Time for another Bund Top Ten...

Jambo started this last night during a phone conversation...

Who would make your list of the Top Ten Generals of American history?

Criteria:  Must have served the United States as a general officer in either peace or war.  (Note: this bit of criteria excludes any general officer that served the Confederate States of America, since to do so means they had to resign their US commissions and serve a nation other than the USA.)

Okay... to begin with my list, which will be more chronological than it will a "top-to-bottom" list:

1)  George Washington.

Do I need to elaborate?

2)  Winfield Scott


Jambo and I talked about this at length.  I did some further reading and found that one could argue that he single-handedly masterminded the conquest of Mexico and the defeat of Santa Anna from March to September of 1847.  His 1862 "Anaconda Plan" to strangle the South during the Civil War was shunned at first, but was later the winning strategy of the war, even though he had resigned before it was realized.  I think he earns a top-spot on the list.

3)  Ulysses S. Grant


No greater "X" factor was produced by the North in the Civil War than Grant, and it was that factor that won the war.  He made mistakes, he lost some battles, but he really did win the war and end the rebellion.

4)  William T. Sherman


I can't think of a US general officer who did more with less resources than Sherman during his March to the Sea.  His tactics and strategies became the bench-mark for "total war" in the American lexicon, and can still be seen to this day in some parts of Georgia.  He gets his spot.

5)  John J. Pershing


"Blackjack" had a great career before WWI, but it was his command of the AEF that I think earns him his spot on this list.  He forced the American troops to remain a separate command in Europe, and secured the US as a global power against the traditional imperial powers that wanted to command the AEF.

6)  Dwight D. Eisenhower


Ike made very few mistakes as SACEUR, and surrounded himself with the best and the brightest minds.  He might make #2 on a "Best of" ranking...

7)  George S. Patton


Patton stands alone in history when it comes to ability of command.  He was so feared and respected by the Germans that they still kept tens of thousands of troops tied up at Calais weeks after D-Day thinking he was crossing the Channel there.

8)  Matthew B. Ridgeway


Ridgeway was a name Jambo and I didn't discuss... but he needed to be.  He commanded the 82nd Airborne in WWII (and later the 18th Airborne Corps) and practically wrote the book on airborne division structure and strategy.  He led the charge at Sicily in July of '43 and made a big name for himself and his new unit.

It was Korea that gets his spot on this list, though.  Ridgeway finished what MacArthur had started, and did it without getting fired or starting WWIII.  He won back everything Mac had lost to the Chinese (and more) and his victories led to the Armistice as we still know it today.

9)  James H. Doolittle


Jimmy Doolittle turned the tied of the war in Europe's skies when he ordered the fighters to leave the bombers and destroy the Luftwaffe whenever they were encountered.  No prior strategy had been as effective and in less than 6 months, the Luftwaffe was almost useless against the Mighty Eighth Air Force.  He was so successful that they started transferring units from Europe to the Pacific before the effort was completed.  That gets him a nod from me.

10)  H. Norman Schwartzkopf


Stormin' Norman won one of the most decisive victories in the modern history of American warfare, and he did it at the head of an international coalition that could have ripped itself apart at any minute.  He ushered in the manner in which modern warfare is fought today, and showed history the ultimate example of a "combined arms" action on a grand scale.  There is no question that this guy got a lot done in less than 100 days... and that gets him his spot on this list.