The Greatest Generals in american history

[Irishdragon]

I was in Gettysburg yesterday and realized that in this area were some of the greatest generals the world has seen; Lee, Longstreet, Hancock and even...92 years later Eisenhower. Who do you think. My list in no order: Patton, Lee, Longstreet (ahead of his time), Jackson, IKE, and W. T. Sherman.

 

[koalabear]

General Motors is number one....

 

[Monazwx]

Don't forget to put General Electric on the list.

(I couldn't resist).

 

[QuickDuck]

hmmm ok so keeping this strictly to US, but extending slightly to include commanders in general (sorry bad pun) but no order.

Patton
MacArthur
Halsey

Also temped to toss in Westmorland and Custer (despite famous last words of "where the hell did all these indians come from?")

/wave
QuickDuck

 

[bored1]

No order here.....Patton...Sherman.....Lee......Eisenhower.....MacArthur....Pershing

 

[QuickDuck]

Don't forget to put General Electric on the list.

(I couldn't resist).

oh and General Insurance.... thats the worst of all

 

[patient1]

I recall reading a quote from a Brit military historian "that had Nathan Bedford Forrest had the benefit of a military education, he would have been the central figure of the war."

He was a guy that could lead
He had about thirty horses shot out from under him, and killed thirty enemy personally.

Can you think of a general since Richard The Lionhearted who's done that in one war?

He figured it out on his own. He accomplished so much with so little. He was so feared that the enemy surrendered to him without a fight.

 

[patient1]

You guys forgot General Foods. Haven't you ever heard of JELLO?

 

[JazzManJim]

Here's mine, in no particular order:

Patton, Eisenhauer, Longstreet, Grant, Jackson, and Washington.

 

[Monazwx]

Almost missed:

General Mills (Pilsbury I think)

Oh yeah, and my vote is for Eisenhower.

 

[KillerMuffin]

George Washington gets my vote. Not necessarily because he was a good general, and he was, but because the man could have been king and he said no. He could have been president for life and he said no.

You've got to respect a man who has ultimate governmental power within reach and refuses it.

 

[REDWAVE]

Yes, but . . .

George Washington was a slaveowner.

 

[KillerMuffin]

That's true.

Does that preclude him from being a great general?

This didn't say anything about him as a man, just as a general.

 

[SleepingWarrior]

The only beef I have against Grant being a great general is the fact the main reason he was any good was because he had many many more bodies he could throw at Lee than Lee could fight off. If the Civil War would have been fought with even man power Lee would have whipped the pants, cigar and booze out of him. Of course war never happens like that, one side is always better equipped or has a larger amount of available bodies to fight with. So long post short(er).... I would have put Lee up against any other general and he would win if everything was even.

 

[SleepingWarrior]

Re: Yes, but . . .

George Washington was a slaveowner.

You would have been better off mentioning Forrest, seeing that he was one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan.

 

[Shaq]

You can't forget....

General Post....

 

[patient1]

Custer didn't think much of red-skinned savages, either.

To give Grant his due, he realised what it would take to win the war, & he did it, even though he had days of sending 10,000 men to their deaths. Who has the stomach for that? Nearly nobody.

 

[SleepingWarrior]

Custer didn't think much of red-skinned savages, either.

To give Grant his due, he realised what it would take to win the war, & he did it, even though he had days of sending 10,000 men to their deaths. Who has the stomach for that? Nearly nobody.

Yeah that is true. Another point I should take into consideration about Grant is that he let Lee lose with some pride and gave help to those Confederates after the end of the war at Appomatix(sp?). Would have been easy for him to make harsh demands for concessions but he was a good enough man to realize that those men were once again a part of the Union.

 

[patient1]

Nice posting with you, Sleeping Warrior

 

[Lost Cause]

I can't find anything amiss with your selections! Most generals of exceptional insight had that little "twist" to their personalities that made them great intuitive commanders. My pick for an updated exceptional general is General Schwartzkoff! I checked his bio, and I enjoyed his portrayal of the battle status during the 100 hour ordinance practice in the Gulf. An emotional movie for me to watch is "Gettysburg" a TBS production. The sacrifice, slaughter, and devotion of men at arms gives me serious PTSD. But, I watch it, shed a tear for those folks and those that have gone since then. It makes the stars and bars a little brighter on Memorial day. Remember all the Celtic heroes, Irish and Scots, that fought on our battlefields. A tear never forgets.
**Either you're for us...or a Guiness!**

 

[REDWAVE]

Great generals?

MacArthur, Patton, and Eisenhower (the latter two were then Majors) all played a part in the brutal attack on the Bonus Army in 1932. They scored a glorious victory over a bunch of impoverished vets . . .

 

[Shaq]

General stores also have there place in American history...

 

[Guru]

 

[Problem Child]

Why are we only mentioning Americans?

Rommel, Guderian, Patton, Bradley, Grant, Longstreet, and Lee top my list.




also...Redwave, shut the fuck up.

 

[badasschick]

Kneel before Zod!

yeah he was a general too.