[bubman]

Guderian, russian tank commander in ther battle of Kursk during WWII

[Bombardier]

George Washington, Winfield Scott, Curtis LeMay, Erwin Rommell, George Patton and Douglas McArthur.

[Jet Jaguar]

Ian the Third Sobieski, Suleiman the Great. They should be in there somewhere.

[FreedomCalls]

You can't deny Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul as a tremendous achievement.

Likewise Hernándo Cortés' conquest of the million-strong Aztec Army with only 600 men was incredible no matter how you slice it.

[dfwgator]

Casimir Pulaski
Jan Sobieski

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Patton, Grant, Lee, Napoleon, Gustavus Adolphus, Epaminados, Alexander, Hannibal

[Nosterrex]

Since the time of Alexander the Great, nearly all powerful leaders/generals have measured themselves against the achievements of Alexander. One needs only to recall how Julius Caesar wept in the presence of Alexander's statue. He set the high water mark for conquest as far as Western history is concerned.

I would list Alexander, Julius Caesar, Robert E. Lee, Napoleon, Douglas McArthur and Wellington as the cream of the crop.

Grant wasn't a bad general compared to the other Union generals, but his strategy was one of attrition. He was willing to sacrifice 2 or 3 of his men to kill 1 reb. I'm not sure that's a mark of a great general. The Union Army was very good at waging war against civilians.

[You Dirty Rats]

Although not one of my top four, Frederick the Great ranks well ahead of many on this list. He was certainly a far better tactician than Patton, for example. Heraclius of Byzantine also should be mentioned.

Alexander never lost. To me that counts for a lot, and I'd rank him first. Jenjis Khan (as JFK would call him) also had a great record, and if you give him credit for developing the system his successors throgh Kublai Khan achieved, he'd be first; I place him second. Hannibal is third due to his success against incredible odds. Napoleon is fourth; had he never invaded Russia, he could have ranked right up with ATG.

I also have to mention Field Marshal B.L. Montgomery. He would have ranked himself at least the equal of Alexander. But he doesn't even make the top 10 military leaders of WWII. Sorry, Monty: MARKET GARDEN SUCKED.

[Polybius]

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

To play Devil's Advocate..............

While U.S. Grant had the determination of a pit bull, his attrition style of warfare would only be successful when you have a large advantage in resources.

If the year were 1862 and, for the sake of theoretical argument, U.S. Grant commanded the Army of Northern Virginia with any Union General of your choice as a Corps commander and Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of the Potomac with Stonewall Jackson as one of his Corps commanders, how long would the Civil War have lasted?

[MTOrlando]

Black Jack Pershing

[FreedomCalls]

Don't forget the Cro-Magnon caveman who led the group of Cro-Magnons that destroyed all the remaining Neanderthals.

[everitt12]

Scipio Africanus, Gen. Pershing, Gen. Washington

[Lancey Howard]

George Washington, hands down.

[omega4412]

Scipio Africanus. See Liddell Hart's biography of him, arguing that Scipio was the great captain who defeated one of the great captains of all time.

[HockeyPop]

Robert E Lee. Why? His men not only fought for honor, duty and country, but fought for the sheer love and respect they had for the man.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Since the earliest days of statehood, Texans have answered the call of duty to defend the United States and protect its interests. From the War with Mexico to the current conflict in the Balkans, the Lone Star State has produced its share of military heroes, none more celebrated and decorated than Audie Leon Murphy.

Born June 20, 1924 near Kingston in Hunt County, Murphy was the son of poor tenant farmers. As a boy, he learned to hunt to put food on the family table. He became an expert shot, a skill that would help him later in life. Shortly after his 18^th birthday, Murphy enlisted in the Army. Assigned to Company B, 15^th Regiment, Third Infantry Division, he took part in the invasions of Sicily and southern France, earning a Bronze Star Medal, a Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in battle.

Murphy quickly rose through the ranks, progressing from private to second lieutenant by the end of 1944. In late January of 1945, German infantry and tanks attacked his company near Holtzwihr, in northeast France. Murphy ordered his men to fall back while he remained at a forward command post calling in fire instructions to his artillery. As the enemy closed in on him, Murphy climbed aboard a burning tank destroyer and used its .50-caliber machine gun against them. He was alone, atop a vehicle that could have exploded at any moment, but his constant fire caused the enemy attack to falter. Ignoring a leg wound, Murphy continued shooting until his ammunition ran out. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention and organized a counterattack that forced the Germans to withdraw. For this amazing act of heroism, Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor. In all, he received more than 30 medals – including three Purple Hearts and the Croix de Guerre of both Belgium and France – making him the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II.

After his discharge, Murphy continued to serve his state and country, rising to the rank of major in the Texas National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserves. His memoirs, To Hell and Back (1949) became a best seller. Murphy’s hero status and boyish good looks led to a career in Hollywood, where he made more than 40 films, most notably The Red Badge of Courage (1951) and the film version of To Hell and Back (1955). He died in a plane crash in 1971 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

On what would have been his 75^th birthday, I encourage all Texans to honor the memory of Audie Murphy. His character and courage represent the best our state has to offer, and he remains a hero and an inspiration to us all.

Therefore, I, George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, do hereby declare June 20, 1999,

AUDIE MURPHY DAY

in Texas, and urge the appropriate recognition whereof.   In official recognition whereof, I hereby affix my signature this 9th day of June, 1999.

[PhatHead]

Patton was the greatest battlefield commander in American history (IMHO, of course...) MacArthur is up there, too.

[PMCarey]

Are we limited to three? Okay ... In no particular order ...

• Scipio Africanus
• Alexander the Great
• Patton

[eagle11]

Alexander the Great.

[wildcatf4f3]

Spruance. Vandergrift