Who is the most overrated general/leader in history?

[Duuring]

Not to mention the logistical requirements to keep Patton's army going.

[KurassierNixon]

I meant swapping out Alexander and his leaders with the staff of Patton's 3rd Army or Washington's Army at Valley Forge. Assuming they speak Greek and have campaigned for the last 10 years, Patton would've been able to push his men into India.

Fun fact: Patton and his wife believed in reincarnation and Patton thought he fought with Alexander at Tyre in a past life. Also a Viking, a French Knight at Crecy, an Englishman at Agincourt, A highlander, a pirate, aide to Marshal Murat, and as a Roman.

[Toffee]

Patton is a general from a different era and a different war, you’re just talking out of your arse saying he could have gone further when you have no facts to back it up because the suggestion is ludicrous. Alexander has been campaigning for years far away from home, it’s kind of amazing he kept his army going for as long as he did.

[Sgt.Winters]

Patton is a general from a different era and a different war, you’re just talking out of your arse saying he could have gone further when you have no facts to back it up because the suggestion is ludicrous. Alexander has been campaigning for years far away from home, it’s kind of amazing he kept his army going for as long as he did.

Not to mention he dealt with a near mutiny on several occasions after Hydaspes. The Macedonians were exhausted after a decade long, constant campaign pushing east and all they wanted to do was go home.  Alexander only gave in once he realized just how angry his troops were, and not to mention the thousands of Indians that were waiting for him after his victory against Porus.  Alex would have stood no chance against them. I'd rather not start a what if scenario in detail, but Alexander should have halted his advance after the subjugation of Bactria and consolidated his power back home, as Antipater began to fiddle with the political scene in his favor.

[Wolff]

Another General - maybe not the most overrated, but extremly popular in 1900s Germany. Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich von Wrangel - "Papa Warangel". After fighting as a young cavalry officer in the Prussian Army against Napoleon (already 1806/07 and again 1813-15), he made a good career in the Prussian peace army and ended the Berlin Revolution of 1848. In the Danish-German war of 1864 he had the command for a short time.  He was for sure a very dashing cavalry officer but never a good tactical commander. Some even call him completly incompetend when they speak about his command in Danmark 1864 (he was already 80 years old in 1864). But nevertheless he was the highest ranking officer after the Prussian souvereign, was extremly popular and had a lot of special rights. It seems that he wasn't a good Generalfeldmarschall at all but a good "Papa Wrangel" - some kind of original and to-be-loved person. Wrangel was prominent for his popular and folky character and tough humor.

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[Toffee]

I'd also say Wellington.

He's most famed for winning the battle of Waterloo but the fact is that he kind of got lucky. Had certain moments of bad luck gone Napoleon's way, it's highly possible that Wellington would have lost the battle.

[KurassierNixon]

I would also say Erwin Rommel is very overrated in part due to the "clean wehrmacht" myth that gets floated around every so often on historical forums. He got utterly humiliated at El Alamein and Tobruk. Even at Bir Hakeim he was held up by a much smaller force of free french soldiers and let us not forget his blunder at D-Day.

[Sgt.Winters]

I would also say Erwin Rommel is very overrated in part due to the "clean wehrmacht" myth that gets floated around every so often on historical forums. He got utterly humiliated at El Alamein and Tobruk. Even at Bir Hakeim he was held up by a much smaller force of free french soldiers and let us not forget his blunder at D-Day.

He was possibly held in high regard so that whenever Allied generals lost to him, they had a semi-viable excuse that they went against Rommel, a tactical "genius", even though his record says otherwise. I'm not entirely sure though, there are a variety of factors as to why Rommel is praised.

[Dokletian]

Patton is a general from a different era and a different war, you’re just talking out of your arse saying he could have gone further when you have no facts to back it up because the suggestion is ludicrous. Alexander has been campaigning for years far away from home, it’s kind of amazing he kept his army going for as long as he did.

In India only a 1/6 of his army was still macedonian, most were mercenaries and persians.

[Toffee]

That doesn’t change the fact that he had fought a long hard campaign in foreign lands...

[Wolff]

That doesn’t change the fact that he had fought a long hard campaign in foreign lands...

Wich also did Wellington on the Peninsula (ok he got local allies) and in India (I think he saw the battle of Assaye and not Waterloo as his masterpiece)

[Toffee]

That doesn’t change the fact that he had fought a long hard campaign in foreign lands...

Wich also did Wellington on the Peninsula (ok he got local allies) and in India (I think he saw the battle of Assaye and not Waterloo as his masterpiece)

The difference being that Wellington wasn't the best general of his time and didn't really win a stunning victory on the Peninsula in the way that Alexander did.

[Cazasar]

Did someone say Hindenburg and/or Ludendorf yet?

[StevenChilton]

Most overrated general? Already been mentioned but probably George Washington.

[Riddlez]

As well as most of WWII and WWI generals from the U.S.