- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Who is the GOAT of all U.S generals?
Posted on 9/27/23 at 4:45 pm to X123F45
Posted on 9/27/23 at 4:45 pm to X123F45
quote:
Grant recognized Lee for what he was. Just a man. Far too many of his peers saw him as some sort of diety.
Longstreet recognized Grant for what he was considering he knew him personally. He told Lee Grant would not quit (something like fight us everywhere all the time). He was right. Lincoln said "I cannot spare this man; he fights." Similar to why Patton didn't get sacked after the slapping incident.
0
Posted on 9/27/23 at 4:57 pm to MSUDawg98
quote:
Without the successes on that campaign we might have seen Sherman picked by Lincoln (possibly saving much of Georgia from his scorched earth warfare).
Not a chance. At that time, for a lot of reasons, Sherman was content being number 2.
He would have said no to the top spot.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 5:04 pm to Mo Jeaux
quote:
I realize that some of you feel the need to spike the ball over the civil war for some odd reason, but don’t be disingenuous.
You realize this is a discussion about subjective opinions on the greatest US general right?
It’s not disingenuous to think the losing general of the civil war isn’t the GOAT.
It would be disingenuous to say he was the worst general, but nobody’s saying that.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 5:20 pm to Mo Jeaux
quote:
Secession
My bad quote:
and no he wasn't.
Correct, I misread something. He was offered the role of major general to command the defense of the national capital but refused it writing to Francis Blair who offered it "Mr. Blair, I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves in the South I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native state?"
Posted on 9/27/23 at 5:21 pm to Roll Tide Ravens
quote:
Led by a very good general/field marshal in Georgy Zhukov.
It would’ve cost millions of American lives and tens of millions of Russian lives including the use of nuclear weapons to displace the Soviets from Eastern Europe after WW2 IMO.
I think we as Americans lack a sense of the magnitude of the war on the eastern front. Our bloodiest engagements in France wouldn’t have been top 10 in terms of casualties on the eastern front. I think 19k US soldiers died during the Bulge whereas 480k soviets died at Stalingrad.
It was an absolute meat grinder and we would’ve been facing a Soviet army with 7 years of experience, improved weapons, battle honed tactics and a rebuilt industrial capacity.
We could’ve won, but we lacked the will to pursue that war given the costs involved.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 5:30 pm to EvrybodysAllAmerican
quote:
Under the circumstances, this was pretty impressive...
Washington wanted to mount an invasion of Boston via rowboats into fortified positions with the worlds greatest navy just hanging out in the harbor.
He should’ve been annihilated at Long Island where he failed to fortify Jamaica pass and then again at Manhattan where he was basically allowed to leave by Howe.
His subordinates were humiliated under his direct command at Ft Lee, should’ve won at Monmouth but didn’t track Lee’s incompetence until it was too late.. I can go on and on.
That he didn’t quit deserves praise, but as a tactician and battlefield leader he doesn’t merit much praise, much less consideration as the greatest general in US history IMO.
This post was edited on 9/27/23 at 6:18 pm
Posted on 9/27/23 at 5:32 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
the answer is Eisenhower.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 5:40 pm to Mo Jeaux
Using Alexander the Great in your example of great generals who lost battles and wars was a bad call.
The guy is literally famous for never losing a battle or a war, so many examples to choose from and you went with one of the few that literally never lost
The guy is literally famous for never losing a battle or a war, so many examples to choose from and you went with one of the few that literally never lost
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:06 pm to tide06
quote:
He was the best cavalry commander of the war on either side and helped pioneer mounted infantry tactics that were copied by the north and US army post war.
Phil Sheridan was better. Sheridan took Jeb Stuart out the war and burned the fight right out of the Shenandoah. Forrest slaughtered a few hundred surrendered American soldiers for fun.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:12 pm to makersmark1
quote:
For battlefield command?
For theater level planning?
For allied command?
This is the key, people are trying to compare Chesty Puller to Ike and it’s not possible.
It’s like comparing a QB to a WR.
Ike was a politician general who held together one of the most difficult alliances in human history. I’d argue Marshall deserves consideration as well in this category.
As a theater commander you’d have Lee, Grant, Pershing, Schwarzkopf and Sherman.
As far as battlefield commanders this gets more interesting with guys like B Arnold, Daniel Morgan, Forrest, Jackson, Patton, Ridgeway etc.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:14 pm to Truama_dawg
O.P. Smith, USMC
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:14 pm to AllbyMyRelf
quote:
He saw hell because he caused it.
He didn’t start the war but he sure as hell finished it.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:16 pm to Truama_dawg
George Patton or Stonewall Jackson.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:17 pm to ned nederlander
quote:
Phil Sheridan was better. Sheridan took Jeb Stuart out the war and burned the fight right out of the Shenandoah. Forrest slaughtered a few hundred surrendered American soldiers for fun.
So you praise one commander for burning out the civilian population of an entire valley using total war tactics then castigate another for Ft Pillow, interesting.
As far as comparing the cavalry goes again late war Union was so much better supplied than their southern counterparts it’s tough to do apples to apples.
You had Union cavalry in vastly greater numbers armed with fresh horses and repeating rifles fighting half starved southerners riding broken down mounts armed with side arms and shotguns.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:24 pm to Junky
quote:
There are too many to count. One to remark on was Gen. Collins, he served in the New Georgia and Guadalcanal campaigns, then lead the 82nd Airborne into D-day landings in Normandy.
Joe Collins didn't command the 82d Airborne! He commanded VII Corps. Troy Middleton commanded the 45th Division then VIII Corps.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:28 pm to Sus-Scrofa
quote:
You realize this is a discussion about subjective opinions on the greatest US general right?
Yeah, I do. I just thought that everyone would be a little more nuanced. My mistake if you think just losing means you’re disqualified. As I previously mentioned, that takes some of history’s greatest out of the running for more global discussions.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:28 pm to Truama_dawg
If Bush had given the go ahead for Schwartzkopf to march into Baghdad, the world would be a much better place right now.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:33 pm to Mo Jeaux
quote:
Yeah, I do. I just thought that everyone would be a little more nuanced. My mistake if you think just losing means you’re disqualified. As I previously mentioned, that takes some of history’s greatest out of the running for more global discussions.
We were talking about Lee losing the civil war. That’s one general in a specific war not being the GOAT U.S. general.
Certainly wasn’t making global statements about all generals for all time.
And really I just wanted to make the Minnesota Vikings joke.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:43 pm to Rabby
quote:
to Eisenhower who always had the upper hand and the almost certain prospect of victory
You need to do more research on D-Day. There was far from a certain prospect of victory.
Posted on 9/27/23 at 6:48 pm to rowbear1922
quote:
Grant was a drunk so why would anyone?
Because Grant is the best American general of all time according to statistics.
Here’s a list of the top 10.
LINK
Grant is the only American, ranking ahead of Alexander the Murderer but behind Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Duke of Wellington, Napoleon, and a few others.
Page 9 of 17
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News