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

[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.

[Moonman62]

His accomplishments in holding the army and the new nation together were truly remarkable, ...

I think he should be given credit for that as a military leader. His greatest accomplishment may have been that he and most of his troops lived to fight another day under some very trying circumstances.

[Rockingham]

MacArthur also had illegal money dealings with the Phillipine government that may have compromised his efforts against the Japanese in the early hours of WW II. The Philippine president, Quezon, was apparently trying to reach an accommodation with the Japs and did not want MacArthur doing anything that would jeopardize the supposed deal.

[XJarhead]

And if Napoleon had put Davout in Ney's place during the Waterloo campaign....

At the least, it would have been a lot more interesting. Blucher would have been toast, and it may have been French troops rather than Prussian arriving on the field.

[GnuHere]

Did someone call for a Mastercard ad??

Serving your country for 4 months... almost gratis.
Meeting with "terrorists" in Paris...gratis.
Hurting POWs...gratis.
Marrying a rich heire$$...brilliant.
Windsurfing, snowboarding...somewhat expensive.
Losing the election on schedule...priceless!

[XJarhead]

Hannibal was pretty much at the end of his rope when he fought Scipio. And Scipio beat Hannibal at least in part because he had the stronger force at Zama, particularly when the Numidians switched sides. I can't give Scipio credit for being the better general when he had stronger army.

[Centurion2000]

Yeah, now that I think about it, Tommy Franks has won the most lopsided victory in human history. 999 to 1 kills/losses ... that's unmatched anywhere.

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

How about Chief Crazy Horse? He was a great battlefield commander, to use our modern terminality, and would cut thru just about anybody nowadays! And he was a Native American!

[A Jovial Cad]

Here's my top five (limited to Americans):

1. William Tecumseh Sherman

2(a). General Douglas MacArthur (strategic)

2(b). General George Patton (tactical)

3. General Curtis LeMay

4. Nathan Bedford Forrest

5. Admiral David Glasgow Farragut

[miliantnutcase]

De gaulle...J/K!

[A Jovial Cad]

Well, bushy, it was Lee on the hot seat at Appomattox, if you do care to remember, not Grant. That sums it up and pretty much says it all. Had Sherman fought the way he did for the Confederates, I doubt not that you'd be all over this thread praising him as the greatest general since Hannibal, and flaming those who disagreed. Sherman was the first modern warrior--and a great one. If you really, really, really want to get into the silly "war crimes" game, I'd be more than happy to discuss Fort Pillow--among other "incidents"--with you...(snicker)....

[A Jovial Cad]

"...fabricated by the abolitionists and Carl Sandburg."

LOL...really? "Carl Sandburg," "abolitionists" and every legitimate historian for the last 139 years "fabricated" it all, huh? LOL...Wow...says it all... What's next? Lincoln was a space alien smoothing the way for a hostile invasion from the stars? Grant was a time traveler, a' la *Star Trek*, determined to "change" history away from a certain Rebel victory into a "stolen" Union win? Jeeze Louise, I've wandered into the same kind of "logic" expressed over in DUmmyland. Next you'll be telling us that the Union Army was largely made up of Borg Drones...(snicker)...

[BIGLOOK]

I agree. The western world exists due to Martel's stand.

Salutes to Nimitz, Eisenhower & Patton.

[TexConfederate1861]

As I said, ask a WEST POINT GRADUATE.

As for Pickett's Charge, that was a sound plan. Lee had been repulsed on both flanks of the Union Line. Strategy assumed the Federal Line would be weakest at the center.

The charge wasn't executed properly by Longstreet.

[TexConfederate1861]

As I told someone else, the Plan was sound for the charge, and wasn't executed properly. Pickett was a pompous idiot, and Longstreet believed it would fail from the beginning.

Lee was an excellent strategist. Stonewall was brilliant as well, but Lee was better.

[TexConfederate1861]

You really are some kind of id*ot if you think Ft. Pillow was anything more than Yankees getting soundly defeated. Congressional hearings after the war proved it was no slaughter. When you are given a chance to surrender, which they were, and refused, which they did, then you lose a LOT of lives, which happened.

[TexConfederate1861]

I am now convinced that Oklahoma IS populated by "Space Cadets", judging from your comments.......



But then again, Texas has ALWAYS had that opinion :)

[A Jovial Cad]

*You really are some kind of id*ot if you think...*

Gee, that's a nice introduction, Tex. Guess "Southern hospitality" isn't all it's cracked up to be, huh? As a native Oklahoman, though, I must say a Texan mad always makes me glad--that usually means OU has once again beaten UT. And *that* always brings a smile to my Jovial face.