Worst General of All Time

[red]

Hentsch 1914; overriding the commander of the German 1st Army and plunging us into the trenches for the next half decade.

Churchill; Gallipoli, nope definitely don't need any army support there do we lads?

Maresciallo 1941; Cyrenaica, and the loss of the Italian 10th Army, to Combeforce (11th Hussars, 2nd Rifle Brigade, C Batt. 4th RHA & 106th RHA)...

[Cubster]

Churchill; Gallipoli, nope definitely don't need any army support there do we lads?

... and Dieppe, and the Greek campaign, and the Dresden bombing ... proof if proof be needed that a great national leader isn't the same as a great military leader and that polititians should set objectives then sit back back and keep their meddling fingers out of it!

[grant]

Churchill; Gallipoli, nope definitely don't need any army support there do we lads?

... and Dieppe, and the Greek campaign, and the Dresden bombing ... proof if proof be needed that a great national leader isn't the same as a great military leader and that polititians should set objectives then sit back back and keep their meddling fingers out of it!

How does it go again?
Our great Fuhrer has been showing
their English bed-wetter ...
... the cigar-chomping [censored!] Churchill ...
where exactly to go...
and stick his stinking cigars.
Excuse me.
I'll see you in the morning.
I must phone home.

[Kearn]

My vote goes to General Eplhinstone (Elphy Bey to those who've read Flashman)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_George_Keith_Elphinstone

[Centurio Marcus T]

Yes we have a winner with Elphy Bey not only did he lead his force to destruction he took the cowards way out and surrendered to his opponent to save his own skin and left his army to its fate.From a force of 13000 only 1 made it to tell of the disaster.

[grant]

My vote goes to General Eplhinstone (Elphy Bey to those who've read Flashman)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_George_Keith_Elphinstone

He was the real cad in that series!

[redben]

Josephus.

Lost Jotapata, convinced all his men to commit suicide instead of surrendering but then tricked his way out of doing it himself, surrendered, went to Rome and a life of luxury then wrote a book bragging about it all and claiming to be a great general.

[Cubster]

That's going to be tough to beat!

[janner]

Quintus Petillius Cerialis - got beaten by a girl.... from Essex

[Eumerin]

it was in fact McClellan I was talking about (I just looked him up) he who basically refused battlewhilst he was commander of the army of the Potomac.......at least no body died...(unless of disease)...and he didn't lose....but he wouldn't fight despite Lincolns best efforts to get him to do so.....which is why he was replaced.

But if you compare him to custer or the others he is a bit of a lightweight to be in the top 10

I stand by my first 2 choices.....but i won't go into all that again

Since someone reanimated this thread...


As much as I despise McClellan, credit should be given where credit is due. The man did manage to win Antietam, although he was helped by the fortunate discovery of the Rebel battleplans (they were found in a cigar box, wrapped around the contents iirc). So while McClellan may not have been one of the better generals, he was still halfway decent on the battlefield. The problem with him was getting him to the battlefield in the first place.

Of all the various men who ended up in command of the Army of the Potomac, I would say that the worst was probably Hooker. The man was apparently a solid corps commander. But when he was finally put into a position in which he had no one above him in the chain of command, he froze up when the battle started. To his credit, he acknowledged it after the fact. But that doesn't change the fact that a lot of men died because Hooker couldn't handle the pressure of being the overall commander.

The Rebels had some awful generals as well. But they tended to show up in the west, and people today like to focus on the Army of Northern Virginia, under General Lee. As a result, the Confederates probably have a somewhat overinflated reputation for having superior generals.