Dogs of War: I Love The Smell Of Napalm In The Morning
The following names are famous for their lust for battle. Although not every battle they fought was victorious, their legendary acts in terms of revolutions and conquering the enemy have remained as some of the most interesting parts of history. Whatever personal opinion you may have regarding their methods, you cannot deny that they were very effective.
Peter the Great
Let’s start with the tallest leader of them all. Born in Moscow on 9 June 1672, Peter was known for his love of boats and guns. As an adult he was taller than 6 feet, but apparently his hands, feet, head and shoulders did not compliment his height. His curiosity for western technology brought about a great change in Russia, especially towards its modernization and he made it a goal to establish a powerful navy. The Great Northern War against Sweden wasn’t without loss, but he managed to withstand a Swedish invasion and push them back while conquering new land. Peter’s biggest obsession was to get control of the Baltic Sea. The Northern War continued for 21 years and he also picked some fights with the Ottoman Empire, Persia and Turkey. He died in his bed at the age of 52 after reigning for 42 years and one of his most notable actions was establishing St. Petersburg.
Robert E. Lee
Lee was born on 9 January 1807 in Virginia and stood out as an exceptional student. Most notably, he started making a name for himself as an engineer in the U.S military. However, he would end his reputation as somewhat of a god to those who fought alongside him in the American Civil war. On numerous occasions he was outnumbered, but managed to come out victorious, which in turn inspired the soldiers of the South. His influence was so great that when he was forced to surrender at Gettysburg the rest of the generals followed his example. He truly lived up to the heroic title his father once had.
Julius Caesar
Who hasn’t heard this name before? He was a ladies man, very clean, extremely intelligent and although he never got to wear a crown everyone feared his wrath. Born in the year 100 B.C, Julius was regarded as a brilliant military general. He invaded Britain twice and he also conquered France. As the only dictator who managed to officially reach the status of a god, he spat in the faces of the senate and ruled the armies of Rome with talented words. Yes, he was a gifted writer and speaker in addition to being a military genius. His death came at the hands of a large group consisting of Roman senators. Apparently the assassination involved more than 20 stab wounds.
Napoleon Bonaparte
As Lord Byron described Napoleon, he was a romantic hero and flawed genius. Born on 15 August 1769, Napoleon wasn’t an intimidating man face to face, but his intelligence managed to break the will of any leader that came in contact with him. He was a rebel to say the least and waged wars against several countries at once. His enemies noted that he didn’t flinch at the sign of war; instead he welcomed the chance to conquer. Although he was very superstitious and retained numerous psychological issues, nobody can deny that he was an ultimate leader. He escaped from persecution only to return to Paris and reclaim his place. The wars he took part in are too many to list and it took a coalition of countries, which included Russia, Prussia, Britain, Austria, Sweden, Spain and Portugal to take him down. Even with the huge numbers against him, Napoleon didn’t make it easy. What made Napoleon so effective wasn’t necessarily based on his high intelligence, but his personality. He had the ability to greatly motivate his army while striking fear into the hearts of his enemies.
The one thing these leaders had in common was intelligence. They excelled in numerous areas regarding education which ultimately led them to great victories. In addition, they were all known as somewhat eccentric, except maybe for Genl. Lee who was a bit more conservative. Nevertheless they have earned their right to be called the Dogs of War and thus far the world hasn’t seen a
