George McClellan is one of those generals who really looks great on paper. He was called the "inevitable general." A West Point graduate, he served in World War II and Korea. After only 10 weeks into the Pacific War, Percival became responsible for the largest surrender of British-led forces in history. A more positive example is George Washington. Outstanding commanders such as George H. Thomas, Phil Sheridan, and William Tecumseh Sherman routinely bested their Confederate opponents. 3. In other words, this book is a "how-not-to" guide to leadership. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on. Men and material the Union could provide its armies. Varus was stationed with three of his legions, the 17th, 18th and 19th when news arrived of a revolt growing in the Rhine area. Gamelin also chose not to disperse Frances vast number of superior tanks. This was true in matters both great and small. James Madison spared him from execution. Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. This proved possible only with enemy cooperation, since they could break contact and limit casualties as they wished by withdrawing into sanctuaries across the border. McClellan and Burnside in particular. After only an eight-day siege, he surrendered his entire armya third of all British forces in America. Not later than the autumn of 1966 the leaders of both services involved in fighting the ground war in VietnamArmy Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson and Marine Commandant General. Instead of holding a natural defense line around Pyongyang, which would have given the United Nations control of most of the peninsula, the UN troops retreated all the way back into South Korea in a humiliating reverse for U.S. power after the crushing victory of World War II. Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) 24. His bad luck didnt end at San Jacinto. Santa Anna was found wearing a privates uniform, hiding in a marsh. Diem's family was one of the earliest to convert to Catholicism, a religion he took . Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. - 2 Worst: 2007 Washington Wizards. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. All related (37) Sort Recommended Doug Szabo Author has 972 answers and 137.7K answer views Nov 27 My vote goes to adm Otto Zumwalt. Percival surrendered Malaya to Japanese forces in early 1942, defying Winston Churchills own instructions for prolonged resistance. He retreated to Malta but was captured when that island fell to the British. Feel free to mention any others you may know of in the comments. 1. These two instances are illustrative of many, many more, ranging from his actions or lack of action in combat situations to his determination to take over the war and win it with U.S. forces to his resultant failure to build up South Vietnamese forces to the validity of body count to the decision to close Khe Sanh to his actions when Lang Vei was overrun to denying predictions he had made of an early end to the war to claims of not being surprised at Tet 1968 to denying a post-Tet request for many additional U.S. forces. In a war that saw more than its share of unskilled politically appointed generals, Pillow was arguably the worst on either side. Elmo Zumwalt was a U.S. admiral and commander of American naval forces in Vietnam. He would eventually be betrayed and killed by a friend. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. A former British officer, Gates rose to fame as Continental Army commander during the momentous American defeat of a British army at Saratoga in 1777. Top Ten Worst Military Commanders - The History Buff's Guide to World The next major British offensive came at Passchendaele (July 31November 6, 1917), where Haig lost another 275,000 troops in a battle whose name became synonymous with pointless slaughter. If pressed to rank the miscreants, I would place Wheeler first, then LBJ, and then McNamara, with all entitled to recognition as important accomplices in dooming the endeavor. Its quite exclusive: combat leaders who had the fate of their people in their hands and squandered it all. He was certainly nave, but the Boy Scouts need to be defended here. Many historians credit Benedict Arnold and others with being the real victors of Saratoga. The premise was that, if he could kill enough of the enemy, they would lose heart and cease their aggression against the South Vietnamese. He worked under Adolf Hitler's Third Reich as a leading general and gained fame from his battles in North Africa. Santa Anna would lose Texas at the Battle of San Jacinto. Sure, they ganged up on the Spartans at the Pass of Thermopylae. He bears a lot of responsibility for one the greatest reversals of military fortune ever experienced by a super power. The Worst Military Leaders in History - University Of Chicago Press standing, Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, and the West has so far stayed resolute in its support of Ukraine. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he theoretically had some influence there, at least to the extent he could shape the collective viewpoint, but even then LBJ and McNamara were famously impervious to advice from the Joint Chiefs. Westmoreland held a press conference in which he categorically denied any such loss of confidence. Dispatched to India, he led campaigns to help subdue the subcontinent, replacing the crown jewel he had lost. What he did not divulge publicly was that the United States. Top 10 Most Underrated Military Generals - TheTopTens Routed by U.S. forces under Winfield Scott, Santa Anna was again driven into exile. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. 15. The British gained control of the fort, dozens of cannons, the brig USS Adams (recommissioned the HMS Detroit), and virtually the entire Michigan Territory. The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History. A monthly digest of the top articles read by FP subscribers. Nor is being a bad battlefield commander, by itself, sufficient to make the cut. History: Military History. According to a Time magazine reporter who wrote about the Dak Son massacre, Viet Cong guerrillas shouted "Sons of Americans!" as they launched their assault on the village. My daughter thinks 2018 was the worst year ever. I'd nominate 1968 Gamelin was commander of the French forces in World War II and is largely responsible for the fall of France into German control during the Battle of France. He was uninterested in other viewpoints on how the war might be prosecuted, dismissing the PROVN Study sponsored by Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson (which concluded that Westmorelands way of war was not working and could not work) and basic disagreements with Westmorelands organization and approach voiced by his brilliant classmate General Bruce Palmer Jr. 7. But Franks, who commanded the invasion, made a bad situation worse. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The 1970s were scary times. Over time Westmoreland asked for and received large numbers of U.S. troops, eventually totaling well over half a million. Create an FP account to save articles to read later and in the FP mobile app. Others would say that it is not victory, but success in fulfilling a mission that counts. The stabbed in the back myth did much to propel the ascent of Adolf Hitler, and Ludendorff was a key participant in the Beer Hall Putsch. The Romans lost an estimated 80,000 infantry and perhaps 40,000 auxiliaries and cavalry, numbers that dwarf the staggering totals at Cannae. History is not a fixed set of facts. But beyond the goals of one leader in Moscow, it is also clear that Ukraine has suffered horrors of a historic nature. These are the incompetents, the idiots, the bumblers who have represented armies or nations at war only to lead them to defeat or shame. And if they not only fail to deliver, but wind up sinking their own side in the process, and change history, they earn a spot in the Hall of Military Shame. The war soon ended in a Russian defeat, with hundreds of thousands of military and civilian casualties. Opportunistic firms in Asia and Europe have already begun to relocate investments to the United States. Of course, that is what they did when Ludendorff pushed for the use of unrestricted submarine warfare against Allied shipping. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. Here are five of America's worst generals: Great generals have great talents, and usually egos and ambitions to match. And, to further demonstrate progress in reducing enemy strength, Westmoreland arbitrarily and entirely on his own removed from the order of battle several categories of enemy forces that had long been carried there, including during the three years Westmoreland had already been in command of U.S. forces in Vietnam. What myths or misperceptions surround Westmoreland that you would like to clear up, if any? Although he eventually disavowed Hitler, by that point Ludendorff had become so deeply involved with mysticism that few took him seriously. His battlefield losses marked the end of the Persian Empire. The early days of the 2003 Iraq War were bound to be a graveyard for military and political reputations, given the misperceptions and misjudgments behind America's ill-fated adventure in regime change and nation-building. On the night of August 15, 1812, Tecumseh led his forces across the Detroit River, and Brock followed the next morning. Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with. Implementing the attrition strategy, Westmoreland typically employed a series of large unit sweeps conducted in the deep jungle regions along South Vietnams western borders. Even now, the easiest way to get into an argument at a V.F.W. Black Vietnam Veterans on Injustices They Faced: Da 5 Bloods - Time Grachev has also been linked to corruption among the higher ranks of the military, specifically the assassination of journalist Dmitry Kholodov. A key plank in the Democratic platform that year was, appropriately, not fighting, and McClellan lost in a rout. A U.S. ship conveyed him to Mexico, and upon his arrivalto the surprise of virtually no onehe executed a volte-face and took charge of the Mexican troops. As the commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, he faced a two-front war, an insurgency in the South and an invading army from the North. Westmorelands strategy throughout the war was to win through Attrition Warfare (pounding the enemy through greater numbers and resources) which military strategists including Sun Tzu caution against using. Not one to let his own failings stand in the way of personal glory, Pillow submitted fanciful accounts of his actions at the Battles of Contreras and Churubusco to various newspapers, incurring the wrath of overall American commander Winfield Scott. The pandemics outbreak brought rare reporting freedoms. 4. But then MacArthur thrived on controversy like bread thrives on yeast. In considering who should receive such a dubious honor, Ive consciously excluded bad leaders. When he made public his disagreements with President Truman, Truman rightfully fired him. Operational Culture General Training LREC SME Support Training Course Catalog Cognitive Dimension Training Additional Resources . When all is said and done, it doesnt matter how nice, brave, courageous, gutsy, loyal, or brilliant commanders theyve been. By signing up, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to occasionally receive special offers from Foreign Policy. General William Westmoreland. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln. He first demonstrated his ineptitude during the Mexican-American War, where he had received an appointment to the rank of major general from his friend Pres. This was the most fearsome army in the Vietnam War And he was able to inflict massive casualties on the enemy. He couldnt. This strategy inevitably failed as the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong maintained control over how the war was fought which was through guerilla warfare. T he Civil War was America's bloodiest conflict. The 20th century is the most violent century in history. The Western Front was a much bigger stage upon which to fail, however, and British commander Douglas Haig made the most of the opportunity. The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Memorial LectureThomas E. Ricks is a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Gods and Generals (2003) Loss $61 million These are actually Civil War reenactors and probably the only people who paid to see the movie. 13,091. But the inducements encourage U.S. companies to invest only at homenot elsewhere. He ran as a Democrat against Lincoln in the 1864 presidential election. Under Westmorelands command, the Vietnam war began smoothly as the U.S. won every battle. But in 1968, when Westmoreland became Army Chief of Staff, Communist forces baited Westmoreland into committing nearly 40% of his strength to the military outpost at Khe Sanh, then attacked cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. On the other hand, there was that bad day at the Battle of Salamis when most of the Persian fleet went to the bottom. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire. Had Lincoln retained McClellan in command of the Union armies, many former Americans might still be whistling "Dixie.". There is no Carthage. McClellan was a superb organizer, a West Point-trained engineer who did much to build the Union army almost from . Alas, call it the laws of probability or just cosmic karma, but every nation produces bad generals as well as good onesand America is no exception. Applications for the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman MA program are open and considered on a rolling basis. Explore the benefits included in your subscription. America, the Middle East and the rest of the world are still reaping the consequences of those omissions. 10. Caepio may have been a terrible general, but he was apparently an exceptional thief. The suppression of drug consumption and trade is high on the Government of Vietnam's agenda. DE AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY/Contributor/Getty Images, Biden Proposal Puts Climate Agenda Above Americas Defense, Russias New START Breach Means U.S. Nuclear Weapons Modernization Is a Must.