Who is the greatest general

[Gustaf]

I voted for Washington.

But a good General that wasn't on there was MacArthur

Yalu River...?

[Gustaf]

At first I asked myself: Which of these won against the odds? None of them, of course. Lee and Jackson won anyways, and the others were clear favs from the outset.
Then I thought: What war can you think of where America wasn't the favorite? None.
This led to about two anti-american seconds before I released I can't think of any war in the last twohundredandfifty years where the chances weren't at least almost even for the side that eventually won, except the Chinese-Vietnamese one of the late seventies. There are probably a few more, but I can't think of any now. In other words, America is far from alone in this respect.
So I voted for the one among the winners who had the hardest task: George Washington.

A war we discussed rather a lot: Finnish Winter War...

[Gustaf]

Okay so MacArthur wasn't that great of a General but you have to give him credit for being a great speaker.

You went from calling him a 'good general' to 'not that great of a general'?

I haven't heard any of his speeches, but I guess they could well be good. He still messed up in Korea though.

[Gustaf]

'Hurrah boys, we've got them'

General Custer, right before Little Big Horn...

[Gustaf]

There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rallt behind the Virginians!

-Col. Bee of SC, right before getting shot and killed.

Nobody knows if Bee meant that Jackson was a solid rally point, or a slow-poker not coming to his aid in time...

[Gustaf]

Hm, I will soon have to nominate Charles XII, he would pretty much be the opposite of Washington. Great tactician, pulling off amazing victories, but not very good at handling the over-all picture. And fighting against IMPOSSIBLE odds as well.

[Gustaf]

Hm, I will soon have to nominate Charles XII, he would pretty much be the opposite of Washington. Great tactician, pulling off amazing victories, but not very good at handling the over-all picture. And fighting against IMPOSSIBLE odds as well.

True but I said American History.

Oh... Then, who gives...

[Gustaf]

Grant was a butcher, plain and simple. The only reason he beat Lee is because he sacrificed thousand of men for very little ground. Over 3000 soldiers died in 5 minutes at Cold Harbor. And Grant didnt, win he had a draw.

'You lost the Vietnam war. No we didn't. IT WAS A TIE!!!!!!!!!!'

[Gustaf]

All of the Union commanders were lousy. Grant was a terrible president, corrrect? He probably was the worst two term president.

Not all of the Union commanders were bad.  It's just that the commanders at the start of the war were far worse compared to there Confederate counter-parts.  Grant was excellent. Sherman was good (if you don't count the March to the Sea), Winfield Scott Hancock was an excellent commander.  John Reynolds was a great commander who was killed in his prime at Gettysburg.  Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a great general.  There are pleanty of others.

Give the Chambermaid thing a rest. He's way way overrated. McClellan was the best commander of the Union Armies. He made the army that defeated Lee.

Also, McClellan was a Demcorat and ran against Lincoln in 1864...