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Who Were the Greatest Military Commanders (Of All Time) ?

Posted on 11/14/2004 5:23:06 PM PST by Cyropaedia

In light of the upcoming film Alexander (the Great), who in your opinion were actually the greatest military commanders our world has known...?

Mine are Genghis Khan, Alexander, and U.S. Grant.


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: milhist; militarycommanders; militaryhistory
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To: Cyropaedia

don't forget the Navy..........
Adm. Nimitz - kicking the hell out of the Japs all across the Pacific.....with all that ocean it was a logistic triumph.......
Adm. Nelson.........greatest Adm. of the British Admiralty


81 posted on 11/14/2004 5:37:41 PM PST by NorCalRepub
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To: Cyropaedia
Patton - Struck fear into the Hitler's armies

King Leonidias of Sparta - Stood with 300 against the Persian army

Alexander - Conquered the known world

Sherman - Brutal
82 posted on 11/14/2004 5:37:47 PM PST by Minus_The_Bear
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To: Cyropaedia
Guderian (not the best, but one of them)
83 posted on 11/14/2004 5:37:56 PM PST by StoneFury (The only thing hippies understand is the fist)
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To: Williams

After the South had been under blockade for three years and had little supplies or food ans Lee was almost always outnumbered and outgunned. Grant wasn't half the general that Lee was.


84 posted on 11/14/2004 5:38:01 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (God is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants
Grant? Are you nuts? The only reason he beat Lee was that he had far more men who were much better equipped.

He beat Lee after McClellan, Meade, & Burnside, who had the same amount of men & equipment failed.

He won. Lee lost. Deal with it.

85 posted on 11/14/2004 5:38:09 PM PST by Alouette (When the wicked perish, there is jubilation! Proverbs 11:10)
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To: Cyropaedia

Basil II, Manstein, Hannibal, Marius.


86 posted on 11/14/2004 5:38:18 PM PST by Little Bill (A 37%'r, a Red Spot on a Blue State)
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To: Cyropaedia
Scipio Africanus (great basics, great motivator)

Charlemagne. He was not only a divider (of the enemy's head from his shoulders), but a uniter as well.

The Duke of Wellington (took out Napoleon)

Sun Tzu (maybe not strictly a commander, but he talked a great game)

Patton (50,000 more gallons of diesel and he would have been in Berlin playing mumbledy-peg with Hitler).

And speaking of Napoleon, that little Corsican pipsqueak is definitely NOT on this list.

87 posted on 11/14/2004 5:38:26 PM PST by asgardshill (November 2004 - The Month That Just Kept On Giving)
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To: Cyropaedia
Put George Washington way up there.

He was not only a great commander who fought an almost hopeless war against nearly hopeless odds both at home and abroad, but a beloved leader who then set the standard to found the most inspiring and unusual country the world has ever experienced.

This world would be a far different and meaner place today without his august presence.

88 posted on 11/14/2004 5:39:10 PM PST by Gritty ("Bush's redneck America is a more reliable long-term bet than enlighted Europe-Mark Steyn)
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To: Sen Jack S. Fogbound
How about MacArthur, Saladin and Tamerlane. Also Sargon.
89 posted on 11/14/2004 5:39:10 PM PST by Fatalis (John Kyl in 2008)
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To: Fiddlstix

Good GOD...you must not be from TEXAS.!?

It is spelled SAM HOUSTON! :)


90 posted on 11/14/2004 5:39:15 PM PST by TexConfederate1861 (Sic Semper Tyrannis!)
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To: Cyropaedia

George S. Patton


91 posted on 11/14/2004 5:40:01 PM PST by Norman Bates (Game over. Bush wins.)
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To: Cyropaedia
Pharoah Thutmosis III.

He was Alexander the Great, before Alexander the great.

92 posted on 11/14/2004 5:40:04 PM PST by dogbyte12 (Proud New Daddy since 11-11-04)
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To: TexConfederate1861
I too am shocked that anyone would think Grant was anything more than an average general.

Getting defeated several times by an opponent with only a fraction of your strength does not indicate a great general. Finally grinding him down shows determination but losing more men killed than Lee's army ever numbered should be telling.

93 posted on 11/14/2004 5:40:06 PM PST by yarddog
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To: Cyropaedia

Montgomery, Christiaan de Wet.


94 posted on 11/14/2004 5:40:53 PM PST by Ironfocus (No more Mr. Nice Guy)
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To: Cyropaedia
Alexander, Ghengis, Hannibal, Guderian. Honorable mention for some great campaigns to Sherman and Grant, Ceasar, Napolean, Chief Joseph, Cortez and I'm sure many others that I am forgetting off the top of my head. Sun Tsu laid down principles that still stand, and Liddell Hart made them more modern.

With the rise of computers and war gaming, the strategies employed by the US military in its latest campaigns are as good as any ever employed in history. Gulf War I, Afghanistan and Iraq are instant classics, and Fallujah is just the latest example. These don't get credited to a single individual, so we don't have our Alexander, but our strategy is just as good.

95 posted on 11/14/2004 5:41:39 PM PST by Defiant (Democrats: Don't go away mad, just go away.)
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To: SoCal Pubbie

this up coming film makes me so mad because of all the historical lies making Alexander look like a lover more than a brilliant general
p.s. Has any body read the Theodore Dodge books. There the greatest! One book is about Alexander's fantastic military campaign and the other is about Hannibal's triumphs.


96 posted on 11/14/2004 5:41:52 PM PST by mastercylinder (This country was founded on freedom so you're free to love it or leave it)
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To: Alouette

YOU DEAL WITH IT!

Just because Grant "won", doesn't mean a damn thing!
Lee was a better General. Ask anyone that went to West Point.


97 posted on 11/14/2004 5:42:05 PM PST by TexConfederate1861 (Sic Semper Tyrannis!)
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To: Cyropaedia

Hannibal, Caesar, Salladin, El Cid, Cortez there are so many


98 posted on 11/14/2004 5:42:15 PM PST by bubman
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To: Cyropaedia

in the future, Capt. Kirk.


99 posted on 11/14/2004 5:42:25 PM PST by isom35
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To: No Truce With Kings
George Washington - NO
Lee - Yes
US Grant - NO
Stonewall - Yes
Napolion - Yes
Patton - maybe
Alexander - Good God Yes
Tommy Franks - NO (has not fought an enemy on par with us)

If you don't really understand history I can see your error in saying washington and US grant. But for fact they were not great military leaders... how hard is it to defeat an undermanned, starving, underequipped and fleeing army? very hard if you are US grant.
100 posted on 11/14/2004 5:42:27 PM PST by DixieOklahoma (Stop specter vision! Keep specter out! Just say NO to specter!)
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