HarryBalzack

I'm 51. When I was a kid, I remember being at my grandmother's house in the summer and NASA had a hotline you could call and listen to data coming in from Voyager (1 or 2, can't remember) as it exited the solar system. Totally made no sense, but we thought it was the coolest thing ever to hear something that originated from beyond.

Also, what a fricking battery, huh?

When they're pointing straight up you know they are watching the Playboy channel.

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So he’s affectively shutting down regional air traffic? That’s seems bad

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He doesn't give a shite. His buddy at Gulfstream needs his help.

My mother tried to name me Chance after Wayne's character in that movie. Thank God my dad put a stop to that.

Work provides me paid access to CoPilot. I put in on deep think and asked the same question. Pretty interesting take and I like how it explains the reasons for the rankings and the distinctions made.

Great question, Harry. “American history” can mean different things, so here’s a clear, assumptions-first take:

Scope assumed: United States generals only, including Confederate officers as historical American generals (but excluding admirals). If you prefer U.S. service only (no Confederates) or want to broaden to the entire Americas, I can re-rank instantly.

How I ranked them
Weighted criteria:
-War-winning impact (decisive theaters/campaigns)
-Scale & complexity of command (joint/combined, coalition)
-Operational art & innovation (maneuver, logistics, doctrine)
-Institution-building (creating the forces and systems that win)
-Civil–military leadership & legacy

Top 10 Greatest Generals in American History (including Confederates)

1) George Washington (Revolutionary War)
Why here: Preserved the Continental Army through a war of exhaustion, balanced strategy with political statecraft, coordinated with allies at Yorktown, and set enduring civil–military norms by relinquishing power.
2) Ulysses S. Grant (Civil War)
Why here: Synchronized multi-theater pressure (with Sherman & others), executed Vicksburg—an operational classic—and pursued a relentless, war-terminating strategy against Lee’s main army.
3) George C. Marshall (World War II)
Why here: Architect of victory as Army Chief of Staff—built a global-force army from a small peacetime base, chose commanders (Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton), and designed the mobilization, training, and logistics that made Allied success possible.
4) Dwight D. Eisenhower (World War II)
Why here: Master coalition commander—North Africa to Normandy to Germany—who coordinated vast joint/combined operations, logistics, and alliance politics to deliver victory in Europe.
5) Robert E. Lee (Civil War — Confederate)
Why here: Exceptional operational/tactical generalship in the Eastern Theater (Second Manassas, Chancellorsville, early Gettysburg maneuver), often outperforming with fewer resources. Strategic limitations and the cause he served temper the overall judgment.
6) William Tecumseh Sherman (Civil War)
Why here: Pioneer of deep operational maneuver/logistics: Atlanta, March to the Sea, Carolinas Campaign—severed Confederate logistics and will, accelerating war termination.
7) John J. Pershing (World War I)
Why here: Built the AEF from scratch, preserved independent American command, and delivered at St. Mihiel and Meuse–Argonne—foundational for the modern U.S. Army’s scale and doctrine.
8) Douglas MacArthur (World War II, Korea)
Why here: Operational audacity (New Guinea campaign, Inchon landing) and consequential postwar governance of Japan; towering, if controversial, civil–military judgment in Korea.
9) George S. Patton (World War II)
Why here: The exemplar of high-tempo combined-arms exploitation—breakout from Normandy, rapid pursuit across France, and relief of Bastogne; exacting logistics discipline underwrote the speed.
10) Winfield Scott (War of 1812, Mexican–American War)
Why here: Professionalized the antebellum Army (drill manuals), executed the Veracruz–Mexico City campaign—an operational masterpiece—and sketched the “Anaconda Plan” that foreshadowed Union grand strategy.

Honorable mentions (by era)

Revolutionary War: Nathanael Greene (brilliant Southern campaign that wore down Cornwallis); Henry Knox (artillery, logistics).
Civil War (Union): George H. Thomas (“Rock of Chickamauga,” decisive at Nashville), Philip H. Sheridan (Shenandoah, cavalry transformation).
Civil War (Confederate): Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (operational maneuver in the Valley), James Longstreet (corps-level mastery).
World Wars: Omar Bradley (steady Army Group command in NW Europe), H. H. “Hap” Arnold (airpower architect—if broadening “generalship” to include service-building air leaders).
Korea & Cold War: Matthew Ridgway (turned the war in 1951 through leadership and tactical reform).
Late 20th–21st Century: Norman Schwarzkopf (Desert Storm operational art), David Petraeus (COIN doctrine & surge in Iraq), Colin Powell (strategic doctrine as CJCS—less battlefield command).

Prefer a U.S.-service-only list (no Confederates)?
If we restrict to U.S. service, here’s a clean Top 10 (same criteria):

1. Washington
2. Grant
3. Marshall
4. Eisenhower
5. Sherman
6. Pershing
7. MacArthur
8. Patton
9. Winfield Scott
10. H. H. “Hap” Arnold (airpower institution-builder)

If you want me to weight pure battlefield generalship more (and institution-building less), I can re-rank—e.g., elevate Lee, Jackson, Thomas, Patton; if you want institutional impact, Marshall and Arnold rise. Which lens fits your class or project best, Harry?

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Well, somebody has to pay for all the welfare recipients living in the city of New Orleans

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And the prisons. Seems like there's one every five miles in Louisiana.

That's a wrap. Get supper ready, Lucy.

Oline has been the problem at Bama for last four years.

This officiating crew sucks donkey balls in Tijuana, Monday - Friday.

Exactly. The MFer had it cradled in his arm and took two steps with it.

Ghislaine Maxwell
Eva Marie Saint
Jesse Jackson

Looks like it does rain in Southern California after all.

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war is hell.. but man that's a lot of innocents killed

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True, but the firebombing raids did that kind of damage night after night. By '45, the US was ready for the war to be over and it was important that the Japanese surrender before the Russians got too involved, which is why (well, one reason why) we were stepping up the game. Japan was free to surrender whenever they wished.

During the Tokyo attack civilians jumped into the rivers to avoid the flames, but at points the rivers themselves were boiling. Imagine the kind of thermal energy it takes to do that.

My brother-in-law was hooked on the shite. He got off of it a few years ago, supposedly, but found out this week that he has cancer in his adrenal glands and it has metastasized. I figure there's got to he some correlation. He got hooked after nerve surgery.

I had back surgery myself but luckily a family friend advised that I only use that shite to be able to sleep because it was so potentially addictive.

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I get that, but I paid, didn't default, and didn't ask for that. And I'd still be paying otherwise. Just saying - don't understand why they're (borrowers) acting like this is some calamity. They knew the terms when they took out the loans.