fell on July 4, 1863, after a prolonged siege, the Union had achieved
4134-418: The "Little Sergeant", died from typhoid fever contracted during the trip. Ordered to relieve the Union forces besieged in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee , Sherman departed from Memphis on October 11, 1863, aboard a train bound for Chattanooga. When Sherman's train passed Collierville it came under attack by 3,000 Confederate cavalry and eight guns under James Ronald Chalmers . Sherman took command of
4240-545: The 1989 North American International Toy Fair in New York City , Davis and Song met former Jet Propulsion Lab engineer Lonnie Johnson . After being impressed by his prototype of a pressurized water-air reservoir, Larami licensed his designs and developed the Power Drencher. In 1991, the Power Drencher line was relaunched as the Super Soaker . Talk To Me Products filed suit against Larami in 1993, alleging that
4346-485: The Academy I was not considered a good soldier, for at no time was I selected for any office, but remained a private throughout the whole four years. Then, as now, neatness in dress and form, with a strict conformity to the rules, were the qualifications required for office, and I suppose I was found not to excel in any of these. In studies I always held a respectable reputation with the professors, and generally ranked among
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4452-699: The American Civil War" and "the first modern general". Born in Lancaster, Ohio , into a politically prominent family, Sherman graduated in 1840 from the United States Military Academy at West Point . In 1853, he interrupted his military career to pursue private business ventures, without much success. In 1859, he became superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy , now Louisiana State University , but resigned when Louisiana seceded from
4558-598: The Army . Sherman served in that capacity from 1869 until 1883 and was responsible for the U.S. Army's engagement in the Indian Wars . He steadfastly refused to be drawn into party politics and in 1875 published his memoirs, which became one of the best-known first-hand accounts of the Civil War. Sherman was born in 1820 in Lancaster, Ohio , near the banks of the Hocking River . His father, Charles Robert Sherman ,
4664-478: The Army of Northeastern Virginia under General Irvin McDowell . The engagement at Bull Run was a disastrous defeat for the Union, dashing hopes for a rapid resolution of the conflict. Sherman was one of the few Union officers to distinguish himself in the field and historian Donald L. Miller has characterized Sherman's performance at Bull Run as "exemplary". During the fighting, Sherman was grazed by bullets in
4770-556: The District of Cairo. Operating from Paducah, Kentucky , he provided logistical support for the operations of Grant to capture Fort Donelson in February 1862. Grant, the previous commander of the District of Cairo, had just won a major victory at Fort Henry and been given command of the ill-defined District of West Tennessee . Although Sherman was technically the senior officer, he wrote to Grant, "I feel anxious about you as I know
4876-829: The East to become general-in-chief . Sherman then became the military governor of occupied Memphis . In November 1862, Grant, acting as commander of the Union forces in the state of Mississippi, launched a campaign to capture the city of Vicksburg , the principal Confederate stronghold along the Mississippi River . Grant made Sherman a corps commander and put him in charge of half of his forces. According to historian John D. Winters 's The Civil War in Louisiana (1963), at this stage Sherman ...had yet to display any marked talents for leadership. Sherman, beset by hallucinations and unreasonable fears and finally contemplating suicide, had been relieved from command in Kentucky. He later began
4982-594: The Larami Constant Pressure System (CPS), the rubber diaphragm system can be considered basically half of a CPS-pressure chamber. A sheet of elastic material (typically rubber) is clamped against a housing unit. Water is pumped into the chamber, expanding the bladder that pressurizes the water within. However, due to the shape of the bladder, its expansion is not as uniform as in the CPS system, thus it experiences more significant pressure dropoff as
5088-554: The Military Division of the Mississippi, which entailed command of Union troops in the Western Theater of the war. As Grant took overall command of the armies of the United States, Sherman wrote to him outlining his strategy to bring the war to an end: "If you can whip Lee and I can march to the Atlantic I think ol' Uncle Abe [Lincoln] will give us twenty days leave to see the young folks." Sherman proceeded to invade
5194-609: The Super Soaker as part of the Nerf line. Larami toys were produced based on several movies, television shows, etc. By the 1980s, Larami Corp. had a growing water gun product line. It was Larami Corp. that eventually marketed and sold the Power Drencher, rebranded as the Super Soaker in 1991 which was based on the pressurized water-air reservoir invented and developed by the former Jet Propulsion Engineer Dr. Lonnie Johnson and Larami designer William Raucci. In 1978, Larami created
5300-499: The Super Soaker infringed on their 1978 patent for a battery-powered water gun. On March 11, 1993, Talk To Me Products' claims were dismissed, as their patent referred to a water gun "having a chamber therein". Instead, the Super Soaker had a detachable chamber at the top of the water gun. Larami was acquired by Hasbro Inc in 1995. Hasbro continued to manufacture Super Soakers under the Larami name until 2002, when Hasbro began marketing
5406-427: The Union, George Henry Thomas . Sherman excelled academically at West Point, but he treated the demerit system with indifference. Fellow cadet William Rosecrans remembered Sherman as "one of the brightest and most popular fellows" at the academy and as "a bright-eyed, red-headed fellow, who was always prepared for a lark of any kind". About his time at West Point, Sherman says only the following in his Memoirs : At
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#17327941733005512-498: The United States. The air pressurized reservoir was introduced by the Cosmic Liquidator but made famous by the Super Soaker brand of water guns. In this device, a pump is used to push air into a partially water-filled reservoir. The reservoir is otherwise air-tight, but it has one valve to let the incoming air in from the pump as well as a manually controlled valve operated by the user, commonly activated by pulling on
5618-662: The ability and willingness of the Confederacy to continue fighting. Sherman accepted the surrender of all the Confederate armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in April 1865, but the terms that he negotiated were considered too generous by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton , who ordered General Grant to modify them. When Grant became President of the United States in March 1869, Sherman succeeded him as Commanding General of
5724-632: The administrative position of chief clerk in the War Department , despite Blair's promise that it would be followed by nomination as Assistant Secretary of War after the U.S. Congress assembled in July. After the April 12–13 bombardment of Fort Sumter and its subsequent capture by the Confederacy, Sherman hesitated about committing to military service. He privately ridiculed Lincoln's call for 75,000 three-month volunteers to quell secession, reportedly saying: "Why, you might as well attempt to put out
5830-528: The best, especially in drawing, chemistry, mathematics, and natural philosophy. My average demerits, per annum , were about one hundred and fifty, which reduced my final class standing from number four to six. Upon graduation in 1840, Sherman entered the army as a second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery and saw action in Florida in the Second Seminole War . In his memoirs he noted that "it
5936-753: The capabilities of his volunteer troops. However, Sherman impressed Lincoln during the President's visit to the troops on July 23, and Lincoln promoted Sherman to brigadier general of volunteers effective May 17, 1861. This made Sherman senior in rank to Ulysses S. Grant , his future commander. Sherman was then assigned to serve under Robert Anderson in the Department of the Cumberland, in Louisville, Kentucky . In October, Sherman succeeded Anderson in command of that department. In his memoirs, Sherman would later write that he saw that new assignment as breaking
6042-518: The commander in the Western Theater. He led the capture of the strategic city of Atlanta , a military success that contributed to the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln . Sherman's subsequent famous "March to the Sea" through Georgia and the Carolinas involved little fighting but large-scale destruction of military and civilian infrastructure, a systematic policy intended to undermine
6148-473: The conflict that would engulf the United States during the next four years, Boyd recalled Sherman declaring: You people of the South don't know what you are doing. This country will be drenched in blood, and God only knows how it will end. It is all folly, madness, a crime against civilization! You people speak so lightly of war; you don't know what you're talking about. War is a terrible thing! You mistake, too,
6254-452: The corresponding threat, reportedly saying that he would "give [Hood] his rations" to go in that direction, as "my business is down south". Sherman left forces under Major Generals George H. Thomas and John M. Schofield to deal with Hood; their forces eventually smashed Hood's army in the battles of Franklin (November 30) and Nashville (December 15–16). After the November elections, Sherman began marching on November 15 with 62,000 men in
6360-421: The direction of the port city of Savannah, Georgia , living off the land and causing, by his own estimate, more than $ 100 million in property damage. At the end of this campaign, known as Sherman's March to the Sea , his troops took Savannah on December 21. Upon reaching Savannah, Sherman appointed Private A. O. Granger as his personal secretary. Sherman then dispatched a message to Lincoln, offering him
6466-492: The effort to quell secession : "Why, you might as well attempt to put out the flames of a burning house with a squirt-gun." For several years in the United States and Canada , import regulations and domestic laws have required squirt guns to be made of clear or tinted transparent plastic to make them harder to mistake for actual firearms . Akin to water droppers, the oldest known manufactured water guns utilized
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#17327941733006572-522: The end of Sherman's brief tenure as commander of the Army of the Tennessee. Sherman had, up to that point, achieved mixed success as a general, and controversy attached especially to his performance at Chattanooga. However, he enjoyed Grant's confidence and friendship. When Lincoln called Grant east in the spring of 1864 to take command of all the Union armies, Grant appointed Sherman (by then known to his soldiers as "Uncle Billy") to succeed him as head of
6678-504: The end that you will surely fail. In January 1861, as more Southern states seceded from the Union, Sherman was required to take receipt of arms surrendered to the Louisiana State Militia by the U.S. arsenal at Baton Rouge . Instead of complying, he resigned his position as superintendent, declaring to the governor of Louisiana that "on no earthly account will I do any act or think any thought hostile to or in defiance of
6784-497: The few high-ranking officers of the American Civil War who had not fought in Mexico. On May 1, 1850, Sherman married his foster sister, Ellen Boyle Ewing , who was four years and eight months his junior. Ellen's father, Thomas Ewing, was the US Secretary of the Interior at that time. Father James A. Ryder , president of Georgetown College , officiated at the Washington, D.C., ceremony. President Zachary Taylor , Vice President Millard Fillmore and other political luminaries attended
6890-431: The flames of a burning house with a squirt-gun." In May, however, he offered himself for service in the regular Army. Senator John Sherman (his younger brother and a political ally of President Lincoln) and other connections in Washington helped him to obtain a commission. On June 3, he wrote in a letter to his brother-in-law: "I still think it is to be a long war—very long—much longer than any Politician thinks." Sherman
6996-454: The flow. However, if pumping is done quickly enough, the end result is a virtually smooth stream. There are also a number of water guns that employ a variety of pressurization systems to propel water. General William T. Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( / t ɪ ˈ k ʌ m s ə / tih- KUM -sə ; February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as
7102-438: The great facilities [the Confederates] have of concentration by means of the River and R[ail] Road, but [I] have faith in you—Command me in any way." After Grant captured Fort Donelson, Sherman got his wish to serve under Grant when he was assigned on March 1, 1862, to the Army of West Tennessee as commander of the 5th Division . His first major test under Grant was at the Battle of Shiloh . The massive Confederate attack on
7208-405: The head of the Army of the Tennessee . At Chattanooga, Grant instructed Sherman to attack the right flank of Bragg's forces, which were entrenched along Missionary Ridge overlooking the city. On November 25, Sherman took his assigned target of Billy Goat Hill at the north end of the ridge, only to find that it was separated from the main spine by a rock-strewn ravine. When he attempted to attack
7314-421: The infantrymen in the local Union garrison and successfully repelled the Confederate attack. Following the defeat of the Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga by Confederate general Braxton Bragg 's Army of Tennessee , President Lincoln re-organized the Union forces in the West as the Military Division of the Mississippi , placing it under General Grant's command. Sherman then succeeded Grant at
7420-409: The invading Union army to leave its supply train and subsist by foraging. Sherman initially expressed reservations about the wisdom of these plans, but he soon submitted to Grant's leadership and the campaign in the spring of 1863 cemented Sherman's personal ties to Grant. The bulk of Grant's forces were now organized into three corps: the XIII Corps under McClernand, the XV Corps under Sherman, and
7526-433: The kind of criticism he had received in Kentucky. Indeed, he had written to his wife that if he took more precautions "they'd call me crazy again". Despite being caught unprepared by the attack, Sherman rallied his division and conducted an orderly, fighting retreat that helped avert a disastrous Union rout. With a heavy rain coming down at the end of the first day of fighting at Shiloh, Sherman came upon Grant standing under
7632-498: The knee and shoulder. According to British military historian Brian Holden-Reid , "if Sherman had committed tactical errors during the attack, he more than compensated for these during the subsequent retreat". Holden-Reid also concluded that Sherman "might have been as unseasoned as the men he commanded, but he had not fallen prey to the naïve illusions nursed by so many on the field of First Bull Run." The outcome at Bull Run caused Sherman to question his own judgment as an officer and
7738-541: The main spine at Tunnel Hill, his troops were repeatedly repelled by Patrick Cleburne 's heavy division, the best unit in Bragg's army. Grant then ordered Thomas to attack the center of the Confederate line. This frontal assault was intended as a diversion, but it unexpectedly succeeded in capturing the enemy's entrenchments and routing the Confederate Army of Tennessee, bringing the Union's Chattanooga campaign to
7844-597: The military governor of California, Col. Richard Barnes Mason , to inspect the gold mines at Sutter's Fort . Sherman unwittingly helped to launch the California Gold Rush by drafting the official documents in which Governor Mason confirmed that gold had been discovered in the region. At John Augustus Sutter Jr. 's request, Sherman assisted Captain William H. Warner in surveying the new city of Sacramento , laying its street grid in 1848. He also opened
7950-473: The morning of April 6 took most of the senior Union commanders by surprise. Sherman had dismissed the intelligence reports from militia officers, refusing to believe that Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston would leave his base at Corinth . He took no precautions beyond strengthening his picket lines, and refused to entrench, build abatis , or send out reconnaissance patrols. At Shiloh, he may have wished to avoid appearing overly alarmed in order to escape
8056-470: The most powerful, ingeniously mechanical, and determined people on Earth—right at your doors. You are bound to fail. Only in your spirit and determination are you prepared for war. In all else you are totally unprepared, with a bad cause to start with. At first you will make headway, but as your limited resources begin to fail, shut out from the markets of Europe as you will be, your cause will begin to wane. If your people will but stop and think, they must see in
8162-603: The old Government of the United States." Sherman departed Louisiana and traveled to Washington, D.C., possibly in the hope of securing a position in the U.S. Army. At the White House , Sherman met with Abraham Lincoln a few days after his inauguration as president of the United States. Sherman expressed grave concerns about the North's poor state of preparedness for the looming civil war, but he found Lincoln unresponsive. Sherman then moved to St. Louis to become president of
8268-433: The original Shield Blaster water guns by Mattel In this system, a rotary pump is used to move rollers along a compressible piece of tubing. As the rollers move, they push water along the tubing. The force exerted by the pump is dependent both on the speed of rotation as well as the thickness of tubing used. True continuous streams cannot be produced since the physical presence of the rollers means there will be partial gaps in
8374-426: The people of the North. They are a peaceable people but an earnest people, and they will fight, too. They are not going to let this country be destroyed without a mighty effort to save it ... Besides, where are your men and appliances of war to contend against them? The North can make a steam engine, locomotive, or railway car; hardly a yard of cloth or pair of shoes can you make. You are rushing into war with one of
8480-542: The president in creating [the] climate of opinion" that afforded Lincoln a comfortable victory over McClellan at the polls. During September and October, Sherman and Hood played a cat-and-mouse game in northern Georgia and Alabama, as Hood threatened Sherman's communications to the north. Eventually, Sherman won approval from his superiors for a plan to cut loose from his communications and march south, having advised Grant that he could "make Georgia howl". In response, Hood moved north into Tennessee. Sherman at first trivialized
8586-487: The pressure chamber empties. Spyra GmbH uses an elongated bladder in its water blasters which, in combination with a special valve, enables shooting short bursts of water providing the impression of water bullets. The cylindrical bladder shape allows the pressure to be kept constant. Another means of pressurizing or propelling water used in some water guns is the use of metal springs . Though uncommon, there are blasters that utilize this technique. The Waterball series has
8692-486: The primary purpose of the toy is to soak another person in a recreational game such as water fight . Historically, water guns were made of metal and used rubber squeeze bulbs to load and propel water through a nozzle like a Pasteur pipette . While the oldest surviving example of a squirt gun dates to J.W. Wolff's June 30, 1896 patent, the oldest known reference to a squirt gun is dated thirty-five years prior, with General William T. Sherman 's 1861 quote regarding
8798-610: The pump as the pump is extended, then forcibly ejected out as the pump is compressed. Stream performance is dependent on the user's strength. Some models, like the Super Soaker Power Soaker Jr. and Stream Machines draw in and expel water from their nozzles . This design requires a bucket-type filling source. Other models, like the Super Soaker Power Soaker Mighty Cannon and Water Warriors Steady Stream, have check valves and
8904-424: The pump back and forth. Although the piston pumper has greater output than squirt guns, they tend to be less powerful than pressurized water guns. Another simple method employed is a syringe or piston type. In essence, the water gun is made up primarily (sometimes exclusively) of the pumping mechanism that comprises an outer pump shaft with an inner pump-rod and water-tight seal. This allows water to be drawn into
9010-513: The remainder of the war. According to Holden-Reid, Sherman finally "had cut his teeth as an army commander" with the Jackson Expedition. After the surrender of Vicksburg and the re-capture of Jackson, Sherman was given the rank of brigadier general in the regular army , in addition to his rank as a major general of volunteers. His family traveled from Ohio to visit him at the camp near Vicksburg. Sherman's nine-year-old son, Willie,
9116-417: The reservoir to be removed/opened at any time for refilling since the reservoir is not pressurized. As well, the typically smaller size of the pressure chamber and the fact that water is typically pumped, as opposed to air, reduces the average number of pumps needed to achieve functional pressure. For improved performance, some users opt to pre-pressurize the firing chamber by pumping in air first. This increases
9222-533: The same bank, travelling on the steamer SS Central America . When the bank failed during the Panic of 1857 , he closed the New York branch. In early 1858, he returned to California to finalize the bank's outstanding accounts there. Later in 1858, he moved to Leavenworth, Kansas , where he worked as the office manager of the law firm established by his brothers-in-law Hugh Ewing and Thomas Ewing Jr. Sherman obtained
9328-441: The serious difficulties he was having with Halleck. Sherman offered Grant an example from his own life: "Before the battle of Shiloh, I was cast down by a mere newspaper assertion of 'crazy', but that single battle gave me new life, and I'm now in high feather." He told Grant that, if he remained in the army, "some happy accident might restore you to favor and your true place". In July, Grant's situation improved when Halleck left for
9434-576: The small spray bottle-type squirt pistols. Stream performance was often not improved, but the motor removed the need to pump, which made the toys popular. The greatest fallbacks were that they wore out batteries quickly and that many trigger action blasters could outdo them, making motorized blasters the lowest class. However, their main strength—and consequent reason for dismissal—was their realistic styling. After some of these realistic-shaped water guns caused accidental shootings by police, stricter rules regarding shapes and coloring of water guns were drafted in
9540-506: The starting pressure within the chamber, thus increasing the overall average pressure experienced by the water when it is pumped into the pressure chamber. While air based, the split air vs water pressure chamber has a sliding plunger that separates the compressed air from the water. This technology has so far only been seen on the Water Warriors Aqua Master PreCharger Series. A button or lever
9646-455: The state of Georgia with three armies: the 60,000-strong Army of the Cumberland under Thomas, the 25,000-strong Army of the Tennessee under James B. McPherson , and the 13,000-strong Army of the Ohio under John M. Schofield . He conducted a series of flanking maneuvers through rugged terrain against Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee, attempting a direct assault only at
9752-493: The strength of the rebel forces and requesting inordinate numbers of reinforcements. Critical press reports about Sherman began to appear after the U.S. Secretary of War , Simon Cameron , visited Louisville in October 1861. In early November, Sherman asked to be relieved of his command. He was promptly replaced by Don Carlos Buell and transferred to St. Louis. In December, he was put on leave by Henry W. Halleck , commander of
9858-423: The trigger actuates a positive displacement pump shaft. With the aid of two check valves , often using small ball bearings , fluid is drawn into the pump from a reservoir, then forced out the nozzle upon squeezing the trigger. The simplicity of the spraying mechanism allowed these toys to be manufactured cheaply, and allowed the majority of the body to be used as the reservoir. The primary limitation with this design
9964-509: The tune song [sic] to the Cylon Bubble Machine commercial." In a Los Angeles Times article covering Battlestar Galactica ' s influence on Facebook , the toy's Facebook Fan Page is noted alongside the book The Science of Battlestar Galactica 's. Water gun A water gun (or water pistol , water blaster , or squirt gun ) is a type of toy gun designed to shoot jets of water . Similar to water balloons ,
10070-405: The turning point of his life." In late April, a Union force of 100,000 men under Halleck, with Grant relegated to second-in-command, began advancing slowly against Corinth . Sherman commanded the division on the extreme right of the Union's right wing (under George Henry Thomas ). Shortly after the Union forces occupied Corinth on May 30, Sherman persuaded Grant not to resign his command, despite
10176-488: The water gun and/or reservoir out of one's hands. The air-based separate pressure chamber or firing chamber system works on the same physical principle as the pressurized reservoir system, but instead of pressurizing the reservoir, a separate, fixed volume chamber is included on the water gun into which water is pumped, compressing the air inside. This technology was first used on the Super Soaker SS 100. This allows
10282-663: The wedding. Ellen Ewing Sherman was a devout Catholic, and the couple's children were reared in that faith. Their eight children were: Sherman was appointed as captain in the Army's Commissary Department on September 27, 1850, with offices in St. Louis, Missouri . He resigned his commission in 1853 and entered civilian life as manager of the San Francisco branch of the Bank of Lucas, Turner & Co. , whose corporate headquarters were in St. Louis. Sherman survived two shipwrecks and floated through
10388-689: Was a great pity to remove the Seminoles at all [as Florida] was the Indian's paradise" and still had (at the time that Sherman wrote his memoirs in the 1870s) "a population less than should make a good State". Sherman was later stationed in Georgia and South Carolina. As the foster son of a prominent Whig politician, in Charleston the popular Lieutenant Sherman moved within the upper circles of Old South society. While many of his colleagues engaged in
10494-433: Was an effective and popular leader of the institution, which would later become Louisiana State University . Colonel Joseph P. Taylor , brother of the late President Zachary Taylor, declared that "if you had hunted the whole Army, from one end of it to the other, you could not have found a man in it more admirably suited for the position in every respect than Sherman." Sherman's younger brother John was, from his seat in
10600-490: Was distantly related to US founding father Roger Sherman . Sherman's older brother Charles Taylor Sherman became a federal judge. One of his younger brothers, John Sherman , was one of the founders of the Republican Party and served as a U.S. congressman, senator, and cabinet secretary . Another younger brother, Hoyt Sherman , was a successful banker. Two of his foster brothers served as major generals in
10706-408: Was first commissioned as colonel of the 13th U.S. Infantry Regiment , effective May 14, 1861. This was a new regiment yet to be raised. In fact, Sherman's first command was a brigade of three-month volunteers who fought in the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. It was one of the four brigades in the division commanded by General Daniel Tyler , which was in turn one of the five divisions in
10812-427: Was on poor terms with McClernand, regarded this as a politically motivated distraction from the efforts to take Vicksburg, but Sherman had targeted Arkansas Post independently and considered the operation worthwhile. Arkansas Post was taken by the Union army and navy on January 11, 1863. The failure of the first phase of the campaign against Vicksburg led Grant to formulate an unorthodox new strategy, which called for
10918-409: Was probably given the first name William at that time. As an adult, Sherman signed all his correspondence, including to his wife, "W. T. Sherman". His friends and family called him Cump. Senator Ewing secured an appointment for the 16-year-old Sherman as a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point . Sherman roomed with and befriended another important future Civil War general for
11024-417: Was trapped inside Vicksburg. After Pemberton surrendered to Grant on July 4, Johnston advanced toward the rear of Grant's forces. In response to this threat, Grant instructed Sherman to attack Johnston. Sherman conducted the ensuing Jackson Expedition , which concluded successfully on July 25 with the re-capture of the city of Jackson. This helped ensure that the Mississippi River would remain in Union hands for
11130-592: Was unexpected, and not desired until successful in the capture of Atlanta". Sherman's Atlanta campaign concluded successfully on September 2, 1864, with the capture of the city, which Hood had been forced to abandon. After ordering almost all civilians to abandon the city in September, Sherman gave instructions that all military and government buildings in Atlanta be burned, although many private homes and shops were burned as well. The capture of Atlanta made Sherman
11236-425: Was wounded twice—in the hand and shoulder—and had three horses shot out from under him. His performance was praised by Grant and Halleck, and after the battle he was promoted to major general of volunteers, effective May 1. This success contributed greatly to raising Sherman's spirits and changing his personal outlook on the Civil War and his role in it. According to Sherman's biographer Robert O'Connell, "Shiloh marked
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