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.

[everitt12]

Scipio Africanus, Gen. Pershing, Gen. Washington

[Minus_The_Bear]

• Don't forget the Cro-Magnon caveman who led the group of Cro-Magnons that destroyed all the remaining Neanderthals. ha! those Neanderthals were outnumbered and starving though

[HockeyPop]

Dayan was brilliant in '67, but was wobbly in '73 as Meir's defense minister. Sharon argued crossing the Suez over Meir and Dayan's objections. Sharon eventually got his way and brought his tanks and troops within 50 miles of Cairo until the Soviets and Americans pressured Israel to halt. The entire Egyptian 3rd Army was surrounded at the time.

[TexConfederate1861]

Had to bust your chops just a "little" bro....:)
Especially being from just North of your city (Conroe) :)

[FreedomCalls]

What about General Arial Sharon's crossing of the Suez and dagger thrust towards Cairo? He was only stopped at US insistence.

[AnAmericanMother]

Dammit, John, Hornblower is fictional.

He was based more or less on Lord Cochrane with some Sir James Gordon thrown in. Not as dashing as Lord Nelson but probably better naval commanders . ..

My vote's got to be for N.B. Forrest. He was way ahead of his time, a quarrelsome fellow and (as my grandmother said) somebody you could not POSSIBLY ask to dinner! But the best cavalryman of the war.

[Lancey Howard]

George Washington, hands down.

[ChadGore]

Benedict Arnold did a marvelous job until he turned traitor.

So did kerry ;)

[libertyman]

I wonder how history would have changed if Patton's superiors had listened to him & taken his advice when he mention the fact that he didn't trust the Russians one bit, & if he had never slapped that soldier.

Do you think we could have beaten the commies while we were in Europe, @ a time BEFORE they had the bomb?

[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.

[Alouette]

The Rothschilds backed the Confederacy.

They lost millions.

[clee1]

That's my take as well.

RE Lee was a great leader, but he didn't have the infrastructure or logictics to defeat the Union.

[Arioch7]

Good point. That was one of them Zhukov.

Hey, they might have been bastards but it doesn't make them weak fighters.

Arioch7 out.

[Norman Bates]

I think that Sherman's pillaging of the South was contemptuous and dishonorable. That's not something you do to your own people, even if they were rebels.

Guderian was a great general, I agree. In my opinion, he was on par with Rommel - if not, above him. Funny that he is now widely overlooked in military history.

[Strategerist]

What about the slave holding states like maryland, etc that were part of the Union????

Maryland was forcibly held in the Union by the Union. If left unfettered it would have seceded and most of the population of Maryland wished to secede. Far more Marylanders fought for the Confederacy than fought for the Union.

[DixieOklahoma]

King Leonidias of Sparta

You are correct, those spartans were some tough fighters... Those 300 WANTED to fight the 300,000 enemy soldiers. And they held out for what was it? 7 days? Or was it more I can't remember.

[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.

[gusopol3]

Henry V of England at Agincourt

[clee1]

No.

The Pres. is C-in-C. The military must follow his orders or depose him in a coup d'etat.

[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.