Great Commanders Head To Head

In The Great Commanders of the American Civil War, the best military leaders of both sides are pitted against each other and their strengths and weaknesses examined – Robert E. Lee versus George Meade at Gettysburg, Ulysses S. Grant versus Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh, William Tecumseh Sherman versus John Bell Hood in the March to the Sea, along with eight other pairs. The book also explores a decisive battle between each pair of adversaries, highlighting the decisions made and why the battle was won. Each featured battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned color map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader grasp the course of each battle. Featuring full-color illustrations, paintings and photographs alongside the battle maps.

"Twenty famous victories, won by some of the most outstanding field commanders in history, are ... portrayed in this ... book. Selected because of their vital contribution to the development of battlefield tactics, the commanders in this book span more than two thousand years of warfare ... The battles chosen reveal the vital links between the manner in which victory was achieved and the military skill and leadership of each great commander"--Jacket

There have been many books written about the Civil War, but none have captured the bloody battles quite like Great Commanders Head to Head. Discover what drove Ulysses S. Grant and other great Civil War leaders on and off the battlefield, and how their victories and losses shaped the war--and America. Each chapter examines a decisive battle between a pair of imposing adversaries, featuring some of the greatest American commanders in battle: Lee vs. McClellan on the blood-soaked fields of Antietam, Beauregard vs. McDowell at First Manassas, and Sherman vs. Hood in the March to the Sea. Each head-to-head battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. Military experts share their insights into the strategies of each commander. Specially commissioned, full-color maps depict an overhead view of featured battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Conflicts are described as they happened, with insightful annotations and color-coded symbols to show the movement of opposing forces. Special box features showcase opposing commanders' strengths and weaknesses, and offer analysis as to why one triumphed on the battlefield while the other failed.

Includes 3 maps and 7 illustrations The command of military forces in combat is unlike any other field of human endeavor. If war is the ultimate form of human competition, then the commander is the ultimate competitor. The commander operates in an environment of chance, uncertainty, and chaos, in which the stakes are, quite literally, life and death. He or she contends against an adversary who is using every means, fair or foul, to foil his plans and bring about his defeat. The commander is ultimately responsible for every variable that factors into military success or failure-training, logistics, morale, equipment, planning, and execution. The commander reaps the lion’s share of plaudits in victory, but also must accept the blame in defeat, warranted or not. Very often the line that separates fame and ignominy is slender indeed. It is not difficult to identify “great” commanders, though the overwhelming majority of generals who win battles are never considered “great.” Something more than a favorable ratio of wins to losses is needed to establish greatness...The truly great commander is generally considered to be one who attains the unexpected or the unprecedented; one who stands above his contemporaries through his skill on the battlefield, or through the sheer magnitude of his accomplishments. ...The commanders selected were masters of warfare in their particular time and environment. Each capitalized upon the social, political, economic, and technological conditions of his day to forge successful military forces and win significant and noteworthy victories that profoundly altered the world in which he lived.-Dr Christopher R. Gabel. The Great Commanders covered by this volume are Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, John J. Pershing, Erwin Rommel and Curtis E. LeMay

"This volume is not a study of the 'greatest' commanders; rather, it is an examination of commanders who should be considered great. The seven leaders examined, in various domains of ground, sea, and air, each in their own way successfully addressed the challenges of military endeavor in their time and changed the world in which they lived"--Foreword.

From ancient Greece to Desert Storm, Military Commanders presents a chronological history of great battles and the men who won them. Beginning with Leonidas of Sparta, who died at Thermopylae and ending with Colin Powell, this book includes such world famous leaders as Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Grant and Lee, Patton and Rommel. In addition, it includes the military theorist Sun Tzu, who wrote "The Art of War," as well as lesser known but important figures, such as Red Cloud, Shaka Zulu, and General Giap. Military Commanders, containing pertinent quotations, anecdotes, and detailed facts is a highly-readable combination of history and biography.

Twenty leaders from Alexander the Great to Moshe Dayan are highlighted along with their most famous battles.