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.

[eagle11]

Alexander the Great.

[MagnumRancid]

<<
I agree that Grant was very good commander, but I don't think he was on the level of Lee.
>>
I don't think it is fair to either man to compare them. Lee was among the last of one era's commanders and Grant was one of the first of the new era.

[Jet Jaguar]

that should have read Suleiman the Magnificent. My bad.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

Would you mind explaining the differences to someone who is ignorant about the subject?

[wildcatf4f3]

Spruance. Vandergrift

[Defiant]

I think that Sherman's pillaging of the South was contemptuous and dishonorable.

Then I guess Genghis Khan and Alexander weren't great commanders, either.

I think Sherman's rampage was exactly the right thing to do under the circumstances. It demoralized the enemy army, cut the lines of communication and attrited the enemy of its southern armies. It brought about the end of the war, which is the point of command. The South complaining about Sherman is like Zarqawi complaining about the Fallujah campaign. They brought it on themselves in a war that claimed half a million lives.

[Williams]

You may be correct. I think it's fair to say Grant was one of the first American commanders to use overwhelming force on offense to finish off an opponent.

[Strategerist]

1) MacArthur attacked the Bonus marchers apparently against Presidential orders.

2) MacArthur botched the training and preparation of the Phillipine Army.

3) Then AFTER HE HEARD ABOUT PEARL HARBOR he allowed his entire air force to be destroyed on the ground. He then apparently underwent a nervous breakdown (similar to Stalin after the German invasion) for a few days.

4) He then botched the defense of Luzon, attempting to fight mobile battles in Northern Luzon that ended disastrously.

5) His operations in New Guinea advancing to the Phillipines were largely the work of brilliant subordinates like Eichelberger, Krueger and Kenney. He was careful to make sure none of them got any publicity and credit. He even put Eichelberger on the shelf for a year because he still managed to get some favorable publicity.

6) The Inchon operation was a bit less impressive than portrayed. By the time it happened the Pusan Perimeter had already been heavily reinforced and the North Koreans would have collapsed anyway.

7) He utterly misread Chinese intentions in Korea and was yet again completely surprised by their attack.

This is not the record of one of the greatest generals in history.

MacArthur simply looked like a general, and had good PR. And much of his legend was politically derived (A hero of the Republican Party, who were desperate to get him to run for President...a job in which he would have been a disaster. Fortunately they turned to Eisenhower.)

[Senator Pardek]

Jesus H. Christ. His existence (and death) eventually brought down the Roman Empire without firing as much as a pellet gun.

Who alive today thinks of Jupiter as neither a planet or Cornwallis' fictional dog?!

[Getsmart64]

Grant was a ruthless military commander....as far as American Military commanders...Grant won more battles by losing more men than his enemy....the enemy was out manned and out gunned and still inflicted more causalities...many Northerners wanted Grant strung up from the nearest tree....he wasted many of lives when he didn't need to....eventually the South would have had to succumb to the North due to economics...

[JustAnotherOkie]

How about 'John Kerry', 'Saddam Hussein', 'Wesley Clark', and Montgomery.

[Alouette]

Joshua. Gideon.

[Strategerist]

Jesus H. Christ. His existence (and death) eventually brought down the Roman Empire

You mean Gibbon's assertion that the Western Roman Empire collapsed because it converted to Christianity?

[fish hawk]

Didn't Jackson get shot by his own men? Smart???

[DixieOklahoma]

So basically what you're saying is that you agree and that Maryland (and deleware) were part of the union. Also, what about all 5 of the civilized tribes signing to fight for the confederacy? Kind of messed up for them to join a white power movement isin't it?

[mirkinmuffley]

Thanks. I had it spelled as buddakhan and knew that was incorrect.

There has been a lot of romanticizing throughout history of defeated Generals. Napoleon, Rommel, Forrest and Lee all lost. Greatest soldier was Henry Fonda. He stopped the Battle of the Bulge with about 6 55 gallon drums!

[fish hawk]

Sorry but Kerry was not a Commander. He was a spy for the North Viet Namese.

[TADSLOS]

Tactical - Division Commander and below during a single crucial battle or set of battles

Operational - Corps/Army Commander conducting a campaign (series of battles) as part of a larger strategy

Strategic - Army/Supreme Commander developing/conducting strategic objectives for a nation or group of allies.

[MagnumRancid]

<<
Monty's defeat of Rommel was nothing short of brilliant, although I have to reconsider him as part of the "Greatest" list.
>>
Sometimes I wonder if perhaps Rommel is one of the more over rated generals. By the time Monty got involved Rommel's lines of supply and reenforcement had been well interdicted. Monty's ability may have well hastened the process but Rommel's defeat was only a matter of time.

[Norman Bates]

I am complaining about Sherman and I'm not a Southerner.

I think it was an egregious moral lapse.