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The statistic placed Lee as below average.
1 posted on 01/05/2018 9:50:10 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Napoleon was ultimately defeated therefore he was NOT the best general ever.

My vote would go to General George Patton.


2 posted on 01/05/2018 9:51:25 AM PST by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism.)
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To: C19fan

Seems to me many generals throughout history had long careers without more consistent records of success.


3 posted on 01/05/2018 9:51:59 AM PST by Williams (Stop tolerating the intolerant.)
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To: C19fan

"Best General Ever? Huh! My frozen butt, he is."

4 posted on 01/05/2018 9:53:38 AM PST by Fido969 (In!)
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To: C19fan

I wonder if the troops he left to die on the tundra-like plains of Russia in 1812, while he slinked away to Paris with his tail between his legs, would agree with that assessment.


6 posted on 01/05/2018 9:55:15 AM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: C19fan

https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/posters

Probably the best statistical graphic ever drawn, this map by Charles Joseph Minard portrays the losses suffered by Napoleon's army in the Russian campaign of 1812. Beginning at the Polish-Russian border, the thick band shows the size of the army at each position. The path of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in the bitterly cold winter is depicted by the dark lower band, which is tied to temperature and time scales. Exquisitely printed in two colors on fine archival paper, 22” by 15”.

If I was a general, and I lost this many men in a single campaign, I would go down as a monster, or a criminal.

Napoleon had some great victories, but he also had some epic defeats.

7 posted on 01/05/2018 9:56:00 AM PST by SkyPilot ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6)
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To: C19fan

Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was the best of the bests.


8 posted on 01/05/2018 9:56:04 AM PST by granada
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To: C19fan

What about Alexander.


9 posted on 01/05/2018 9:56:18 AM PST by TexasM1A
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To: C19fan

After watching Gettysburg and doing some research, I lost all respect for Lee.


10 posted on 01/05/2018 9:56:22 AM PST by robroys woman (So you're not confused, I'm male.)
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To: C19fan

George Washington won a war that nearly everyone thought was impossible.

He defeated the greatest power in the world and saw off internal treachery using only his own courage and stragetic nous


11 posted on 01/05/2018 9:56:42 AM PST by WashingtonFire (President Trump - it's like having your dad as President !)
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To: C19fan
from the authors description of his methodology: I separated the combatants’ forces into infantry, cavalry, artillery, air force, and navy.

I wonder how Napoleon's air force fared in the analysis...

14 posted on 01/05/2018 9:59:52 AM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: C19fan

Interesting exercise. One would have to wade through the details to see if this approach makes sense. My first take is that it reminds me of the bean counters in the corporate world trying to measure everything and employees gaming the system by upping their stats with meaningless “wins”. But that’s just my skeptical side.

Not all battles are equal and hopefully this approach takes all that into account.


15 posted on 01/05/2018 10:00:58 AM PST by plain talk
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To: C19fan

Since when does a general lead 650,000 into Russia and come home with 65,000 and get labeled anything other than a piss poor total failure as a leader?

Idiot author writes about an idiot general.


16 posted on 01/05/2018 10:02:02 AM PST by detch (")
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To: C19fan

A bit off topic, but in many ways Napoleon reminds me of Hitler. Both brought great suffering and death to Europe. So yeah, I never quite understood the romantic fascination some folks have with Napoleon.


17 posted on 01/05/2018 10:02:12 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: C19fan
What I read so far was interesting.

Just getting the French to march forward may have made Napoleon one of the greats. I didn't see whether the author accounted for the number if battles fought.

19 posted on 01/05/2018 10:02:37 AM PST by KarlInOhio (The Whig Party died when it fled the great fight of its century. Ditto for the Republicans now.)
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To: C19fan

There are too many considerations and too many different weightings of those considerations to accept one metric.

The general who is so intimidating that he never has to fight is a great general. The general who is so well prepared that the victory seems easy, rather than impressive, is also a great general. The same for the general who is able to escape with a big part of his force intact despite overwhelming odds, the general who is a logistical genius and delivers what his lesser generals need for the fight, the tactical genius, the master of politics who ensures that politicians provide what he needs . . .


22 posted on 01/05/2018 10:05:06 AM PST by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: C19fan

Very interesting read, thank you.

My first inclination was to ask about Alexander the Great, but I did read the analysis to find out. ;)


23 posted on 01/05/2018 10:05:29 AM PST by Constitution Day
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To: C19fan

Where’s Yi Soon Shin?


26 posted on 01/05/2018 10:07:47 AM PST by kaehurowing
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To: C19fan

27 posted on 01/05/2018 10:08:08 AM PST by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say)
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To: All

I think that Alexander The Great, Genghis Khan, and a few other fellows from history might have a bone to pick with this silly poll.

Alexander took on odds greater than those Hitler took on when he invaded Russia, and conquered the gigantic Persian Empire in a very short time. He extended his conquests all the way to India (and only stopped because his own megalomania and genius far exceeded his troops’ appetite for more glory). He never lost a battle, and died (all too early) in his own bed, having conquered most “of the known world”.

Like arguing about baseball players or football running backs, the only question that there really is any doubt about is:

“Who was the SECOND BEST general in history?”


31 posted on 01/05/2018 10:10:38 AM PST by Simon Foxx
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To: C19fan

So it’s a ranking more of supreme commanders and corps commanders than generals operating on the lines.

You have to throw Matthew Ridgway and Curtis LeMay into the discussion for operational effectiveness.


32 posted on 01/05/2018 10:12:03 AM PST by lurk
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