Who are the only two U.S. Commanders in Chief that have been on a battlefield?

Question

By Commander in Chief I mean sitting U.S. President

There are only two U.S. presidents that at the time of holding office were present during an ongoing battle in which one side was fighting against the other side at the very moment that he was there.

Answer 1

Madison and Lincoln

Answer 2

George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower were all high level command soldiers prior to becoming president. John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon were both World War II veterans. Those are just the few that I can think of off the top of my head. That's far more than two presidents.

As to sitting presidents that would have seen a battlefield, well I'd lean to the two the wars came to; Abraham Lincoln and James Madison. I don't know about what presidents would have went to the war.....

Answer 3

Quite a few were on Battle fields prior to being presidents, Quite a few more were Presidents and visited battlefields either during or just before or after a battle. Lincoln was at several sites before during and after even though like GW he only had a minor engagement with military duty. your question needs a little more meat.

Answer 4

Lincoln and his family watched over ramparts and lincoln was sniped at from the distance. Actual battle had not ensued. it could have at any second so a paddle wheeler was left engines running. GW visited the green zone. FDR was at several points just miles from actual german lines in North Africa. James Madison left Washington Just prior to the brtish invasion and Razing of the capital. Other than that you got me.

Answer 5

only 2? I am know there are more than two... Grant, Bush 1, Ike, Kennedy, Washington, Jackson, Johnson, Roosevelt etc...

or are you asking which presidents have been to a battlefield while in office?

if that's the case then its Johnson and Bush 2.

oops forgot Lincoln, so that's 3

Correction: then that would be Lincoln and Johnson

Answer 6

James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, GHW Bush, GW Bush--For Madison the war came to him--War of 1812, British invaded and burned the White House; Abe visited hospitals, & at several civil war sites, he also chewed out MacClellan for not moving fast enough against Lee. He said: "if you aren't going to use our army, may I borrow it?" & of course Gettysburg, PA in 1863 to give "Emancipation Proclamation"; Truman to Korea to chew out MacArthur; Bush (#41) to Kuwait & Iraq; and Bush (#43) to Iraq on Thanksgiving. Also, Franklin Roosevelt during WWII, met Churchill & Stalin in Potsdam, Brandenberg, Germany, where he made the statement which is etched at the FDR Memorial in Washington: "I have seen war, and I hate war." Eisenhower also went to Korea as one of his campaign pledges: "I will go to Korea" (1952)--War is technically still going on since a peace treaty was never signed by either of the warring parties. LBJ also visited Vietnam in 1965.

Answer 7

Pres. Madison . Pres. Lincoln

Answer 8

Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans, and D.W. Eisenhower in WWII

Answer 9

Eisenhower & Kennedy?

Answer 10

rosevelt and washington