daftone

There's been a lot of debate over who was the greatest general in history. The list shifts depending on who's making it but the same men seem to come in the top 10 on everyone's list. I was wondering what you consider the best campaigns of these generals and why.

Caesar
Napoleon
Genghis Khan
Hannibal
Alexander

Labienus

Caesar : Vercingetorix's rebellion
Napoleon : Six days campaign
Genghis Khan : Jin campaign (Battle of the badger's mouth)
Hannibal : 218-216 BCE
Alexander : The Indian campaign.

Viperlord

Caesar : Vercingetorix's rebellion
Napoleon : Jena Campaign
Genghis Khan : Jin Campaign
Hannibal : 218-216 BCE campaign
Alexander : The Indian campaign (If you accept the theory that his massive attrition was from marching through the Gedrosian)

Alcibiades

I completely agree with this choice(all five).
Alcibiades

srb7677

I don`t know enough about ancient or medieval times to say anything with absolute certainty, but if I had to choose a greatest general of all time I would say Alexander the Great.

Definately, the greatest general of the last 300 years, in my view, was Napoleon Bonaparte.

As for the greatest general of the last 100 years, I would say there are five possible contenders, all from the Second World War, 3 of them German. The five are - Erich von Manstein, Heinz Guderian, Erwin Rommel, Georgi Zhukov, and George Patton. I find it hard to definitively decide which of the 5 is the best.

Labienus

Erich von Manstein would take my vote.

tjadams

1863-CSA general Robert E. Lee's victory at Chancellorsville, Virginia.

Cedar Brown

I'd say that Napoleon's first Italian Campaign was the most impressive. He crossed the Alps with an outnumbered and badly equipped force, defeated Piedmont, defeated the Austrian armies on numerous occasions, took Mantua after a long siege, occupied the Papal states, created Italian republics and marched within reaching distance of Vienna to intimidate the Austrians into negotiating the treaty of Campo Formio, breaking apart the First Coalition. All while losing fewer men and capturing large numbers of guns, flags and prisoners.

Chookie

I disagree here. I don't consider Rommel or Patton to be great generals. They were at best competent. Manstein and Zhukov were undoubtedly two of the best generals of WWII, but Bill Slim was head and shoulders above both.

Viperlord

I actually think Second Manassas was a more impressive victory than Chancellorsville. At Second Manassas the Union army was decisively driven from the field. At Chancellorsville, Hooker only retreated because of his own loss of nerve. Lee actually lost a greater percentage of his army at Chancellorsville than Hooker did as well. The Second Manassas Campaign was a sheer work of art by Lee, Jackson, and Longstreet.