Which General throughout the United States history has been the best and which has been the worst.

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:47:56 -0500

Which General throughout history has been the best and which was the worst and why, I think it is important that when looking for examples of leadership for what to do and what not to do, the past is the most important place to look. Lifetimes of achievements and mistakes are held there waiting for us to learn from them. I am curious to hear the opinions of this vast community.

Response by SFC James Baber made Jan 25 at 2014 4:56 PM

SFC James Baber — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:56:13 -0500

Schwarzkopf for best, and Lee for one of the worst for his turn against what he was originally defending.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 25 at 2014 6:10 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 18:10:52 -0500

Best - Douglas MacArthur / Colin Powell / David Petraeus until he retired.

Worst - George Armstrong Custer until he was retired.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2014 7:13 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 19:13:39 -0500

I personally think General Colin Powell. His leadership quotes are still being used by many that don't even know it. Not only did he make history by becoming the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he also assumed several of his leadership positions far ahead of the normal timeline.

Response by CMC Robert Young made Jan 27 at 2014 6:12 PM

CMC Robert Young — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 18:12:44 -0500

Powell & Eisenhower tie for first due to their abilities to work across multiple political spectrums. Any Union general prior to US Grant for their failure to engage the Confederacy in an appropriately aggressive way thereby allowing for the protraction of that conflict is an easy win for last place.

Response by MAJ Joseph Parker made Jan 27 at 2014 8:54 PM

MAJ Joseph Parker — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 20:54:54 -0500

Very hard to pick given the generality of "best" and "worst", especially since a general's political, logistics, and leadership legacy can be as important as his/her battlefield legacy. Worst: Tossing aside Benedict Arnold for obvious reasons; 2 generals pop into mind as competitors for the worst: Horatio Gates and Ambrose Burnside. Horatio Gates constantly plotted against George Washington, was surly and insubordinate, took credit for battles he never won, and his loss at Camden left the South open to Cornwallis and nearly cost the war. Ambrose Burnside never met a battle he could win. Starting at First Bull Run, his battlefield performance was without distinction but not without high casualties in each and every unit he commanded. He knew he was incompetent and offered to resign his commission on several occasions, but each time was refused or stayed on for political reasons. General Burnside was at the center of the battlefield of each of the Union's biggest defeats. Best: Have to go with George Washington. He did it all. He never won a battle until it mattered and defeated the largest military of the time; hated politicians but mastered them and had them begging him to be in charge; was the worst farmer ever but kept an Army fed and going; two thirds of the country was against independence or didn't care but he took the whole 13 colonies in tow and by sheer will of personality, leadership, and tenacity made it a free country. Even now it seems a miracle.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2014 9:31 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 21:31:03 -0500

Not sure of a worst but my favorites are Schwartzkopf and Horner.

Response by PO1 Rudy Lopez made Jan 27 at 2014 10:02 PM

PO1 Rudy Lopez — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 22:02:23 -0500

I am biased as I was a Marine Recon operator for many years so my top pick for best general, not necessarily politically correct, of my time in service in regards to war fighters is General "Mad Dog" Mattis. Mattis in my opinion is a master at blatant verbal judo. How many General officers do you know have taken over a service members duty on Christmas so that service member could be with their family. Then if we start walking backwards in a time a bit I would throw in General Mccrystal, General MacArthur, and General Puller. Not so much for their politics, but more so for getting the job done.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Jan 27 at 2014 10:17 PM

SGT Ben Keen — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 22:17:57 -0500

Having worked for him, my vote is for Gen. Petraeus. While having command of the 101st Airborne Division, his leadership ensured the success of the division's mission. As the CENTCOM Commander, his understanding of the battlefield and how best to leverage the added number of troops on the battlefield kept the situation developing in Iraq at the time under control, eventually reserving the tide until he left to take his position at the CIA.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2014 12:10 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 00:10:03 -0400

Too many Generals to pick from as the best. But I'd choose Colin Powell just because of how he maneuvered in the military and then into politics. As for the worst then there too many to go down the list. I would choose a General that got fired [MacArthur, McCrystal] just because that particular General got too big in the position and forgot his duty to follow orders.

Response by 1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 24 at 2014 4:36 PM

1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 16:36:41 -0400

This should be results driven. For the Army I think a better question is, "Which General best achieved the Army's mission statement; to fight and win our Nation’s wars by providing prompt, sustained land dominance across the full range of military operations and spectrum of conflict in support of combatant commanders."

Response by TSgt Joshua Bringhurst made Sep 10 at 2014 1:51 PM

TSgt Joshua Bringhurst — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 13:51:25 -0400

Besides the obvious greats like Patton, Washington, and Grant...my vote is for Mad Dog Mattis...worst would need to be General Amos

Response by MAJ Jon Edmonson made Sep 17 at 2014 1:50 PM

MAJ Jon Edmonson — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:50:01 -0400

MG John Buford. MG Buford recognized the key terrain that had to be held during the opening engagement of the Battle of Gettysburg, his Calvary troops delayed the Confederate Army and allowed the Union to gain the high ground and conduct a successful defense.

Worst BG Benedict Arnold.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2014 7:45 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:45:23 -0400

Best of the recent past - GEN Powell & GEN Mattis

Worse in recent memory - former BG Sinclair (I think he was allowed to retire as a LTC); and pretty much every general who has lost a star and/or command for misconduct all while making troops under their command sit though endless powerpoints on ethics/doing the right thing/dont do the exact thing that general is currently doing/etc.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Sep 18 at 2014 11:07 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 23:07:17 -0400

Best: So many choices for so many reasons. The "Georges" Marshall, Patton & Washington, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain - one of my personal heroes, though he didn't live to see it, William Darby, another personal favorite and I'm also going to take a walk on the wet side with Admiral Grace Hopper - the mother of modern computer programming.

Worst: Fellow Rhode Islander, Ambrose Burnside. A man known more for his facial hair moniker than actually commanding troops - what's that tell you?

Followed closely by General Stupidity, General Mayhem N. Chaos and General Lee Ineffective. ba-dum, dum. :-)

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2014 11:32 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 23:32:21 -0400

Best - Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Gen. Hal Moore, Gen. George Washington, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Gen. James Mattis

Worst - Gen. George Custer, Gen. Ambrose Burnside, Gen. George McClellan

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 19 at 2014 12:46 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 00:46:15 -0400

I am huge fan of MG Andrew Jackson. He pretty took Florida and he was the Military Governor of Florida. Not many presidents had a political office and a military at the same time. That was after fighting with pirates to defeat the British.

Worst would be Gen Von Steubon, only for the plague the unleashed when he created the blue book.

Response by SPC David S. made Sep 19 at 2014 1:26 AM

SPC David S. — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 01:26:51 -0400

One of the best all time: "The last true Roman" - Flavius Aetius
One of the best US: "Black Jack" - John J. Pershing

One of the worst all time: Col Muammar Gaddafi so bad he never made general
One of the worst US: "Sideburns" - Ambrose Burnside because of the Battle of Fredericksburg

Response by SSG Maurice P. made Sep 24 at 2014 2:35 PM

SSG Maurice P. — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:35:03 -0400

1.LT GENERAL CHESTY B PULLER AS THE BEST ALONG WITH PATTON...
2.BENEDICT ARNOLD HE WAS A TRAITOR...
GEORGE WASHINGTON OUGHT TO BE WITH CHESTY PULLER AND PATTON

Response by CW5 Randall Hirsch made Dec 9 at 2018 12:27 AM

CW5 Randall Hirsch — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 00:27:39 -0500

LTG Lewis B. Puller was the best in Marine Corps history!