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Most overrated general in all of antiquity?


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I vote for Fabius "Maximus".  A commander who (like J E Johnston, Benedek, Bazaine and MacMahon) believed in taking up a defensive position and hoping for the best.  This strategy works if you have all the strategic, economic and political advantages, no public opinion to worry about, and time is on your side (like Wellesley).  But only the offensive leads to decisive results.

 

I thought Sulla named Pompieus "Great". And isn't it incumbent on a general to create and exploit the strategic advantage if he can rather than risk all on the throw of the dice ?  Also he was the only commander who ever bested Caesar.  Of course I'm biased.

Edited by Pompieus
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Dyrrachium.

 

Broke the siege, forced Caesar to retire into the interior, had Caesar over a barrel as regards supplies.  Had his partisans not forced him to do battle at Pharsalus he might have used the "Fabian" strategy to some effect.  (a weak attempt at irony)

 

Caesar admitted (Civil War III.70) "In the midst of these troubles certain circumstances saved us from the destruction of our entire army."

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I'd forgotten about that one.  Caesar complained that Fortuna had deserted him for once!

I don't know that breaking a siege is quite the same thing as winning an open field battle, but certainly Pompey gets the credit for that one . . .

although Labienus had something to do with it, too.

 

Is it true that Labienus executed all of Caesar's men that he captured?
The little bit I've read about him sure makes him seem like a brute.

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Alexander no doubt was a poor diplomat.... cause he conquered everyone. This retards your need for developing diplomatic skills dramatically.... in the same sense that vegetarian Hindus suck at cooking steaks.

 

Am I the only one on this forum who actually read up on Alexander's use of Infantry? He is remembered by school children for just four battles, but most of his fighting was done via MOUT....Military Operations Urban Terrain.... and showed he could lay siege and take just about any stronghold he wanted. His father didn't give him that. His father didn't build his supply base, or plan his operations. His father wasn't actively recruiting and merging populations. His father didn't start large cities, nor was his father a patron of the arts and science in far flung lands.

 

His father didn't drag a fleet of philosophers around. His father didn't start native recruitment drives to Hellenize natives to become the basis of a future recruitment pool outside of greece. His father didn't build the navy he had in India.

 

His father did alot, Alexander was proud of his father's accomplishments. But Alexander was his own man too, to a great degree, he made his own fortune.

 

I don't understand why it's suddenly in fashion to bash Alexander.... in terms of his inventiveness in using every kind of soldier, under wide varying conditions, every kind of terrain and opponent the classical world as the west knew it.... and he managed to hold this all together despite being a impulsive gay drink high off Dionysian sacrificial orgies and disturbingly ambitious generals.

 

He was pretty damn astute. Hence his battle record before he even invaded the Persians was good. He was Aristotle's student.... it absolutely astounds me how anyone could say he was essentially riding someone elses coat tails.... being the student of Aristotle automatically qualifies you as having one of the best educations EVER.... PERIOD. Do not underestimate him, read up on him instead.

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Undoubtedly there are probably revisionists out there who denigrate Alexander's generalship (like the ones who claim Robert E Lee somehow caused the defeat of the South), but Alexander was probably the greatest commander in ALL history.  He was successful in every sort of warfare from pitched battles with armies of Greek hoplites, Persian and Indian hosts; siege and assault of fortified cities and inaccessible, remote strongholds;  guerilla warfare against mountain tribesmen and steppe horsemen.  He overcame them all, not to mention the logistical challenges of operating in Anatolia, Syria Iran, Pakistan et al.

 

Besides Arrian Plutarch,Curtius etc. some "modern" biographies weighted to the military side are: N G L Hammond, WW Tarn, R L Fox and T A Dodge and J F C Fuller (the last two retired US and British soldiers)

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I am doing a book signing at a Half Priced Book store today - I'll see if I can spot one of those and add it to my massive stack of "stuff I haven't read yet but intend to get to soon."

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