FReep this Poll: Greatest Military General in History

Internet Poll/Right Handed Pitcher ^ | 9/8/10

[therightliveswithus]

Vote in our poll: the Greatest General in History

[Dogfaced Soldier]

My pick would be Napoleon. Brilliant tactician, recongized the rise of nation states and changed the way wars were fought, and was a great leader as evidenced by the fact that even in defeat his men would rise from their death beds to cheer as he went by.

[DeFault User]

Where is Stonewall Jackson?

Sherman gets the “Scorched Earth” Award, but a great general?

[Ramius]

Sun Tzu? They're still reading his book after all these years.

I'm surprised it took so long for his name to come up.

I'd be tempted to go with Alexander, or maybe Ghengis Khan, if only on the evidence of sheer acreage taken. Each of them took what was essentially the known world at the time.

We can't forget the great Admirals, either. Lord Nelson anyone?

[allmendream]

Well, much like Lee, Hannibal Barca was fighting a losing battle that had little to do with his battlefield performance and much more to do with the geo-political situation. He was a great strategist, as well as a tactician, but winning for sixteen years in Italy did little more than delay the eventual domination of Carthage by Rome, a situation which he had little ultimate control over.

Yes, he certainly lost to Publius Scipio “Africanus”, and that was his big problem, he couldn't afford to lose a battle, while the Romans could lose several in a row and then turn around and raise the largest army they ever assembled.

So, do you get more credit for winning, even if your army had a supreme military advantage (the Mongols under Ghengis Khan come to mind): or for doing more with less?

For my money, doing more with less is the mark of a good General. Nobody did more with less against a mightier foe than Hannibal. IMHO. That is why I rate him #1.

[IronJack]

Henry V’s Sir John Talbot, First Earl of Shrewsbury, Conqueror of Harfleur and Champion of Orleans and Agincourt.

[Colonel Blimp]

George Washington!!!

A fine book titled “The Military 100” gave him top ranking because his strategic sense led directly to the creation of the United States, the greatest nation in human history.

The fact that Washington was only a fair tactician and lost more battles than he won counts for little against his grasp of grand stategy — all the Patriots had to do to win was not lose.

The British were fighting a domestically unpopular war with long, long supply lines. Even without French intervention, the Patriots were already a tougher nut than King George, Lord North and the Tories in Parliament realized. And there were certainly a minority of British political leaders like Edmund Burke who favored the American cause to some degree or other.

Ben Franklin’s masterly negotiation of the alliance with France sealed the doom of the British war effort.

Napoleon, Caesar, Hannibal, Alexander and others may have won more battles than George Washington. But what did they build of lasting value?

So, our beloved Founder wins handily. Hooray for George Washington!!! Hooray for Ben Franklin!!! Hooray for the brave Patriots of 1776 — and those of 2010!!!

I strongly recommend “The Military 100,” which has been reprinted several times and should be easy to find.

[Drill Thrawl]

Partly in jest but also based on rumors and reputation at the time.

Abraham Lincoln said "Find out what whiskey he drinks and send all of my generals a case, if it will get the same results. - in reply to comments about General Grant's drinking problems"

[jnsun]

Brilliant tactician, recongized the rise of nation states and changed the way wars were fought, and was a great leader

Napolean is certainly up there. There are talents and vision beyond field tactics which may or may not be thrown into the "General" argument, but three who come to my mind with a deep understanding of comprehensive conflict are Napolean, Eisenhower, and Julius Caesar.

Immense consciousness required to be a great General. I think it was Ruskin who maintained great military leadership is evidence equal to great art of a profound civilization.

[sima_yi]

In WWII

Personally, I would go with the American general who was more important than all the German generals put together - General Motors.

[CORedneck]

General Black Pershing especially how he dealt with the islamic terrorists of that day !

[tanknetter]

'Marse' Robert: Did the most with what he had, moreso than many on the list.

Rather than being on the list as an original thinker, Lee was probably one of the best generals at studying past battles and campaigns and applying them to whatever his current situation.

I think there's a book - maybe "Lost Triumph"? - that examines this in detail, arguing that among other things his real plans on the third day at Gettysburg were a revisiting of what he and Winfield Scott had done several times during the Mexican War. Which themselves were based on what Lee had learned of previous battles.

[Grut]

I doubt there’s a final answer to this question, but let me throw in Chaka Zulu: invented the Assegi (stabbing spear), large-scale tactics, real armies, and a society to support them, all by himself. He created a proto-nation-state among the Zulus which was eerily similar to nazi Germany a century later, especially Himmler’s vision of it.

Considering he started out with basically a loosely organized tribal group....

[Harold Shea]

Gen Jackson & R.E. Lee together at Gettysburg,the Civil War would have ended quite possibly different.

Gen Douglas McAuthur has my vote

Also the way he changed Japan after the war

[Billthedrill]

I'd throw Belisarius into the mix. The problem is that his was a pretty obscure little slice of history.

Lee said it was Grant, BTW, and I believe Grant thought it was Lee. That's an awfully good pair to draw to.

[frogjerk]

David

Constantine the Great

St. Jeanne d'Arc

[Defiant]

We have a winner!

[afnamvet]

Jackson, Lee, Patton and Schwarzkopf

[RachelFaith]

Jeanne d’Arc!

[Churchillspirit]

General Issue....without them nothing is won.

[DanMiller]

General Robert E. Lee. He was a true small town southern man and even though I am an agnostic I feel shivers when I listen to it the song about him.