Posted on 04/16/2012 1:54:03 PM PDT by gandalftb
The American was voted the winner in a contest run by the National Army Museum to identify the country's most outstanding military opponent.
He was one of a shortlist of five leaders who topped a public poll and on Saturday was selected as the ultimate winner by an audience of around 70 guests at a special event at the museum, in Chelsea, west London.
In second place was Michael Collins, the Irish leader, ahead of Napoleon Bonaparte, Erwin Rommel and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. At the event, each contender had their case made by a historian giving a 40 minute presentation.
The audience, who had paid to attend the day, then voted in a secret ballot after all five presentations had been made.
Dr Stephen Brumwell, who had championed Washington, said: "As British officers conceded, he was a worthy opponent."
To qualify, each commander had to come from the 17th century onwards – the period covered by the museum's collection – and had to have led an army in the field against the British, thus excluding political enemies, like Adolf Hitler.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Had we stayed a colony of Britain, what would have been the chances of a Louisiana Purchase and the immigration from Europe?
Funny Hitler didn’t make the top one.
I suppose its sour grapes that one of their own - who they loved when he fought the Indian Wars for them - led the troops against them in the First American Revolution.
I say First nowadays...
Icing on the cake? We beat a Frenchman too.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2872289/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2872424/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2872783/posts
I’d think Montcalm would have qualified as well; he made quite an impression, and for longer then Ataturk or Rommel.
How about William Wallace, or Robert Bruce?
George Washington Named Obama’s Greatest Ever Foe
There I changed it to match what we all read it as at first glance.
LOL Looks like the original poster rapped your knuckles the other day!
That’s the funny thing the guy rapping my knuckles over my repost turned out to be the SECOND person to post the story!!!! ;-)
Remember they had India, Australia(A whole continent), New Zealand and Etc......... during this era. Decline came much later after this Victorian age.
The “sun never set” on the British Empire after England gained India and other colonies in the Far East, events subsequent to and believed to more than make up for Britain’s loss of its North American “possessions.” The most significant and abrupt decline occurred after WWII with the loss of India, Canada, New Zealand and Malaysia. Australia won its sovereignty in 1931 if memory serves. Definitely prior to WWII. The Empire apexed after the Revolutionary War concluded.
Unless the poll were in the context of off-battlefield accomplishments, Washington wasn’t Britain’s “greatest foe” by any objective measure. That would be Hitler.
“How about William Wallace, or Robert Bruce?”
Sounds like the British don’t see them as particularly great foes!
Actually, if you read the article, they fell outside the criteria used. Much too early.
That's because Hitler lost and Washington won.
an Indian friend of mine was particularly impressed to learn that Washington had defeated Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Cornwallis was infamous for his ruthless cunning in India.
You mean “expect”?
There were four posts of this article before mine. I did a search on “George Washington” before I posted and nothing popped up, otherwise I wouldn’t have posted. How to explain the other three?
As for immigration from Europe, that was how the colonials got there, why wouldn't it have continued?
No successful American Revolution, no French Revolution, no Napoleon, No Congress of Vienna, no European power vacumm, Purssia remains another small Germanic kingdom, No German Empire, No Triple Alliance to counter it, No First World War, No Bolshevik Revolution, No Hitler, No Second World War. Basically it's the situation in the Turtledove/Dreyfuss The Two Georges
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It's a world of Empires, the heresy of republicanism never gets a look in. Withour that troublemaker James Monroe spreading dissention south, Spain retains South America.
The British Empire acquires the Ottoman Empire and the Chinese Empire as Protectorates to contain the Russian Empire
The Industrial Revoluition takes place in England on schedule in the 19th Century, but blends into the 20th one in the North American Union dominion, making the British Empire the world's industrial superpower.
My comment about the British conquering Louisiana was facetious, of course. Again the Butterfly Effect. No one can predict with any certainty the events that would have followed a successful British suppression of the colonials' revolt.
That's because Hitler lost and Washington won.
No, it's because he didn't meet the criteria. Only field commanders were considered.
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