Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/William Tecumseh Sherman/archive1

William Tecumseh Sherman
I feel this article is good enough to be a featured article. The article is informative and has plenty of images.--KrossTalk 02:09, 12 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Lead too short. 1st paragraph of "early life" is confusing (I stumbled upon the second ocurrance of Tecumseh; it took me a moment to figure out who was meant: that needs rephrasing), some biased or at least unfortunate word choices (some examples: "Liddell Hart famously declared...", "Ironically...", "...most prestigious...", ...most hated..." (incidentally, that phrase is rambling out of context anyway), "...successful conclusion of the war"). The long quote in "Reaction to secession" needs a precise source: when and where did he say or write that, and when was it reported by whom? Depending on that, the "presciently" may or may not be warranted. Last paragraph of "total warfare" needs scrupulous referencing. Who thinks his memoirs were "marked by a forceful, lucid style"? The references to his memoirs could be linked to the online version. (Comment only: Anyway, I'd like to see more online references&mdash;surely there must be trustworthy web sites on him out there? Would have the advantage that things could be verified without the books.) What about the buffalo killing mentioned on talk? If sourced and agreed upon, that should go into the "postbellum" section to clarify the "resource destruction" point. Where does Image:Map-sherman-march-sea.jpg originally come from? The given source URL doesn't say, so how is it known that this is PD-old-70? (It's not a very clear map anyway. Anyone got a better one?) Lupo 13:50, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

JoaoRicardotalk 01:49, 13 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Some problems:
 * 1) "Sherman never truly accepted "William", however, and friends and family always called him "Cump"." Source?
 * 2) "Ewing secured the appointment of the 16 year old Sherman as a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point" Source for the influence of Ewing?
 * 3) "Sherman's arrival in San Francisco was indicative of the turmoil of his time in the West" Leave such judgements to the reader. If they are the opinion of someone notable, cite your source.
 * 4) "Ironically, the first president of what is now one of the most prestigious Southern universities was a Yankee general who would later be considered one of the most hated men in the South." Leave judgments to the reader.
 * 5) "He resigned his position and returned to the North, declaring to the governor of Louisiana, "On no earthly account will I do any act or think any thought hostile ... to the ... United States." " Source?
 * 6) The "Reaction to secession" has no source, the quote is too long (better convert it to indirect speech), and it really should be inside section "Civil War".
 * 7) "He was one of the few Union officers to distinguish themselves at the First Battle of Bull Run on 21 July, where he was grazed by bullets in the knee and shoulder." Who says there were "few" officers who distinguished themselves...? As compared to which other battle?
 * 8) "he rallied his division and prevented a disastrous defeat." Disastrous in whose opinion?
 * 9) "Sherman developed close personal ties to Grant during the two years they served together." In whose opinion?
 * 10) "During the Vicksburg Campaign in the spring of 1863, Sherman performed well under Grant's supervision." Well in whose opinion?
 * 11) " the subsequent March to the Sea from Atlanta to Savannah in the autumn of 1864 made a great contribution to Abraham Lincoln's re-election as president and the successful conclusion of the war." This cannot be stated as fact. It's an opinion.
 * 12) "Sherman was convinced that the Confederacy's ability to wage further war had to be definitively crushed if the fighting was to end." Source?
 * 13) "although officially forbidden, historians disagree as to how well this regulation was enforced" Which historians? Are there any examples?
 * 14) "The speed and efficiency of the destruction by Sherman's army was remarkable." Leave that judgement to the reader.
 * 15) "Many Southerners reviled him for ransacking their homes and economy, while slaves hailed him as a liberator" Source?
 * 16) "Neither of these claims tells the whole truth." Leave that judgement to the reader.
 * 17) "In 1875 Sherman published his two-volume memoirs, a minor classic, marked by a forceful, lucid style, and the strong opinions for which Sherman has become famous." Ditto
 * 18) "He was devoted to the theater and was much in demand as a colorful speaker at dinners and banquets." Source?
 * 19) "Johnston famously replied: "If I were in [Sherman's] place, and he were standing in mine, he would not put on his hat."" Source?