Who knows Benoit de Broigne? Not very famous? Well, without him we may not be able to see the Taj Mahal, among other deeds.
Great unknown Generals in History
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A few I can think of:
John Monash Australian General in World War I
Subotai the Valiant Work for his bosses Genghis Khan and Batu Khan and was behind the Mongol attacks on China, Khwarezm and Europe.
Li Yuanhao, or Emperor Jingzong, was chieftain of the Tanguts and sucessfully rebelled against the Song setting up the Xixia Kingdom that lasted until it was wiped out by Genghis Khan and Co.
John Monash Australian General in World War I
Subotai the Valiant Work for his bosses Genghis Khan and Batu Khan and was behind the Mongol attacks on China, Khwarezm and Europe.
Li Yuanhao, or Emperor Jingzong, was chieftain of the Tanguts and sucessfully rebelled against the Song setting up the Xixia Kingdom that lasted until it was wiped out by Genghis Khan and Co.
ParkCungHee
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Cheezy the Wiz
Socialist In A Hurry
Another general no one's ever heard of:
Nguyen Huu An, the PAVN Commander at the Battle of La Drang. He tried and proved the successful tactic of "getting between the enemy and his belt," in other words, engaging American forces at exremely close range, so as to mitigate their ability to bring overwhelming firepower to bear on them.
Nguyen Huu An, the PAVN Commander at the Battle of La Drang. He tried and proved the successful tactic of "getting between the enemy and his belt," in other words, engaging American forces at exremely close range, so as to mitigate their ability to bring overwhelming firepower to bear on them.
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim.
A former officer of the Russian Czars fought the communists three times during 30 years (Finnish Civil War/WW1, Finnish Winter War, WW2).
"He was the only person who received military decorations from both sides of the conflict in both the First World War and the Second World War. He was also decorated by Sweden, a neutral country."
"Of all the military commanders in World War II, Mannerheim had held the highest rank during World War I, having been a full General of Cavalry (Ratsuväenkenraali) at the war's end in 1918."
A former officer of the Russian Czars fought the communists three times during 30 years (Finnish Civil War/WW1, Finnish Winter War, WW2).
"He was the only person who received military decorations from both sides of the conflict in both the First World War and the Second World War. He was also decorated by Sweden, a neutral country."
"Of all the military commanders in World War II, Mannerheim had held the highest rank during World War I, having been a full General of Cavalry (Ratsuväenkenraali) at the war's end in 1918."
Julian Delphiki
Anton's key
True; i only learned lately that he was considered as a "Roman Alexander" and i do read lot of history. He was Great General but quite bad politician.
privatehudson
The Ultimate Badass
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I hope the part about the cross channel invasion isn't a reference to Trafalgar. Napoleon's troops left Bolougne in late August and by the time of Trafalgar had already forced Mack to capitulate at Ulm.
Anyway I'd offer for perusal Percy Hobart, an early exponent of armoured warfare and the commander of 79th Armoured division (the formation that provided the "funnies" like the Duplex Drive shermans) during WW2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Hobart
Sir John Moore is usually overlooked as well in favour of Wellington. He was instrumental in forming the British light regiments prior to the Napoleonic wars and commanded the British forces at Corruna during the Peninsula wars. Unfortunately he was killed there, but its interesting to speculate on how he would have fared in the peninsula rather than Wellington.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Moore_%28British_soldier%29
Benoit De Boigne was a frenchman who served the Marathas and fought some memorable wars with rathore rajputs. He brought the grape shooting infantry divisions and artillery into maratha army. I do not see the connection with Taj Mahal.
(You can read more about rajputs here:
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/
)
Battle of Medta 1790 A.D.: ( Maratha Cavalry close to 30,000 and Rathore cavalry 5000-8000. )
A severe battle was fought at Medta on 10th September 1790 A.D. The battle began in the grey of the morning, with a surprise attack by Col. De Rohan at the head of three of De Boigne’s best battalions, on Rathores. But the surprise was momentary. A body of Rathore cavalry of the famous Chundawat clan, mounted and rapidly forced driving out Rohan’s Battalions and charged down on the Maratha position with terrific fury.
The letter from the camp of Shinde States, “The saffron coloured Rajputs, numbering about four to five thousand, drove their horses upon our fauj. They arrived with full violence of the waves of the sea. On our side the salvo of artillery was (terrific), all at once, like a shower of rain, from the campoo and other division (gol) of the Sardars. The fire fell on the Rajputs, hundreds of them were hurled down from their horses to the ground by the chain-shot, grape shot. But coming to close fighting, they made many heroes of our side drink the draught of death or wounded them.
Thus after facing the fire of artillery and the muskets for a while, the Rathore sawars disregarding the great number that fell while marching, rushed into the compo lines and attacked them with swords for four ghadis. Marching still forward in fury they drove back in confusion the Shinde cavalry two kos behind.
Finally the battle ended because you cannot beat 30,000 with 8000.
More battles I can describe if you want.
-Digvijay
Some of the greatest generals who made sure India did not become an Islamic state just like Persia, Egypt, Arabia etc. did, are listed here, and I am sure very few outside India know them.
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Bappa_Rawal
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Prithviraj_Chauhan
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Hammir_Dev_Chauhan
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Rawal_Ratan_Singh.2CGora.2CBadal
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Maharana_Hammir
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Maharana_Kumbha
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Rana_Sanga
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Rao_Maldeo_Rathore
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Maharani_Durgavati
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Maharana_Pratap
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Maharaja_Jaswant_Singh
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Durga_Das_Rathore
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Banda_Bhadur
-Digvijay
Tank_Guy#3
Lion of Lehistan
If they are unknown, how can we post about them? 
Cheezy the Wiz
Socialist In A Hurry
I found another one that few people know about: Ariobazaran. He was the Persian commander of the garrison at the Persian Gate, a path through the Zagros Mountains that is only a few meters wide. The Persian Gate is the door to Persis, and thus Persepolis. Half of Alexander's army, 17,000 men, marched through the Gates and were ambushed by Ariobazaran's 700-strong garrison, killing thousands of Greeks before they could get out of the pass. His victory nearly stopped Alexander's conquest of Eastern Persia, he was forced to attempt the pass again, any other pass would put him between two Persian armies. The Greeks were held at bay for 30 days, when they stormed the fort at dawn, and caught the Persians unarmed, yet they resisted to the last man. It is a battle strikingly similar to Thermopylae, yet relatively unkown.
ParkCungHee
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Walther Wever might be up there, though he never commanded a force in combat.
sydhe
King of Kongs
Togo and Don Juan aren't all that unknown. On the other hand, there was Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, the Austrian naval commander during the Seven Week's War who defeated the Italian navy at the Battle of Lissa.
EdwardTking
Deity
Sir William Sidney Smith KCB (21 June 1764 – 26 May 1840), usually known as Sir Sidney Smith, was the British admiral of whom Napoleon Bonaparte said, "That man made me miss my destiny".
Unknown as a general, because technically an admiral.
"Napoleon with 13,000 troops, having defeated the Ottoman forces in Egypt, marched north along the Mediterranean coast through what was then the Ottoman province of Syria (which included modern day Israel and Palestine as well as Syria and Lebanon). He captured Gaza and Jaffa with much brutality towards the civilian population, which was not uncommon in the context of the time, and the massacre of captured Turkish soldiers whom he was unable to take with him or send back to Egypt. Napoleon's army then marched to Acre.
Smith sailed to Acre and helped the Turkish commander Jezzar Pasha reinforce the defences and old walls and supplied him with additional cannon manned by sailors and Marines from his ships. He also used his command to the sea to capture the French siege artillery being sent by ship from Egypt and to deny the French army the use of the coastal road from Jaffa by bombarding the troops from the sea.
Once the siege began in late March 1799, Smith anchored HMS Tigre and Theseus so their broadsides could assist the defence. Repeated French assaults were driven back, several attempts to mine the walls were prevented. By early May, replacement French siege artillery had arrived overland and a breach was forced in the defences. However, the assault was again repelled and Turkish reinforcements from Rhodes were able to land. On May 9 after another fierce bombardment, the final French assault was made. This, too, was repelled and Napoleon began making plans for the withdrawal of his army to Egypt. Shortly after this, Napoleon abandoned his army in Egypt and sailed back to France evading the British ships patrolling the Mediterranean.
Smith attempted to negotiate the surrender and repatriation of the remaining French forces under General Kléber and signed the Convention of El-Arish. However, because of the influence of Nelson's view that the French forces in Egypt should be annihilated rather than allowed to return to France, the treaty was abrogated by Lord Keith who had succeeded St Vincent as commander-in-chief.
The British decided instead to land an army under Sir Ralph Abercromby at Abukir Bay. Smith and Tigre were involved in the training and transport of the landing forces and as liaison with the Turks but his unpopularity resulted the loss of his diplomatic credentials and his naval position as Commodore in the eastern Mediterranean. The invasion was successful and the French defeated although Abercromby was wounded and died soon after the battle. The French troops were eventually repatriated on similar terms as those previously obtained by Smith in the Convention of El-Arish."
Unknown as a general, because technically an admiral.
"Napoleon with 13,000 troops, having defeated the Ottoman forces in Egypt, marched north along the Mediterranean coast through what was then the Ottoman province of Syria (which included modern day Israel and Palestine as well as Syria and Lebanon). He captured Gaza and Jaffa with much brutality towards the civilian population, which was not uncommon in the context of the time, and the massacre of captured Turkish soldiers whom he was unable to take with him or send back to Egypt. Napoleon's army then marched to Acre.
Smith sailed to Acre and helped the Turkish commander Jezzar Pasha reinforce the defences and old walls and supplied him with additional cannon manned by sailors and Marines from his ships. He also used his command to the sea to capture the French siege artillery being sent by ship from Egypt and to deny the French army the use of the coastal road from Jaffa by bombarding the troops from the sea.
Once the siege began in late March 1799, Smith anchored HMS Tigre and Theseus so their broadsides could assist the defence. Repeated French assaults were driven back, several attempts to mine the walls were prevented. By early May, replacement French siege artillery had arrived overland and a breach was forced in the defences. However, the assault was again repelled and Turkish reinforcements from Rhodes were able to land. On May 9 after another fierce bombardment, the final French assault was made. This, too, was repelled and Napoleon began making plans for the withdrawal of his army to Egypt. Shortly after this, Napoleon abandoned his army in Egypt and sailed back to France evading the British ships patrolling the Mediterranean.
Smith attempted to negotiate the surrender and repatriation of the remaining French forces under General Kléber and signed the Convention of El-Arish. However, because of the influence of Nelson's view that the French forces in Egypt should be annihilated rather than allowed to return to France, the treaty was abrogated by Lord Keith who had succeeded St Vincent as commander-in-chief.
The British decided instead to land an army under Sir Ralph Abercromby at Abukir Bay. Smith and Tigre were involved in the training and transport of the landing forces and as liaison with the Turks but his unpopularity resulted the loss of his diplomatic credentials and his naval position as Commodore in the eastern Mediterranean. The invasion was successful and the French defeated although Abercromby was wounded and died soon after the battle. The French troops were eventually repatriated on similar terms as those previously obtained by Smith in the Convention of El-Arish."
Cheezy the Wiz
Socialist In A Hurry
Wasn't he the subject of one of your insanely hard picture-association questions in the Quiz thread?
Probably not, as I never ever made something insanely hard. My questions are always very easy, and he was indeed the subject of one of this easy picture-association questions. If you find them difficult, it's just because you are not up to it
Gladi
The ignored thread killer
Bright day
Don't also some people held him as pioneer for later turn of the century tactics and in that being Napoleon's predecessor in that regard? Anyway, he was rather cool character.
Sydhe- Tegethoff got entire line of battleships named after him, so I doubt he is so unknown
.Well, not many Austrian commanders are well known, plus the consensus varies on their qualities. I personally like Radetsky, who ought well, though it is doubtfull whetever he was "great".
