America’s Greatest Generals would probably go Washington, Jackson (who is also a problem for the left), Patton, Lee, in that order. However, I see your point and agree.
I vote Bedford Forrest, Patton on a horse.
The top five have to be Jackson, Lee, Patton, Pershing, and Washington, in alphabetical order; I wouldn't want to try to decide their order of merit. Grant, Harrison, MacArthur, Schwarzkopf, and Sherman would round out the top ten. (Tecumseh would be there, if he had been on our side in 1812.)
Been reading a lot about the Revolutionary War. Military Generals magazine said it best: what Washington did was the exception.
HE LOST MOST OF THE TIME, or ALL the time. However, his greatest attribute was keeping the army TOGETHER. Through desertions that would make any officer cry, he kept it together through hardships and bad weather and really bad morale.
When for years no one sane thought that the Americans had any chance and lost battle after battle, Washington could still keep an army in the field.
Lee is overrated, he had very good subordinates.
Patton is overrated thanks to a movie.
Jackson is underrated thanks to political correctness.
Somehow America's greatest general, Winfield Scott, didn't make that list.
I do actually like the idea of Washington as the greatest.
He did the most with the least and basically was a “gifted” amateur! He learned from every mistake and he made a lot in the beginning but the next time he was better & then learned some more from the next battler and was better again! If you break generalship into tactics & strategy, Washington was a superb strategist!
Two of my favorite and least heralded generals are:
George Rogers Clarke - another who did great feats with virtually nothing! He took I think 188 men and gained operational control of the Northwest (out to Illinois!) Did it in appalling winter conditions!
Winfield Scott - Landed at Vera Cruz out numbered, never lost a battle marched inland & took Mexico! Even Wellington said he was the greatest general of his time.
Winning against long odds
It is said that Union generals like Grant and Sherman may have achieved the same if they had likewise faced such dire circumstances
He lost a bunch, then surrendered.
Gentlemen: after 328+ replies it is now settled: Donald Trump should make that speech declaring Lee was the greatest general the US produced. As I said earlier it can be his “Viet Nam was a noble cause” moment. I remember Viet Nam was not even an issue at the time. He just wanter to stir things up. It worked. Got the ‘discussion’ going while the left could only ‘react’. It will bring out the historian ‘intellectuals’ and force them to explain the issue rather than play drama queen. Oh what a country.
I agree The story I liked about GW was when he gathered his officers right after the war, they pressured him to march on Philadelphia and take over the continental congress. He quieted them. The next day, he rode to Philadelphia and surrender his sword to the head of the congress to show that the military was submissive to elected authority.
Patton was so feared the Germans were sure the rest of the war centered around him. They spied on him in england where he was used as a decoy to the real D-Day effort.