Barry Linton - Historys Greatest Military Commanders: The Brilliant Military Strategies Of Hannibal, Alexander The Great, Sun Tzu, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, And 30 Other Historical Commanders

History's Greatest

Military Commanders

The Brilliant Military Strategies of Hannibal, Alexander The Great, Sun Tzu, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, And 30 Other Historical Commanders

By Barry Linton

Copyright 2015 by Make Profits Easy LLC
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Table of Contents

For as long as mankind has existed there has been war. In times of dire need, turmoil, and opportunity great leaders and warriors throughout history have heeded the call of battle. Those in positions of leadership often exhibit many admirable traits, usually creating a stark contrast with their shortcomings. The famous leaders featured in this book are varied individuals, some thrust into their leadership roles by necessity and circumstance while others were driven by ambition and even blood lust. While many are set apart by over 1000 years of history, each shared the inherent potential to inspire and aspire to greater deeds.

Combat has changed radically through the centuries, bringing new technological innovations as well as many socioeconomic and political changes. Rather than leading from the front lines, it is now possible for a general to issue commands from thousands of miles away. Such battlefield advances are commonplace now but were utterly unheard of in the time of Caesar. Early in the history of mankind, it was necessary and preferred for leaders to take charge in the worst conditions at the front with their soldiers and lead them to victory. Regardless of the time that has passed, the leaders focused upon in this book show many defining qualities, such as courage under fire and the willingness to fight for their beliefs. Some chose to become heroes, others tyrants, and some sought only to fulfill their duty.

Alexander the Great, Hannibal Barca, Julius Caesar these are some of the greatest military minds in recorded history. Their battles and tactics has been the subject of study and provided valuable lessons to aspiring tacticians and leaders throughout the ages.

Born: 544 B.C.E.

Died: 496 B.C.E.

Military General and Tactician

Sun Tzu was a Chinese tactician, philosopher, and military general who is known primarily as the author of the treatise, The Art of War. The life of Sun Tzu is shrouded in mystery, with few surviving accounts to tell his tale. Historians have faced conflicting accounts that blurred the line between fact and fiction. What is known however is that as a younger man he served King Ho-Lu of Wu, and brought great success as his general and strategist. His battlefield victories for the Wu built a reputation that would only grow with time. In 506 BC, Sun Tzu commanded the Wu army at the battle of Boju. He faced a numerically superior army of 200,000 with only 30,000 men. The battle would not be won by the Wu using brute strength, but through careful placement of his soldiers, personal initiative, and understanding the enemy. The enemy Chu army devised a plan in which one contingent would take defensive positions on the far side of the river, and the other would block the Wu army's escape route before converging from both directions. Through careful collection of intelligence, the Wu forces determined that the enemy general Nang was cruel and disliked by his men. When Nang attacked early, Sun Tzu attacked in force when the enemy had only crossed halfway. Nang's men were slaughtered midstream and their already low morale resulted in a rout. Sun Tzu attacked in his opponent's vulnerable spots, used a bottleneck to prevent his enemy from massing full strength, and then continued to pursue the fleeing opponents. They were defeated in five further engagements and eventually the Wu army and King Ho-Lu captured the Chu capital of Ying.

Sun Tzu believed in psychological dominance, based upon a superior knowledge of the enemy. He employed tactics that would harm enemy morale, including surprise or guerrilla attacks when the enemy least expected it. His teachings grew to become the most famous of China's seven Military Classic writings and were especially influential during the Warring States period of China. For many hundreds of years his treatise was required reading for many soldiers and officers in China. In time, the Art of War spread across the globe and was read by such famous leaders as Mao Zedong, Oda Nobunaga, and General Douglas MacArthur. His tactics and philosophies are repeatedly employed throughout history and many are made note of in this book.

Born: 356 B.C.E.

Died: 323 B.C.E.

King of Macedon and Emperor of Persia

Alexander is considered by most modern historians to be the most successful military leader of all time. He came to be known as a King, an Emperor, and even was worshiped by some as a God. Alexander of Macedon conquered and expanded an Empire extending from Greece to faraway Indian Asia in a life cut short at the age of only 32. His father, Philip the Second, had taken particular care to ensure that he was well versed in war at an early age. In the key battle of Chaeronea a decisive encounter in Phillip's campaign to defeat the Greeks and add their lands to the Macedonian Empire the 18-year-old Alexander was given the responsibility of commanding the left wing in the line of battle. Even at this age, his military genius shone through and he was the first to break through the enemy's lines. He fought bravely and was seen as a great credit to his father.

Alexander shared the ambitions of his father and sought to invade the Persian Empire. After ensuring that his homelands of Macedonia were secured and provisions made, he campaigned in the Balkans and Greece to defeat all further enemy opposition at home before leaving abroad for Asia.

Alexander was an inspirational leader of men, set apart by his ability to motivate even under the harshest of conditions. An account recorded by the Roman historian Plutarch describes an event during the forced desert march where some of his soldiers brought Alexander their meager water supply in an upturned helmet. Alexander without hesitation refused to drink, boldly declaring that he would suffer thirst alongside his men. The surrounding soldiers were moved and responded that they would follow such a King anywhere. Alexander thoroughly understood the effectiveness of such well-timed public gestures in securing the support of his men when conditions were challenging. He made special effort to make the ordinary soldier feel that he identified with their hardships. He also strove to fill them with pride by cultivating an image of himself as a calm, collected, and charismatic leader. He has also been described as taking special care with trust and morale building gestures after battles, often conducting elaborate special funeral ceremonies in honor of fallen troops and distributing riches and other plunder to those warriors who distinguished themselves in combat. The fact that he carried his own fair share of wounds gave greater force to this bond that he shared with his soldiers. One historian wrote that his men declared their dedication to him and that they would not regard themselves as weary, or thirsty, or as mortals at all, so long as they had such a King.

Alexander's most confident and natural place in combat was leading at the front of his favored Macedonian cavalry unit. His distinctive style of command leading from the front was taught early and reinforced to him by his father. The ruler of Macedonia was required to prove his worth to rule the kingdom and the greater world. This was accomplished by demonstrating his dominance to his followers with the evidence of his considerable fighting skill. But Alexander's brash nature went beyond this basic tenet. Every time he led a charge across the field of battle to attack an enemy head-on, Alexander seriously endangered his army's most valuable asset: himself. Historians have often criticized Alexander for his overly aggressive nature that culminated in unnecessary risk-taking, but these faults are sometimes excused considering his relative youth and temperament.