As Lincoln well knew, the only way the Union could lose the war was if the North eventually grew tired and agreed to allow the South to secede. Lyndon Johnson had no understanding of military affairs whatever, nor did Robert McNamara. His senior staff lacked diversity of experience and professional outlook, consisting mostly of people with backgrounds similar to his own, especially airborne. You may opt out at any time. Not good, Hannibal. For one thing, we wouldnt haveSpartacuson Netflix. 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Not only is Sorley a third-generation graduate of West Point a Vietnam veteran and a historian, but he worked for Westmoreland as well. He was soon released, however, and, as more capable French admirals either died or somehow incurred Napoleons disfavor, a path to the top echelons of command was opened for Villeneuve. A key plank in the Democratic platform that year was, appropriately, not fighting, and McClellan lost in a rout. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. In the end, Chiang sacrificed more than a million Chinese soldiers and well over ten million Chinese civilians in his bid to stay in power. The self proclaimed Napoleon of the West didnt quite leave the same legacy as his idol. Instead he simply sent more and more replacements to make up his losses. Seriously, who represents The British Empire; had the worlds greatest navy, enough cash to hire half the mercenaries of Europe, and the advantage of having a pretty pathetic-looking foe: a rag-tag army of ill-equipped rebels. Germanic tribes sacrificed Roman officers on altars to their gods. Pillow faced a court-martial for stealing a Mexican cannon and attempting to spirit it home in his personal baggage, but Polk intervened to clear Pillows record. This was true in matters both great and small. These battlefield bumblers serve to provide that contrast. Diem's family was one of the earliest to convert to Catholicism, a religion he took . Percival was off mistreating Irish Republican Army (IRA) leaders during the Anglo-Irish War before commanding British Malaya in World War II. The world over, countries are embarking on ambitious projects of industrial policy. However, not even they managed to get themselves court-martialed and sentenced to death for ineptitude on the battlefield. General William Westmoreland. They kept it as a war trophy, exhibiting the leg at county fairs. He was a teacher in the Chicago suburbs and Seoul, Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Military But Gates could have doomed the American Revolution. Heres the inaugural class: 6. Thus, almost by default, Westmoreland was left to go his own way, year after bloody year. Two years later, he lost a leg fighting the French. (You May Also Like: The Five Best Generals in U.S. History). Delivered Friday. T he Civil War was America's bloodiest conflict. Maximus managed to form up his men but to no avail. Military. At Brownstown, south of Detroit, two dozen warriors under Tecumseh routed more than 200 American militiamen escorting a supply column intended for Detroit. 2. He couldnt. Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson put one forth in the PROVN Study, a Program for the Pacification and Long-Term Development of Vietnam. That document held that Westmorelands approach was not working and could not work because it ignored the real war in South Vietnams hamlets and villages, where the covert enemy infrastructure was through coercion and terror dominating the rural populace. 5. This is, obviously, a problematic quality when ones title is general-in-chief of the entire Union army. On September 9, 1965, Navy Cmdr. But with that kind of advantage in troops and firepower, who wouldnt? In fact, he did a lot to ensure that Germany would find itself in another war that it couldnt win, but, since he died in 1937, he gets extra credit for being a bad World War II general from beyond the grave. When two able and progressive Nationalist generals, Pai Chunghsi and Li Tsung-jen, begged the generalissimo to adopt similar methods, Chiang rejected them outright. The Texans only suffered 2 casualties, as opposed to hundreds of Mexican casualties. standing, Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, and the West has so far stayed resolute in its support of Ukraine. A more positive example is George Washington. It doesnt matter if theyve won more often than theyve lost. Military historian Russell Weigley rendered a succinct judgment on LBJ: No capable war President would have allowed an officer of such limited capacities as General William C. Westmoreland to head Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, for so long.. Best Defense: From Kaiser Wilhelm to Hitler and Saddam Hussein and Gadhafi, there is no end of national leaders who squandered their nations blood and treasure in futile conflicts. What is the standard of shame for induction? Percival surrendered Malaya to Japanese forces in early 1942, defying Winston Churchills own instructions for prolonged resistance. While there are plenty of books that analyze the keys to success, The Worst Military Leaders in History offers lessons of failure to avoid. Think about how history would have been different if Hannibal had a military plan to outlast Roman might. In fifteen thought-provoking essays, each written by a professional military historian, readers are introduced . But the inducements encourage U.S. companies to invest only at homenot elsewhere. How theyve practiced the art of war is immaterial, too. Whatever its military wisdom or lack thereof, it was a decision that should not have been made by generals under the American political system. 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. Among the most detrimental and problematic policies are the incarceration of drug users in compulsory treatment centers, and the stigmatization and abuse of consumers by the police. With a few relatively minor changes, thats just about where they stayed for the next four years. He overestimated the American peoples patience and tolerance of friendly losses. 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. A curated selection of our very best long reads. 1968 takes the cake for me. But in a contemporaneous cable to General Earle Wheeler, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Westmoreland complained that the military professionalism of the Marines falls far short of the standards that should be demanded by our armed forces. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Roman Empire has a long, proud tradition of producing some of the finest generals in human history- and just as many of the worst. There is no Carthage. The problem begins with the fact that nobody in the chain of command was really competent to critique Westmorelands performance. After the war, the phrase lions led by donkeys came to be associated with the British army for what should be obvious reasons. Despite the Union outnumbering the Confederates, McClellan was unable to crush Robert E. Lee after failing to pursue him into Virginia. Answer (1 of 4): The former Cham general/leader Che Bong Nga was killed in the battle against the enemy Dai Viet (old Vietnam) but Che Bong Nga was LUCKY to be mentioned by the enemy Dai Viet historians to allow people to remember him. Alexander, Napoleon, Rommel. He still had his defenders, but they were in the last trench, barely holding on. After his performance at Belmonta spectacular success by Pillow standardshe was tasked with the defense of Fort Donelson, a key strongpoint on the Mississippi River. Haig had largely dismissed the effect of the machine gun on the battlefield, believing that previous Allied failures owed to something other than an impenetrable wall of lead traveling at ballistic velocity. By the end of May 1862, Confederate commanding Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had withdrawn his forces to Richmond, and McClellan was close enough to the Confederate capital to hear its church bells ringing. Grachev played a key role in initiating and leading the First Chechen War. What defines Santa Anna is his utter failure to subdue the Texican rebels and block American expansion. He was responsible for coming up with the idea of using force to restore constitutional order in Chechnya. 8. The Biden administration has passed landmark legislations such as theInflation Reduction Act(IRA) and theCHIPS and Science Act, which provide subsidies in clean energy and semiconductoShow morers worth well over $400 billion. Known as Reverse Buller by his troops during the Second Boer War, the Englishman was first defeated at the Battle of Colenso and subsequently lost his position as overall commander. He worked under Adolf Hitler's Third Reich as a leading general and gained fame from his battles in North Africa. McClellan and Burnside in particular. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. With the Little Corporal running everything, Europe might have become a very different place. Eschewing a direct overland march to the Confederate capital of Richmond, McClellan orchestrated an impressive amphibious landing of more than 100,000 troops at Fort Monroe, at the southeast end of the peninsula between the James and York rivers. Santa Anna was found wearing a privates uniform, hiding in a marsh. As the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles crippled Germany, Ludendorff effectively sabotaged the Weimar Republic by propagating the belief that he and his armies had been undefeated on the battlefield. Haste risked casualties and defeats at the hands of a formidable opponent like Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. He was found guilty of 11 counts, and only the intervention by Pres. Evening roundup with our editors favorite stories of the day. Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security. Fighter Aircraft of All Time). 9. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. Grachev once said that only an incompetent commander would order tanks into the streets of central Grozny, where they would be vulnerable. Yet near the end of the war he did exactly that. The Romans lost an estimated 80,000 infantry and perhaps 40,000 auxiliaries and cavalry, numbers that dwarf the staggering totals at Cannae. Yes, Westmoreland was the general who lost Vietnam. That dubious distinction falls to William Hull, the only general officer in American history to be ordered before a firing squad for cowardice and dereliction of duty. I didn't fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the law for generals. These records were transferred into the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration in 2008. What he did not divulge publicly was that the United States. - 3 Best: 1987 Los Angeles Lakers. Soon after declaring himself dictator of Mexico, rebels who opposed the Mexican dictatorship created three new republics, one of them being the Republic of Texas. After his defeat by the Texans at the Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna was captured. Horacio Gates of the American Revolution was pretty bad. 0. Some captured Romans were placed in wicker cages and burned alive, others were enslaved or ransomed. The world over, countries are embarking on ambitious projects of industrial policy. Westmoreland is often described as a Boy Scout, usually implying, it appears, that he was well-intentioned but nave. Indeed they are brave and proud, but their standards, tactics, and lack of command supervision throughout their ranks requires improvement in the national interest. And, he added, I would be less than frank if I did not say that I feel somewhat insecure with the situation in Quang Tri province, in view of my knowledge of their shortcomings. Varus was stationed with three of his legions, the 17th, 18th and 19th when news arrived of a revolt growing in the Rhine area. Westmorelands general mistake: severely underestimating the Communists. 1. He underestimated the enemys staying power, maintaining that if he could inflict enough casualties the communists would lose heart and cease their aggression against South Vietnam. Create an FP account to save articles to read later and in the FP mobile app. Registration for summer courses begins March 18, 2023 and ends June 7, 2023. But the argument is unbalanced. Thats an automatic disqualification from Hall membership. Major General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend The idiot who, seeking self aggrandisement, led his army, Force D, to disaster at Kut in WW1. His prestige restored by his conduct during the Pastry War with France, Santa Anna once again claimed dictatorial powers. His work as an observer during the Crimean War gave him insight into the importance of logistics for an industrialized army, and years spent as the chief of engineering for the Illinois Central Railroad made him aware of the transformative nature of rail transport. They care about the one. Westmoreland didnt get it. And what then? Seared into all who fought it and many who merely lived through it that conflict remains a bitter stew of second-guessing and recriminations. Russias war is receiving critical assistance from authoritarian regimes around the world. But he was overly cautious by nature. Their orientation, indeed the core of Scoutings values, is selflessness and service to others. Following on from our list of the greatest and most successful military commanders, we are presenting this list of the worst. By December 1864 Paraguay was at war with Brazil, and, when Argentina denied a request for the transit of a Paraguayan army across its territory, Lpez declared war on that country as well. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. Want to read more on this topic or region? What can we glean from the current state of play on the battlefield? While this century witnessed many great leaders, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi . 15. How do you measure military leaders? Hull had served with distinction in the Revolutionary War and was appointed governor of the Michigan Territory in 1805. In 1940, after increasing pressure from dictator Benito Mussolini and facing demotion, Graziani followed orders and invaded Egypt with his Tenth Army. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with. To say that he failed in both regards is to dramatically understate the case. Varus trust in Arminius was an obvious and terrible misjudgment. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. Antonio de Padua Mara Severino Lpez de Santa Anna. However, Ludendorff and German General Staff chief Helmuth von Moltke had altered the Schlieffen PlanGermanys overall battle plan for fighting a two-front warin a way that had weakened the attacking army on the Western Front. (Photo: Warner Bros.) Roger Ebert called "Gods and Generals" a film "Trent Lott would enjoy," referring to the Senator's praise of segregationist Strom Thurmond. Despite reports of the build-up of German forces and even knowing the date of the Germans attack, Gamelin did nothing, stating that he would await events. The pandemics outbreak brought rare reporting freedoms. He called for bombing China, as if liberating Korea was worth risking 550 million Chinese and possibly war with Russia as well. After the Germans attacked, Gamelin was eventually removed from his post, but by then it was too late. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Pillow pulled the troops back to the fort to resupply them. Where is Carthage you ask? Explore the benefits included in your subscription. Fortunately, along came Reaganif not for that, Westmorelands military reversals could well have signaled the beginning of our end. Darius did not take the field against Alexander until a year and a half after Granicus, at the Battle of Issus. Listing MacArthur as one of America's worst generals will be controversial. Varus himself, seeing all hope was lost, committed suicide. His bad luck didnt end at San Jacinto. He need not be concerned, soothed Wheeler, because the weight of judgment was that the enemy cant match us on a buildup. That turned out to be one of the classic misjudgments of the war, comparable in magnitude and consequence to General MacArthurs assurances to President Truman that Chinese forces would not enter the Korean War. Santa Anna would lose Texas at the Battle of San Jacinto. Hull responded by ordering the evacuation of Fort Dearborn, and the garrison was promptly massacred by a Potawatomi war band upon leaving the fort. Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam, Chinas Censors Are Afraid of What Chatbots Might Say, The U.S. Michael Ray oversees coverage of European history and military affairs for Britannica. When it came to military command, Westmoreland was everybody's all-Americanuntil he met his Waterloo. Elmo Zumwalt was a U.S. admiral and commander of American naval forces in Vietnam. Thats the point. Grachev has also been linked to corruption among the higher ranks of the military, specifically the assassination of journalist Dmitry Kholodov. Todays list: The top ten reasons Gen. Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam, Want to read more on this topic or region? 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. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. Muammar Al-Gaddafi. Alexander went on to march halfway across Asia, creating an empire, albeit short-lived, that changed the history of three continentsnot bad for an ancient millennial. The British blockaded the port at Cdiz with a numerically inferior force, and Villeneuve, upon learning that he was to be relieved of command, rashly struck out at Nelsons fleet. Nelsons victory at the Battle of Trafalgar was so complete that it established British supremacy on the high seas for more than a century. Most younger officers who worked around General Westmoreland, excepting only a very few among his many aides-de-camp or executive officers and the like, had no personal relationship with this difficult and distant man. And he was able to inflict massive casualties on the enemy. Arminius cut off his head and sent it to another Germanic leader as a present. Top 10 Most Underrated Military Generals. Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam, This Photo Of A 94-Year-Old Widow Receiving Her Husbands Remains Will Break Your Heart, From Messiah to Hitler, What You Can and Cannot Name Your Child. Once again, McClellan worked his organizational magic, restoring the morale of a shattered Union army. After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts. Men and material the Union could provide its armies. He was also supremely gifted at overestimating the size of his opponents armies to a degree that beggared belief. Scott claimed that Pillow was ''the only person I have ever known who was wholly indifferent in the choice between truth and falsehood. When talk of secession reached Pillows home state of Tennessee, he helped organize the state militia and was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate army. He was certainly nave, but the Boy Scouts need to be defended here. At the Battle of Gaugamela, he helped make Alexander great by losing half his army to the Macedonian upstart. This infuriated the Marines, who viewed it as evidence that Westmoreland lacked confidence in them. Johnston was wounded on the first day of the Battle of Seven Pines, six miles east of Richmond, and he was replaced by Robert E. Lee. And the number one reason why Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam: With his unavailing approach to conduct of the war he squandered four years of support by much of the American people, the Congress, and even the media. Publication of the PROVN Study, whose precepts were later implemented with great success by Westmorelands successor, illustrated a matter of fundamental importance. In 1847, U.S. troops once again surprised Santa Anna and captured his prosthetic leg. Wrote Kevin Buckley in a scathing review, From the beginning Westmoreland probably expected to write a memoir of victory similar to Crusade in Europeand the defeat in Vietnam has not deterred him from this.. Simultaneously, he contacted Maximilian to offer the young emperor his services. In stereotypically McClellan fashion, he was promptly checked by a vastly inferior force under John Bankhead Magruder. But Franks, who commanded the invasion, made a bad situation worse. While Hull dithered, Brock captured Fort Michilimackinac, establishing British control of the Straits of Mackinac. At the height of the Cold War, he dealt decisively with neither. Pierre de Villeneuve had his first brush with history when he bravely ran away at the Battle of the Nile. 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. 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. Had Lincoln retained McClellan in command of the Union armies, many former Americans might still be whistling "Dixie.". The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. Persian Gulf (1988) (Oil Platforms) 2. Sure, he won big at the Alamo. Ulysses S. Grant, who replaced McClellan, understood this. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. The loss of Fort Donelson opened the door to Kentucky and Tennessee to Union forces and marked the beginning of the end of Confederate resistance in the west. 3. Lewis Sorleys new book, Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam, is being published today by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Somalia (1992-1994) 2. Varus placed his legions in a position where their fighting strengths would be minimized and that of the Germanic Cherusci tribesman maximized. There appeared to be little serious planning for what would happen the day after Saddam was gone. He spoke up in Honolulu, during an important U.S. planning conference in February 1966, observing that we can beat up North Vietnamese regiments in the high plateau for the next twenty years and it will not end the war. Westmorelands later dismissive comment was that Ambassador Lodge does not have a deep feel of military tactics and strategy.. Saul David reviews a surprising study of military failure and names his own five most infamous generals Saul David Thursday February 17 2022, 12.00am , The Times 92. We ended up, he said, with no operational plan that had the slightest chance of ending the war favorably. Westmoreland could not or would not ever bring himself to acknowledge that reality.