Born around 500 CE, Belisarius was described by the historian Edward Gibbon as “…daring without rashness, prudent without fear… he was modest and humble in the most prosperous fortune.” Belisarius’ greatest skill was in his management of supply lines and army morale. He fought with far fewer troops than his opponents. Belisarius’ understanding of the importance of mounted archers was decisive in his victories. He has a win/loss ratio of 80% (4 wins, 1 loss).

George was a farmer and plantation owner by trade. Like many wealthy men, he found a leadership position in the French and Indian War. The mere fact that the Revolutionary Army held together through the winter at Valley Forge and against the overwhelming force of the British is due to Washington’s tenacity and ability to inspire loyalty. Washington’s victories in battle turned him into a national hero. He was the first President of the United States, and his statesmanship went a long way toward uniting the fractious colonies and forging a new national identity. George’s win/loss ratio is 50% (6 wins, 6 losses).

Robert Edward Lee was a lifelong military man, serving in the Mexican-American War and as superintendent of West Point. Lee’s greatest single success was at the Battle of Chancellorsville, where Lee used brilliant flanking maneuvers to defeat a much larger Union force. His strongest overall quality was his ability to sustain his army through the course of the battles, his wisdom in choosing targets and, his ability to soften inevitable defeats at the hands of larger and better equipped Union armies. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in April 1865. Lee has a win/loss ratio of 57.14% (8 wins, 6 losses).

Grant was a peerless wartime administrator, who understood his work in the battles was not only a military operation, but a political one. Battles during this period were fought when seasons permitted. Grant pushed hard to secure better food and equipment for his men so they could fight year-round. Combined with an utterly relentless pace, the Confederate armies were pushed back and forced them to be reactive. Grant’s reputation as a general was tainted by his political inadequacy after he was no longer a general. After a widely condemned presidential administration, Grant was eventually bankrupted and perished in debt. Grant’s win/loss ratio is 92.3% (12 wins, 1 loss).

During WWII, Rommel became a national hero, famed for his lightning-quick tactics, a perfect tactician for the Third Reich ethos of blitzkrieg. Rommel’s greatest tactical achievement was his tank campaign in Northern Africa. His decisive use of tanks and his aggressive tactics caught the British in North Africa off guard. This led to the Battle of Gazala. Rommel used a wide, sweeping flank attack to overwhelm British tactical command and throw their troops into disarray. Increasingly disgusted by Hitler’s handling of WWII, Rommel was implicated in an attempted slaying of the Führer. His passing was announced as a heart attack in 1944. Rommel had a win/loss ratio of 33% (3 wins, 6 losses).

Frederick II of Prussia took the small kingdom of Prussia from anonymity to a dominant position in European politics. Some of Frederick’s tactical genius is retained in his “Military Instructions to Generals,” which shows that, above all, Frederick valued subterfuge and subtlety. He writes:

“I have no wish to recite here the almost infinite list of stratagems, for they have all the same end in view, which is, to oblige the enemy to make unnecessary marches in favor of our own designs. Our real intentions are to be studiously concealed, and the enemy misled by our affecting plans which we have no wish to execute.”

He remained in power until the end of his days, having secured a mighty kingdom for the Prussians. It would take the armies of Napoleon to topple the Prussians. He has a win/loss ratio of 84.62% (11 wins, 2 losses).

In the 16th century, Japan was in the midst of the Sengoku, or “Warring States,” period. Takeda Shingen was born into a warrior family and fought with several great houses, his exploits earning him near mythological acclaim. Many of his battles are dramatized as part of Japanese folklore. The Battle of Sezawa saw a group of five warlords gather their forces to oppose Shingen. Their forces numbered 12,000, to Shingen’s 3,000. Despite this, the lightning-fast cavalry tactics Shingen was known for crushed the warlord’s armies, slaying 3,000 of their troops while Shingen lost only 500 men. Shingen has a win/loss ratio of 88.24% (15 wins, 2 losses).

Khalid ibn al-Walid grew into one of the greatest generals the world has ever seen. Known as the Sword of Allah, he was a daring and ferocious commander, carving a swath of violence across Central Arabia in the 7th century CE. Khalid was part of a battle in which all the appointed commanders were wiped out. It threatened to be a rout until Khalid stepped into the power vacuum. He commanded a small cavalry group to ride a distance from the battle and ride around in circles, kicking up dust. Khalid took advantage of the enemies demoralization to stage a ferocious attack which covered his main force’s retreat. al-Walid boasts off a 92.3% win/loss ratio (12 wins, 1 loss).

Georgy Zhukov was the Soviet Union’s greatest military general, responsible for pushing the Japanese out of Mongolia, and stopping the German advance at Leningrad in 1941. His most stunning victories were defensive, stopping the German army at Leningrad and Moscow. Careful attention to battlefield mechanics allowed the Soviet Army to hold its own against German superiority of numbers and equipment. After WWII, Zhukov was so enormously popular that Stalin viewed him as a threat. He was removed from supreme command and entered politics until he was forced out by Khrushchev. He’s never been defeated on the battlefield.

Wellesley was an Irish aristocrat who rose through the ranks of the British military, winning numerous engagements by land and sea, until he came into direct conflict with Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. His tactical mind was best on display during the battle of Salamanca. He was evenly matched with his French counterpart, the general Marmont, for weeks. Wellesley committed his entire cavalry force to a charge that may have been the most effective single cavalry movement of the Napoleonic Wars. Waterloo was the end of Wellesley’s military career. He transitioned into politics, becoming a powerful conservative voice and, eventually, prime minister. Wellesley has a win/loss ratio of 94.12% (16 wins, 1 loss).

Hannibal is best known for the stunning logistical feat of crossing the Alps, but his greatest military achievement was at the battle of Cannae. The Romans had raised a force of 80,000 troops to Hannibal’s 50,000. Rather than relying on conventional military wisdom, Hannibal used his cavalry to encircle the Roman Army, flanking them and crushing the much larger force. Hannibal was defeated at the battle of Zama after being betrayed by an ally. He fled into exile, where he fought for a few smaller kingdoms before eventually taking his own life to avoid extradition to Rome. Hannibal only lost two battles throughout his command.

Napoleon’s armies crushed the nations of Europe and stretched all the way into Russia, even sending expeditions into Egypt. His military innovations are too many to count here, but Napoleon’s genius is synonymous with his success at the Battle of Austerlitz. He ordered his army to retreat from the most defensible ground, giving the impression of fear and disorganization. His enemies pursued him, and they were crushed when Napoleon’s hidden Third Corps joined the fray. After his crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was forced to abdicate, entering into exile and perishing on the Isle of Saint Helena, possibly from stomach cancer. 38 wins and 5 losses make him by far the most statistically successful general in world history

Born in 100 BCE, Julius Caesar rose to the heights of Roman society through the luck of his birth, and his incredible usefulness as a military commander. The conquest of Gaul, Caesar’s greatest military achievement, was made possible through his shrewd use of military engineers. These were specialized groups that could quickly build powerful fortifications. This allowed the highly organized Roman army to fight as though fortified, even in wilderness battlefields. Politics got the better of Caesar, and he was stabbed in the Roman forum. Julius Caesar’s near perfect record is only stained by one loss.

Alexander was a prodigious tactician and a great military innovator. One of his most consistent tactics was to arrange his troops in a signature wedge shape, making it easier to defend the core of the army from archers, while allowing cavalry to sweep out and punch holes in the enemies defenses. That’s how he won the Battle of Issus against a much larger Persian force. He was born in 356 BCE, and his father, Philip II, had assembled a great army. It was Alexander’s military genius with that mighty army that have gone on to conquer an unprecedented amount of territory, creating one of the largest empires of the ancient world. To this day, it’s unclear what ended Alexander the Great at the age of 32. He is undefeated.