Talk:Battle of Lake Pontchartrain/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: MathewTownsend (talk · contribs) 01:22, 18 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This article is very hard for me to understand because it deals so much in specifics. If the general reader is not already familiar, in depth, with the situation, then I believe it's hard to understand. I think it needs some general statements to set the stage now and then.
I think this is a well written article, but very dense. Some sentences are unclear.

Not a summary of the article - it should orient the general reader to the overall picture and the general happenings and outcome.
"American Revolutionary War" ... here it should say who exactly the two parties fighting were. (This is a major point.)
"between" - the reader expects to learn "between who" instead of the two towns, although that is important too.
"Spanish-American crew" - meaning some Spanish citizens and some Americans?

"quietly supported by the Spanish governors and often mediated by Oliver Pollock, a prominent New Orleans businessman." - not clear from this sentence what the significance of this is. - (later he is mentioned in another section and it turns out he has military power)

"The boat never returned." Is the next sentence an explanation of what happened to the "boat"?
"Pollock had given command of the Morris to Continental Navy Captain William Pickles." - Pollock had this kind of power?
"Gálvez provided another ship for Pickles' use" - why him?
"Pollock instructed Pickles to harass British military shipping" - then Pollack again?
Maybe some explanation (somewhere - not necessarily here) how the French were involved?

should put {subscription only) after Oxford Dictionary of National Biography reference, JSTOR etc.
link to The Times-Picayune reference doesn't go to article put to current main page.

Thanks for your insightful comments. I think I've addressed your major points, except:

why Pickles: umm, because he has the commission, and his ship was destroyed? (Presumably Pollock was also involved in procuring the replacement ship, but this is to me a minor point.)
French involvement: I believe Rousseau was a French Louisianan. Even though Louisiana was under Spanish governance then, its population was mostly French. France was not involved in events in this area.
The link to the Times-Picayune article worked once upon a time, but they seem to have dropped pre-2009 material. I've converted the citation to {{cite news}}.

GA review-see WP:WIAGA for criteria (and here for what they are not)

Is it reasonably well written?
A. Prose: clear and concise, correct spelling and grammar:
All problems fixed!

B. Complies with MoS for lead, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation:
Is it factually accurate and verifiable?
A. Provides references to all sources:

B. Provides in-line citations from reliable sources where necessary:

C. No original research:
Is it broad in its coverage?
A. Main aspects are addressed:
Has placed the battle in context.

B. Remains focused:
Does it follow the neutral point of view policy.
Fair representation without bias:
Is it stable?
No edit wars, etc:
Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?
A. Images are copyright tagged, and non-free images have fair use rationales:

B. Images are provided where possible and appropriate, with suitable captions:
Overall:
Pass or Fail:

Very nice article. Your clarifications helped greatly. Congratulations! MathewTownsend (talk) 18:12, 20 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]