Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Battle of Lake Providence/archive1

Battle of Lake Providence

Featured article candidates/Battle of Lake Providence/archive1

Nominator(s): Hog Farm _Talk 03:44, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I have a long-term goal to get all of the articles related to the Vicksburg campaign to featured article status, in the manner of Wikipedia:Featured topics/Guadalcanal Campaign. Hopefully this will become the fourth FA of the direct project, after Battle of Grand Gulf, Battle of Raymond, and Battle of Helena, with Grant's Canal and Duckport Canal as supporting FAs. This isn't the meatiest article of the group, but I believe it is as comprehensive as can be. This winter, when I have more time on my hands, I hope to tackle some of the bigger ones. Hog Farm _Talk 03:44, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Image review

Suggest adding alt text. Nikkimaria (talk) 05:26, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
- I have attempted to add alt text, and have also added File:Map of Plantations in Carroll Parish, Louisiana and Issaquena County, Mississippi (cropped).jpg. I think the licensing is pretty airtight on the new addition. Hog Farm _Talk 16:03, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Support from CMD

Thanks for the read. The comments below are part clarificatory questions, rather than being a point by point list of needed actions.

Is there a pattern behind the name abbreviations of Hugh T. Reid, Paul O. Hébert, and E. Kirby Smith? Just convention among historians?
- This is how the individuals are named in the sources Hog Farm _Talk 21:42, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
"Bartlett's force crossed Bayou Macon two days late" does not come with context as to what the expected time was. Coordination with the other prongs? Same in the body.
- This is addressed in the body - "Major General John George Walker's troops reached Richmond on June 6, and Taylor planned a three-pronged strike for the next day: Confederate troops were to attack Milliken's Bend, Young's Point, and Lake Providence". I've added to the lead a statement that the attacks were scheduled to take place on June 7. Hog Farm _Talk 21:42, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
"The Confederate were forced to halt" in the lead doesn't seem to align with "Bartlett halted his cavalry at the bridge in order to allow the infantry to catch up" in the body, with the latter implying it was a choice rather than something forced.
- Rephrased. Hog Farm _Talk 21:42, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Without going into a huge amount of detail, could Background provide a bit more context as to the situation in Louisiana at this time? The Union forces are described as attacking Vicksburg from Louisiana, which is to the west, and Confederate forces also come from the west, including apparently taking over Richmond.
- @Chipmunkdavis: - I've added several sentences for greater context of the operations - is that an improvement? Hog Farm _Talk 23:24, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
- Yes, that's helpful geographical context. CMD (talk) 01:22, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
What sort of place is "Caledonia"? The article seems to append ", STATE" to towns and cities, which made me curious what Caledonia was, and I was unable to find it in a quick search (outside of this unhelpful mention in civil war coverage).
- After quite a bit of searching, I turned up this which calls it a "post-hamlet" as of 1902, but there's no way of knowing if this was a post-hamlet in 1863. The only detail I can find about Caledonia in the various sources related to this battle are references that it had a brick kiln and "Negro quarters". I've delinked it, as there's essentially no chance that an article on this place could be developed. Hog Farm _Talk 21:42, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The map in "Battle" is not too helpful, but perhaps better than nothing. The caption could use some expansion, "Walker's operations in support of Vicksburg" makes me assume it would show Milliken's Bend and Young's Point, which are described as the three operational prongs, but instead it shows Richmond (and Vicksburg of course).
- Would File:Map of Plantations in Carroll Parish, Louisiana and Issaquena County, Mississippi (cropped).jpg be better? It shows Bunch's Bend, Bayou Baxter, and Bayou Tensas, along with Lake Providence. I can't find a period map of the western portion of Carroll Parish showing Floyd and Caledonia (which is surprising to me because Floyd was the county seat at the time) and the first USGS topographic map of the Floyd area I can find is from the 1950s. Hog Farm _Talk 21:13, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
- It would be a helpful addition, if only for confirming the location of a couple of places I was guessing on google maps. CMD (talk) 01:18, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Chipmunkdavis: - this has been added now, although I'm not entirely happy with how it breaks over into the section heading below. Hog Farm _Talk 16:03, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It doesn't break over when I look in Vector2022. To make sure, why not move the Louisiana map to background where Richmond is mentioned? CMD (talk) 19:14, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

On my screen, that would cause MOS:SANDWICH issues with the infobox and campaign navbox. Hog Farm _Talk 19:45, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm, I wonder why. I see the campaign navbox ending within the first paragraph of Background, or I wouldn't have suggested it. CMD (talk) 07:33, 3 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
What was the "Union outpost at Bunch's Bend", just a few troops smaller than a picket?
- Winters has "Bartlett crossed Bayou Macon and moved over to Bunch's Bend on the Mississippi, capturing the Federal outpost at that point". Bearss does not mention this, nor does Reid or the NPS source. Hog Farm _Talk 21:42, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
"The Confederates reached the wrecked bridge", does this mean the infantry, given Bartlett was already there?
- I have heavily rewritten this sentence. Hog Farm _Talk 21:42, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Would it be possible to explicitly mention the shooting engagement was across the Bayou Tensas?
- Done. Hog Farm _Talk 21:42, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Best, CMD (talk) 08:39, 1 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Are "The Confederate did..." and "The Confederate finally crossed..." structures correct?

Aside from that, on a fresh reread, I think the article meets the FACR. It certainly more comprehensive than Grabau 2000. Best, CMD (talk) 12:39, 10 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]