Here is a list of wars that the US fought in and could be considered 'disastrous' in some shape or fashion.

1. War of 1812 (1812-1815)
2. Civil War (1861-1865)
3. Indian Wars (1776-1890)
4. 2nd Invasion of Mexico (1911)
5. World War I (1917-1918)
6. World War II (1941-1945)
7. Korean War (1950-1953)
8. Vietnam (1963-1973)
9. Somalia (1993)
10. 2nd Gulf War (2003-)

Im my opinion Korea. Longest retreat in U.S. history.

I would say Civil War, the most disterous war on the American Homeland.

I would say Civil War, the most disterous war on the American Homeland.

Well euh, actually, the only big war on the American Homeland :p

I'd choose the Civil war too, since all others are abroad. Modern wars were always worse for the civilians.

I would think World War II was pretty disastrous for the US. Pearl Harbor, Fall of the Philippines, Wake Island, Kaserine Pass. All major disasters. 410,000 killed. But I guess we more than made up for those in 1942-45. Coral Sea, Midway, Leyte, Battle of the Bulge.

But the worst in terms of bloodbath was the Civil War. 700,000 dead. 1 out of every 4 southern males were wiped out in that war.

The Civil War. The South needed major reconstruction and the only people who lost lives were American boys.

The Civil War, by a considerable margin.

1. war of independence

If only America had remainded British commonwealth we could very well still enjoying pax britainia (or at least british hedgamonia).

US would have a kind of consitutional monarchy, Strong and accountable system of government and federal state system.

Native Wars, though many date to before the formation of the nation. Almost an entire people and a way of life was wiped out, perhaps the worst genocide in all of history.

1. war of independence

If only America had remainded British commonwealth we could very well still enjoying pax britainia (or at least british hedgamonia).

US would have a kind of consitutional monarchy, Strong and accountable system of government and federal state system.

I guess this ideology is what speperates America from Australia and Canada as well as the other commonwealths. We don't like other people telling us what do do, especially when they withold our rights And america is a Federal Republic, so I don't see your point about "strong federal system"


Civil War would be the most disastorous. Hundreds of thousands of Americans died, and the south was ruined.

Civil War, we trashed the south, and then we had to rebuild it. The War of 1812 war pretty bad, but we poped back up quickly, while in the Civil War it took 30ish years to rebuild the nation.

Yes...2 things
The most disasterous (if i can spell) was the Civil War...
and for #2
The 2nd gulf 'war' isnt a war, its millitary action. The congress hasnt declared war...and the president cant declare war...sooooo....yeah the '2nd gulf war' shouldnt even be listed.

Iraq= somaila only a lot bigger and not in africa

Yes...2 things
The most disasterous (if i can spell) was the Civil War...
and for #2
The 2nd gulf 'war' isnt a war, its millitary action. The congress hasnt declared war...and the president cant declare war...sooooo....yeah the '2nd gulf war' shouldnt even be listed.

7 of the 10 conflicts he listed on there had no decleration of war either

Indian Wars
Civil War
2nd Mexican Invasion
Korean War
Vietnam War
Somalia
2nd Gulf War

I guess those were not wars at all. :rolleyes:

Vietnam very bad from a psychological standpoint, because up to that point the U.S. had won every war it had been involved in.

7 of the 10 conflicts he listed on there had no decleration of war either

Indian Wars
Civil War
2nd Mexican Invasion
Korean War
Vietnam War
Somalia
2nd Gulf War

I guess those were not wars at all. :rolleyes:

...yeah I well figured the 2nd gulf war was a fo sho standout

but i didnt know that vietnam and korea werent declared wars...

The Civil War. It's ironical that the best general to be born in US soil fought against it (Robert E. Lee).

The worst is still to come...

...
4. 2nd Invasion of Mexico (1911)
....


What's this about? Never heard of it... something to do with Pancho Villa?

Well euh, actually, the only big war on the American Homeland :p


I'd say the Indian Wars were on the American Homeland as well - at least if you count the Indians/Native Americans as Americans as well, which I do...

And in the War of 1812 the White House was burned and New Orleans threatened - guess that had something to do with the American Homeland too... ;)

Edit: On topic: for the US, the Civil War was certainly the most disastrous, no contest.
The Indian Wars should be counted as the most disastrous for the US' moral standing... and Vietnam for their morale..

The 2nd gulf 'war' isnt a war, its millitary action. The congress hasnt declared war...and the president cant declare war...sooooo....yeah the '2nd gulf war' shouldnt even be listed.Yeah of course. During the Algerian War of Independance, the French administration was calling it "the events in Algeria"...

What a cute name to talk about a period where 250,000 civilians died.

Vietnam ... :eek:

The Civil War had, to date, the furthest reaching consequences. Louisiana's economy recovered to its pre-Civil War levels in 1977. :eek:

And my boss (a yankee) put it best upon arriving in the South:
I didn't know the war was still going on!

I'd say the Indian Wars were on the American Homeland as well - at least if you count the Indians/Native Americans as Americans as well, which I do...

And in the War of 1812 the White House was burned and New Orleans threatened - guess that had something to do with the American Homeland too... ;)

Edit: On topic: for the US, the Civil War was certainly the most disastrous, no contest.
The Indian Wars should be counted as the most disastrous for the US' moral standing... and Vietnam for their morale..

but none fo those were big wars; sure the brits snuffed us in the wa rof 1812, but we still won anyway, the "Indian wars" werent really wars, but rather just a long, sad tale of the US gov, of whch was insanelly raceist at the time taking advatage of the indians, with some gunslinging action done along the way

also, the battle of new orleans took place after the war of 1812; yes, thats right, neither side new the war was over when it was fought (though that didnt stop a wonderful little american reversal of british land fortunes)

Civil war, by far more American lives were lost in this war than any other.
620,000 I believe died in that war.

The Civil War had, to date, the furthest reaching consequences. Louisiana's economy recovered to its pre-Civil War levels in 1977. :eek:

And my boss (a yankee) put it best upon arriving in the South:
I didn't know the war was still going on!

Yeah, there is something to be said for blaming people for something their Grandfathers, Grandfathers, Grandfathers, Great Uncle did ;)

Yeah, there is something to be said for blaming people for something their Grandfathers, Grandfathers, Grandfathers, Great Uncle did ;)

I blame those 'damn' Yankees! :mad: :mischief: No offense sabo! ;)

It's just so hard to choose.... IMHO the USA for some reason just doesn't seem to do well in military situations, from Vietnam to Iraq via Somalia... how can you pick just one?

Incidentally I'm not being anti-American here, I think we all recognize that soldiers everywhere are 'lions led by donkeys'.

The Civil War. Since both sides were American, both casualties are American, making a lot of American casualties. Vietnam and the War of 1812 were disasters too, along with the Korean War.

How was the War of 1812 a disaster. Do you mean the campaigns were the disastor, and the war itself. Granted, the U.S. never acquired Canada and Florida, but we certainly made a profound point. National pride soared and the American industry prospered because it made more goods at home when trade stopped with Britain. Also, the British recognized U.S. boundaries and stayed out of the Northwest territory and developed a new found respect for us.

How about the first invasion of Mexico? It was fought for unjust reasons, and lit the fuse which resulted in the Civil War. The Civil War at least resulted in hundreds of thousands of Americans being freed from slavery and ensured that the US would develop as an industrial power rather then an agrarian power.

Native Wars, though many date to before the formation of the nation. Almost an entire people and a way of life was wiped out, perhaps the worst genocide in all of history.

I think Small Pox et. co. are the main villains there.

Most disastrous war? Like the post above this said, too many great things came of the American Civil War for me to consider it a disaster.

While I think wars verses the Natives were shameful (wherever fought... the States, the Aztecs...), the most disastrous war would have to be WWI. What happened afterwards? The U.S. told the world to piss off and allowed WWII to occur.

Some historians argue (and I can agree a lot with them) that the civil war of 1861-1865 was inevitable after the revolutionary war/ war of independence / civil war #1 fought between 1775 and 1781.

The thirteen states and its inhabitants were far from unified. Within states there were great differences (many Americans were loyalists, resulting in a nasty civil war where many civilians on both sides were murdered), but also between states. When reading about this era, it makes you realise that George Washington truely was a great organiser, as it seems almost impossible to keep an army together for that time.
Right from the birth of the nation, unity was hard to find. The differences between southern states and northern syates was there from the beginning, and the union between them was simply bound to fail.
From this point of view, it can be argued the War of Independence was not done 'right'.

On the other hand: I cannot think of a better option, even in hindsight.

The Civil War. More Americans died in that war than in any other (which makes sense, since both sides were american)

Seeing things from the other side of the Ocean I would say the "Indian wars". They were not much different than the Spanish-Indian Wars, but just done later in history. 2nd "prise winner" is the American Civil war althouigh IMO it was not too terrible. Nations that did experience wars tend to be more carefull about declaring wars...

While I think wars verses the Natives were shameful (wherever fought... the States, the Aztecs...), the most disastrous war would have to be WWI. What happened afterwards? The U.S. told the world to piss off and allowed WWII to occur.

What?! The US wasn't responsible for the actions of the Axis powers. Nazi German and Japanese aggression allowed WWII to occur not US isolationism.

If US joined the League of Nations things might have been different. But the US choce to let the world solve their own problems. Ever heard of containment? Well the US backed down in 1920's just when the world needed it.

It wouldn't have made that big a difference if we joined the league. We had massive economic depression as well as a weak militarily after WWI. Heck even the Dutch had a larger trained army than the US prior to the outbreak of WWII. It's a miracle we were able to field a decent military after Pearl Harbor...

If US joined the League of Nations things might have been different. But the US choce to let the world solve their own problems. Ever heard of containment? Well the US backed down in 1920's just when the world needed it.

As long as you're blaming WW2 on someone's lack of taking action, didn't the rest of Europe utterly fail to contain Hitler?

Stonesfan I totally agree with you. But as you said one cannot blame just one "side" for ww2. US isolationism and the fact that they traded with embargoed Italy (among other things) didn't not help prevent ww2...

1. Civil War (1861-1865)

Not much more to say than has already been said. The country is still divided over this one -- "The War Between the States?" "The War for Southern Indepedence?"

2. Vietnam War (1965-1975)

Mostly psychological, but it really was the first war that the US lost. It was disasterous for public image both in the US and out of it.

3. War of 1812 (1812-1814) [Peace was signed in 1814 even though the Battle of New Orleans took place anyway in 1815]

The British burned the White House and attacked New York, Baltimore and New Orleans, blah, blah, blah.

4. Second Persian Gulf War (2003-Present)

Similar to the Vietnam War, this war is a psychological loss and a huge blow to the US's world image, which, IMO, is more important than its actual power.

5. World War II (1941-1945)

The US lost a lot of troops, but benefited from the reindustrialization of the times and the elimination of Britain as an industrial and economic rival. I hate to say it, but the US almost gained from WWII.

What?! The US wasn't responsible for the actions of the Axis powers. Nazi German and Japanese aggression allowed WWII to occur not US isolationism.

WWII can't be blamed on any single event, so you're right in that the US can't be blamed alone. Nor can any Axis power, nor can all of Europe. Everyone has a share of the blame; the State's share is their isolationism that added to the fire. But while I'm no historian, I do believe if the States kept up a presence in Europe instead of cocooning, Germany's rise to power would have been different. When he declared war on the States, Hitler never thought we would be a major factor in his war.

I can't judge anything a disaster if more good comes because of it than bad during it. The US Civil War was a blood bath, but it helped set up America to become a world power. World War II put a strain on the entire country, but upon peace, allowed the US to become a super power.

1. Civil War (1861-1865)

Not much more to say than has already been said. The country is still divided over this one -- "The War Between the States?" "The War for Southern Indepedence?"

2. Vietnam War (1965-1975)

Mostly psychological, but it really was the first war that the US lost. It was disasterous for public image both in the US and out of it.

3. War of 1812 (1812-1814) [Peace was signed in 1814 even though the Battle of New Orleans took place anyway in 1815]

The British burned the White House and attacked New York, Baltimore and New Orleans, blah, blah, blah.

4. Second Persian Gulf War (2003-Present)

Similar to the Vietnam War, this war is a psychological loss and a huge blow to the US's world image, which, IMO, is more important than its actual power.

5. World War II (1941-1945)

The US lost a lot of troops, but benefited from the reindustrialization of the times and the elimination of Britain as an industrial and economic rival. I hate to say it, but the US almost gained from WWII.
I think you're putting this current war a bit too high. Perhaps because we're living through it, it seems to be so important (not saying that it isn't) but looking back 50 years from now it would be easier to compare it Vietnam or World War II.

1. Civil War- no need to explain.
2. Vietnam- lack of success
3. 1812- Probably the only time the US was close to losing a war/losing its sovereignty.
4. Korea- US succeeded in freeing South Korea but North remained communist and the US suffered quite alot of casualties.
5. World War II- Although there were far more deaths in this war than the 3 above it and I believe more casualties (injured and killed) than the Civil War, the war on the whole was a massive success.

Most Disastrous war: Vietnam.

Why not Civil War, WW2, or War of 1812? because ultimately, the US benefited from these wars. It was Vietnam that showed the US was not invincible, and was the first real war that showed the power the civilians had over the war, and the opinion for the war was, the first time, very very low.

Jason