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.

[Busywhiskers]

Judging from the MSM--Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean.

[PISANO]

Patton-Washington-Grant

[luvbach1]

Winning with what you have is the name of the game in war and Grant did that.The allies won through uninterrupted supply lines and industrial capacity (think US)in WWII but a win is a win.

[indcons]

"The war is over and the South will not rise again."

I gather you have never spent any time in the South.

[luvbach1]

What country?

[luvbach1]

Kudos for Audie Murphy!!

[Logic n' Reason]

US Grant was not a "great military commander"; he simply had more cannon fodder than the opposing army - he never "out general-ed" anyone.

I'll put my money on R.E. Lee. Had Lee decided to fight for the Union, the "civil war" would have been over in about four months - at far less cost.

[luvbach1]

You're right. Grant believed that winnning meant crushing the enemy. Still the best strategy.

[CLRGuy]

Belisarius, Scipio Africanus

+1 on that
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scipio_Africanus

[luvbach1]

Can't fault Franks for applying overwhelming force. It was a strategy that won handily and spared his troops. A good parlay. And remember, critics at the time said we did not have enough troops and materiel for the task. Of course, not referring to the aftermath in Iraq.

[luvbach1]

MacArthur attacked the Bonus marchers apparently against Presidential orders.

He was a colonel at that time, not a general.

[Leatherneck_MT]

Thank you sir! :)

[HardStarboard]

>>>,i>How about 'John Kerry', 'Saddam Hussein', 'Wesley Clark', and Montgomery<<<

Great examples!...of military men that were adept at accumulating masses of self-congratulatory credit for virtually no accomplishment.

[KenmcG414]

Gen. George Washington & Gen. Patton

[Casloy]

Grant, far an above the greatest American miliatry commander of all time.

[Netheron]

John Kerry was in Vietnam?

Why didn't he mention it in the campaign?

[Semper Paratus]

'Saddam Hussein'

I enjoyed General Swartzkopff's analysis of his military prowress at the final briefing.

[Ramcat]

James Tiberious Kirk

[wagglebee]

There was a lot of animosity toward the war in the North, they generally saw the South as backwards and not worth fighting. Plus, they really wanted interruption of cotton and agriculture products to end (we tend to forget that the effects of the blockade were felt on both sides). Lee's attempts to engage the Union in the North made many of the "fence sitters" pro-war.

I really think if Lee had done as Washington did in the Revolution, he would have been successful -- that was to make the enemy come to you, get victories where you could, but mainly avoid humiliating defeat. Had this happened, the Northerners would have eventually tired of the costs both in terms of loss of life and economically, the desire to become trading partners with the South would have been too great.

[7thson]

I haven't read through all the replies but most seem to mention land Generals. What about naval commanders? For those commanders of the seas, I nominate Nimitz and Arleigh Burke.