National Review asks: Who was the best American general?

[Galileo Galilei]

1. Stonewall Jackson

2. George Washington

3. Andrew Jackson

4. George S. Patton

5. Winfield Scott

6. William Henry Harrison

7. A.P. Hill

8. Robert E. Lee

9. Ethan Allen

10. Nathaniel Greene

11. Horatio Gates

12. Benjamin Lincoln

13. Daniel Morgan

14. Mad Anthony Wayne

15. U.S Grant

Latest results:

NRO POLL
Who was the best American general?
Washington

36 %

Scott

1 %

Grant

9 %

Lee

13 %

Pershing

1 %

Patton

20 %

Eisenhower

11 %

MacArthur

6 %

Ridgway

1 %

Schwartzkopf

1 %

 

[Galileo Galilei]

Latest results:

NRO POLL
Who was the best American general?
Washington

36 %

Scott

1 %

Grant

9 %

Lee

13 %

Pershing

1 %

Patton

20 %

Eisenhower

11 %

MacArthur

6 %

Ridgway

1 %

Schwartzkopf

1 %

I forgot Zachery Taylor. And on second thought, any general who does so well that they get elected president deserves to be on this list:

Washington, A. Jackson, W.H. Harrison, Z. Taylor, Grant, Eisenhower

near miss: Winston Scott

would have, but they were killed: Stonewall Jackson, Patton

TRIVIA NOTE: General Mercer who accompanied Washington on the crossing of the Delaware in 1776 was an direct ancestor of Patton.

 

[oyarde]

Yeah , I looked too , but knew what the top four would be hands down . One of the interesting things about Ike is , 1956 , 1957 , fed govt actually spent less than it took in .

 

[Occam's Banana]

Major General Smedley Butler - "an outspoken critic of U.S. military adventurism, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history."

 

[oyarde]

Major General Smedley Butler - "an outspoken critic of U.S. military adventurism, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history."

Impressive guy.

 

[Occam's Banana]

Impressive guy.

Very impressive. And a true patriot. More people should know about hiim.

 

[Galileo Galilei]

I don't know too much about USA history and although he is not on the list my vote would go to Stonewall Jackson,Patton being a close second.

good post.

Stonewall Jackson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_Jackson

Jackson won battle after battle after battle with a smaller number of troops and inferior equipment and supplies. He never had a clear loss in battle, some he battled to draws. The march at Chancellorsville is legendary, as his Valley campaign. He was brilliant at Antietam. He was great at Friedricksburg. He earned his nickname at 1st Bull Run, and won at 2nd Bull Run as well.

Jackson rates ahead of Patton as Patton always have numerical and equipment advantages. A. Jackson was great but had few battles. Washington was great, but he was more of a a manager and missed several important battles such as Saratoga and Bunker Hill.

There is also ample evidence that Stonewall was the real brains behind the Lee/Jackson operation. Lee won few battles after Stonewall died. Gettysburg was a disaster, it happened only a month after Jackson died.

The South had three military schools of thought, the auperior one was by Stonewall and was never fully adopted.

1) Jefferson Davis wanted to defend every inch of southern soil - this was impossible to do.

2) Lee wanted to confront and defeat the North in open battle - this did not work because it cost too many casualties the South could not afford, even if they could win the battle.

3) Jackson wanted to use lightning tactics to march around and hit 'em where they ain't. Jackson did this in the Valley when he had independent command and was absolutely brilliant. Jackson wanted to invade the North and terrorize key targets, rather than get into it like at Gettysburg. Jackson would have gone into Washington and chased Lincoln OUT, for example. Then ransack Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, etc. In my opinion, Jackson was like a cross between William Wallace and Napoleon.

 

[Voluntary Man]

Sun Tzu.

oh, "American"?

Lee, Butler, Washington, Knox, Jackson (both, but for different reasons), Stuart. [no particular ordrer]


worst?

Sherman, Grant, Pike [that order]

 

[Occam's Banana]

Sun Tzu.

oh, "American"?

Oooh! Nice one!

worst?

Sherman, Grant, Pike [that order]

What? No Sheridan?

 

[Voluntary Man]

Oooh! Nice one!



What? No Sheridan?

an oversight. what list of ignobility would be complete without that wrecking ball? thanks. I'm sure a dozen others could be added, too.

 

[oyarde]

Longstreet , a capable young Infantry Lt .....

 

[oyarde]

Pershing & Wayne have the coolest nicknames though ...

 

[oyarde]

That Joshua Chamberlain guy from Maine was only a Col. , I think ?

 

[oyarde]

Anybody know much about that Kentuckian, General John Buford ? , Cav guy , pulled a slick one at Gettysburg .

 

[PierzStyx]

???

He responded to a previous post about Stonewall Jackson, who taught artillery at VMI and did some incredible artillery work in the Mexican-American War.

 

[Demigod]

I did not understand what VMI meant and how VMI had any connection with him being a capable artillery commander that is why I wrote ??? so he would explain his posts

 

[SewrRatt]

So glad nobody in here said Sherman.

 

[PierzStyx]

Lee, Jackson, and Patton. They all knew how to take the fight to the enemy and succeed against overwhelming odds.

 

[PierzStyx]

I did not understand what VMI meant and how VMI had any connection with him being a capable artillery commander that is why I wrote ??? so he would explain his posts

Virginia Military Institute. Then, and perhaps even still, it is the second greatest military academy in the US (the first being West Point).

 

[RickyJ]

My vote goes to the general that actually killed the central bank in America during his lifetime, Andrew Jackson.