# Best American Generals? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337 "2012-06-16T13:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/41 "2012-06-22T01:15:29Z")
Washington, definitely, for his determination, courage, ability to learn, and inspiration he gave his men. Although he had his setbacks, he also knew when to take risks, and succeeded brilliantly when it really counted, during the siege of Boston and at Trenton, Princeton, and Yorktown. I have long been an admirer of this other great Virginian, AKA the Rock of Chickamauga: [George Henry Thomas - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Thomas) This thread may be of interest. Jump to the last page if you want to see the final standings, incl. a sprinkling of Americans: [Greatest Military Leader elimination game (game thread) - The Game Room - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574323) ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/42 "2012-06-22T02:02:34Z")
Winfield Scott should be considered on this list. The man whipped a disorganized militia into a real fighting army during the War of 1812 (Those are regulars, by God!), and superbly managed an amphibious landing, a long cross country fighting advance and the storming of Mexico City 35 years later and proposed a winning strategy for the defeat of the Southern Confederacy when he was in his dotage. Uncle Billy Sherman deserves mention, although it will send my Georgian friend up a wall ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/43 "2012-06-22T03:16:56Z")
I’ve gotta go with Ulysses S. Grant. He’s not a popular choice, but he was ahead of his time. Other generals were just as good at tactics; Grant was a man who understood strategy, on a theatre-wide scale. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/44 "2012-06-22T04:41:59Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’ve gotta go with Ulysses S. Grant. He’s not a popular choice, but he was ahead of his time. > Other generals were just as good at tactics; Grant was a man who understood strategy, on a theatre-wide scale. He has terrible mistakes at Cold Harbor and The Crater against him, though. I’ve always thought he did better out west, esp. during the Vicksburg campaign, than he did in the east. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/45 "2012-06-22T06:31:06Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > He has terrible mistakes at Cold Harbor and The Crater against him, though. I’ve always thought he did better out west, esp. during the Vicksburg campaign, than he did in the east. Grant’s big strength though was that he learned from his mistakes. Too many generals just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/46 "2012-06-22T12:05:39Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > He has terrible mistakes at Cold Harbor and The Crater against him, though. I’ve always thought he did better out west, esp. during the Vicksburg campaign, than he did in the east. What mistake did _Grant_ make at the Crater? The _idea_ of the attack itself was sound. The planning (by Burnsides, astoundingly) was pretty good too. Then meddling from the army commander (Meade) _changed_ the plan to used troops not drilled for the specific mission, and Burnsides was so dejected at being overruled he _drew lots_ to select the new leader of the attack, getting his worst subordinate (Ledlie). Grant’s role, as far as I know, had been to authorize the original idea, which was a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/47 "2012-06-22T13:47:07Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I’m sorry, I have nothing to apologize except to say that I keep seeing this thread title as “Best American Genitals” and doing a double-take. “Draw me not without reason, sheath me not without honor” ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/48 "2012-06-22T14:43:31Z")
> [@Spavined\_Gelding](#): > > Winfield Scott should be considered on this list. The man whipped a disorganized militia into a real fighting army during the War of 1812 (Those are regulars, by God!), and superbly managed an amphibious landing, a long cross country fighting advance and the storming of Mexico City 35 years later and proposed a winning strategy for the defeat of the Southern Confederacy when he was in his dotage. Scott was the best, the invasion of Mexico was a brilliant feat, it is discounted now because we think it would be easy to invade Mexico. At the time Mexico was much closer to the US in terms of wealth. He was outnumbered severely and was on the opponents territory and had to attack enemy fortifications. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/49 "2012-06-22T15:05:14Z")
[Andrew Jackson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson#Military_career) deserves a mention. Whatever else you might say about him, he knew how to lead men effectively. He’s not on the $20 for nothing. Seconding [Nathaniel Greene](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathanael_Greene) as (IMO) the best American general of the Revolution. Knew exactly what had to be done strategically to gain victory, and achieved it by draining Cornwallis’s command dry with a long chase through the Carolinas. (Props to Morgan as well.) Yorktowne was just George Washington mopping up after Greene had done the hard work. (Washington, by the way, belongs nowhere near a list of our greatest generals IMO.) And I second the mention of [George Thomas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Henry_Thomas#Thomas.27s_legacy) as one of our best Civil War generals. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/50 "2012-06-22T19:11:21Z")
Greene was quite good, indeed, but Washington was not just “mopping up after” him at Yorktown (no “e”). Far from it. Check out _Victory at Yorktown_ by Richard M. Ketchum for the whole story. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/51 "2012-06-22T23:30:26Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Yorktown (no “e”). Yeah, sorry. I’ve read so much early colonial history that I tend to revert to archaic spellings without thinking. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/52 "2012-06-23T02:00:13Z")
I will throw in Hyman Rickover, the Father of the Nuclear Navy. By all accounts he hated the idea of nuclear power, especially as used as a weapon, but he enacted the most stringent regulations on nuclear propulsion in the modern world and is the main reason why the US Navy has had zero reactor accidents in it’s nuclear history. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337/53 "2012-06-23T06:02:43Z")
Good night, Chesty, wherever you are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-american-generals/625337.md?page=2)