Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Boot Monument

Nominator(s): Relativity (talk)

If you travel to Saratoga National Historic Park, you will probably come across this somewhat bizarre monument of a boot. Its honoree's name is never mentioned on it, and it would take some research to figure out that it's actually honoring Benedict Arnold. I am nominating this for A-class because I'd like to take this to FA and so I would need to see what further improvements need to be made to it to get it there. Thank you! ‍Relativity ⚡️ 00:47, 1 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This is all way outside my area of expertise. I presume that Benedict Arnold was rehabilitated long ago. Article looks more like a GA than an FA. Some comments:

Can be have a consistent date format? Three different ones are used. (Recommend using dmy and adding a {{use dmy dates}} template.)

Done

"Arnold's betrayal to the British" implies that someone betrayed him.

Changed to "Arnold betrayed the Continental Army for the British Army"

Do we know what Arnold's actual, rank was? (Same for Clinton, Gates and Lincoln)

Yes, and Done

Is there any reason why the town of West Point was worth twenty thousand quid?
The lead says he "attempted to give crucial information about the fortification of West Point to the British" but the body says "offering Arnold £20,000 for the capture of West Point. Arnold met with British Major John André, who Arnold had solicited communication through, and André was later captured on his way back to New York with the plans for West Point being discovered"

Good catch, reworded in the lead to "He later attempted to help the British capture the fortification of West Point but was discovered and fled to the British army."

"solicited communication through" sounds awkward to me.

Reworded to "Arnold met with British Major John André so he could pass on information on how to best attack West Point,". Let me know what you think.

"College boys on a trip stole the toe and spur from the Boot Monument,[21][22] and they were only discovered when an anonymous informer informed the battlefield official that the toe was stolen by "a graduate of a New York State educational institution."[23] The monument underwent restoration after Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of The New York Times, financed it." Do we have dates for these events?

Unfortunately no. All of the newspapers used as citations are from around the same time but there is no actual specified date when this happened.

"The monument is made of white marble[2][43] and is four feet tall." Source required for the height. And add a conversion for those of us living in the twenty-first century instead of the eighteenth.

Added a conversion. And it does have a source already?

Hawkeye7 (discuss) 01:55, 7 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Matarisvan[edit]

Hi Relativity, some comments:

Provide a link or identifier for "The Shrine of the Memorial Museum"? If you received it via resource request, specify that in a hidden note?
Here is a link for Leopold 1994: [1]. Consider adding?
Link to Lawrence Journal-World, The Lewiston Daily Sun and Boca Raton News as done for the other newspapers? Also I guess Ration is a typo, should be Raton?
Provide a link for Duffus 1930 and MacIvor 1954?
Link to Social Forces, McFarland, The New England Quarterly, University Press of New England, NYU Press, Regnery Publishing, The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Casemate Publishers? You've already linked to Random House so to be consistent you will have to link everywhere else. Otherwise you could consider removing the links for publishers altogether.
Add a date for Brumwell? The website provides one.
What is your policy on linking to authors? I can understand if you do not wish to in order to avoid SEAOFBLUE. If you do wish to, however, consider linking to Alexis Coe, Gary Alan Fine, Donald W. Linebaugh, Richard M. Ketchum, James Kirby Martin, Dave Richard Palmer, Nathaniel Philbrick, Willard Sterne Randall?
To be consistent, you will have to decide to include the locations of publication or not. For most sources you have them, but for some you don't.

That's all from me, cheers Matarisvan (talk) 05:29, 30 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Boot Monument[edit]

Matarisvan[edit]