Who was the best "Military" leader ever?

Question

what i want is either a top 10 format or top 3 or just your opinion of the ultimate military leader. the guidlines are as follows
1. can be any leader, i.e. general, king, president, outlaw, ect
2. must have been in control of an army at at least on point in their carreer
3. did not have to have been in any conflicts
4. NO age, gender, religion, race ect.. requirements

The best answer will be decided by vote, not me.
please give reasons why you chose you leaders.

thanks for participating.

Answer 1

Napoleon Bonaparte.

Answer 2

1. Ulysses S. Grant, devised the stragegy that won the Civil War.

2. Winfield Scott--developed the first great American strategic theory.

3. Henry Knox--Not really a military man in the normal sense, but he pulled off one of the gratest logistical coups in history, with his movement of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga across the Green Mountains and the Connecticutt River to Boston in the dead of winter.

4. Alfred Thayer Mahan--Not quite the strategist Grant was, but he still revolutionized naval strategy.

5. Dwight D. Eisenhower--Two words: Operation Overlord.

6. Anthony C. McAuliffe--The artillery commander of the 101st. Airborn Division famous for replying "Nuts!" to German demands for surrender, whose men held back the Germans at the Battle fo the Bulge until reinforcements came and assured victory.

7. Matthew Ridgeway--U.S. 8th Army commander who replaced MacArthur in overall command in Korea, effectively cleaning up the mess MacArthur made of the fight, pushing the Chinese out of South Korea.

8. George Dewey--The only man in U.S. history to become Admiral of the Navy, who led his men to victory over the Spanish in the Philippines, winning the Battle of Manila Bay without a single casualty.

9. David Farragut--The Civil War admiral who captured New Orleans, dividing the Confederacy in half and easing Grant's capture of Vicksburg the next year; and captured Mobile Alabama, one of the last coastal holdouts in the South, in 1864 while lashed to the rigging of his flagship, with the command "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"

10. And I have to give a tip of the hat to the soldiers who found General Lee's lost orders at Atietam in 1862; even though McClellan pissed away an awesome opportunity to destroy the main Confederate army, the Union still won a tactical victory which led to Lincon's Emancipation Proclamation.

Put those in any order you want as long as Grant keeps the top spot.

Answer 3

For the men:

1. Ghengis Khan. The sheer scale of his empire should prove the efficacy of his tactics and the greatness of his genius. The fact that his empire managed to hold together for a few generations after his death is an equally impressive achievement.

2. Alexander the Great - His military genius is extremely impressive for someone of his age, and his ambition is something remarkable. Still, he comes second only to Ghengis because his empire disintegrated upon his death.

I think that a lot of women have made their own impact in the history of warfare, so I will provide a list of women who have proven to be excellent military leaders, each in her own right:

a. Boudica, Queen of the Iseni - Most people would not think of her as a great military leader, but it must be remembered that, before her defeat in the Battle of Watling Street, she had made even the Roman Emperor (Nero, at the time) actually consider withdrawing Roman forces from the British Isles. Had she not made her enormous tactical error at Watling, she could have actually managed to kick them out and win independence from Rome.

b. Pin-Yang - Born to one Li Yaun, she led a "Women's Army," which she allied with rebel forces in her area, and helped to overthrow the Sui Dynasty, leading to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. Not a lot of women can claim to have helped overthrow an entire dynasty, but Pin-Yang can readily claim that honor.

c. Sikelgaita - She was a Lombard princess who fought in the Battle of Dyrrhachium, leading her husband's troops when they were repulsed by the Byzantine army.

d. Jeanne d'Arc, the Maid of Orleans - I would be remiss not to mention the Maid of Orleans in this list. Her victory at Orleans changed the cautious, defense-based military strategy that the French had taken at that time to a more offensive stand against the English. Although she was eventually captured and burned at the stake, her victory at Orleans allowed for the coronation of a French King, and over time, gave the French the courage to push back the English from their shores.

Answer 4

George S. Patton
November 11, 1885 - December 21, 1945

He took on forces that were better trained and better equipped. All because he had the unwavering support of his subordinates and had superior tactics. Maybe his commanders didn't agree with his way of wagging war but he got the job done were others would have failed. Both the enemies and his men feared and admired him and if that isn't a good military leader if not the best then i dint know what is.
p.s Alexander was a fag...no realy look it up

Answer 5

I personally think a lot has to be said for Napolean Bonaparte. Yes, he was a little radical at times not to mention arrogant as hell, but he did quite a lot of good. He shaped Europe into what it is today. And it's not as if his general idea was all that bad. And then there's also Giuseppe Garibaldi who led the battle for the unification of Italy almost singlehandedly. And of course George Washington must be mentioned.

Answer 6

Gaius Julius Caesar

Answer 7

Ghengis Khan.

He cultivated an almost unstoppable army out of a small group of nomads in the steppes of Mongolia. In only a few years of his young adult life he raised one of the the most formidable armies in all of history. Not only did he raise up this army on his own, in a very short amount of time, he created his own military tactics, some of which went unchallenged throughout all of history. The Mongols had argueably the best calvary in human history, and thats saying something since calvary militaries were the exclusive military setup for much of modern history, and this is almost entirely based off of the unbelievably ferocious tactics and demeanor of their leader, Ghengis Khan. If you look throughout history, I think you would be hard pressed to find another person who had as succesful a military life as Ghengis Khan. On top of this, he did not build on an already existent and established army, like almost every other military leader in history, he brought about the mighty fist of the Mongols almost singlehandedly.

Patton, Napolean, Hitler, Grant, Churchill, Attilla the Hun, all are incomparable to Ghengis Khan.

Answer 8

Hannibal Barca - a courageous Carthaginian who kicked some serious Roman butts, most famously in the Battle of Cannae where he destroyed a Roman force more than twice his numbers through the first recorded case of "double envelopment"

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus - the Roman who understood the true art & strategy of warfare

He forced Hannibal to leave Roman lands & return to Carthage simply by defeating the Carthaginians' home bases

I most admire them as they served their countries & not their egos. They both ultimately came to bad ends because of the ingratitude of their countries. Hannibal tried to reform the Carthaginian system & was betrayed by his own people & forced to suicide. Scipio was wrongly accused of corruption by jealous politicians

Answer 9

Napoleon Bonaparte.

Answer 10

Alexander the great, king of macedonia. he didnt lost a single battle. He put down rebellions in his domain n destroyed the persian empire which was the greatest power on that time