re: Who would you want leading you in battle?

This guy, if we're talking movies and TV.

Definitely not some of the other choices mentioned; Jon Snow gonna get you killed for sure.
Yoda- don't talk behind his back if you want to keep your head

From the fantasy/LOTR crowd, I might go with Eomer. Dude seemed to know how to pick his battle geography and use that cavalry well. Not a lot of attrition on his moves... come down the hill from the East, with your enemies staring right into the sun.