Winfield Scott captured Santa Anna's leg. And kept it.
Nobody will say it. He wasn’t sexy, wasn’t well dressed, didn’t always succeed, got a lot of men killed. However, he understood war. He invented modern naval and land force coordination. He understood the enemy, and defeated the greatest tactical general of his time. Hated by the south, but he was the ultimate killer. He is my pick, because he won offensive campaigns in a time wherein entrenchment stagnated the battlefield.
Ulysses S Grant.
Aka Unconditional surrender Grant
Aka highest ranking military officer since George Washington.
I give honorable mention to many, Patton, Eisenhower, Lee, and Nathan Bedford Forest, and Curtis LeMay
Winfield Scott captured Santa Anna's leg. And kept it.
Very good discussion gents. Many could say that he was great but there are others to consider when it comes to ‘greatest’. I think we need another “Viet Nam was a noble cause” speech in regards to Lee. Which politician will stand up to political correctness? Lee’s 160th birthday is in 2019 I believe.
Having a big navy to call upon makes that a lot easier than it would have been for someone who didn't have a large navy to call upon. More practical too.