At the outbreak of the War of 1812, he was appointed brigadier general and charged with defending Michigan and attacking Canada. After retiring from the military in 1968 he further reduced his credibility as the vice-presidential candidate of segregationist George Wallace.Īfter fighting in American Revolutionary War campaigns in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, in 1805 he was appointed governor of Michigan Territory. It was later revealed that the Russians had and were authorized to use tactical nuclear weapons in the event of invasion. Fortunately, he was overruled and a nuclear holocaust was averted. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 he urged President Kennedy to bomb Cuba. The orchestrator of B-29 incendiary bombing of Japan during World War II and subsequently headed the Strategic Air Command. Unsuccessfully ran for president against Lincoln in 1864.Īnother brilliant career officer.

He was replaced by the bumbling and incompetent Ambrose Burnside, himself soon removed in favor of Joseph Hooker. The legendary firing of George McClellan by President Abraham Lincoln for failure to press the Confederacy was one of the defining moments of the Civil War. His highly publicized recall by President Harry Truman for insubordinate behavior in Korea, nearly bringing about World War III with China, ranks as the greatest act of outright defiance of an American president by an American military leader. MacArthur’s greatness as a World War II general, career military officer and rehabilitator of Japan is unquestioned.

In descending order:Īrnold is the epitome of the word 'traitor,' the first in American history, and by virtue of the fact that he actually led battles against his former country he must head the list as the number one all-time disgraced military leader. In view of the recent highly publicized firing of General Stanley McChrystal, here is a retrospective list of the top ten American disgraced military leaders.

War in pacific navy leader