Arguably the greatest battlefield leader in American history.
If that musket ball at Saratoga had gone through his heart instead of his knee, he'd be in the top level of American heroes, no question.
Also literally built a fleet out of the forest to hold off the British fleet on Lake Champlain in 1776, which postponed their invasion by a year, leading to Saratoga. So he was sort of an admiral and a general. Absolutely elite when it comes to on-field leadership, initiative, thinking outside the box, and bravery.
Unfortunately he was as vain as he was talented, and struggled to get along with people, and didn't take so kindly to others getting promoted over him. Probably another thing that led to his flip is something that doesn't get discussed often. His wife was half his age, apparently was smoking hot, and came from a Loyalist family, so I'm guessing some pillowtalk persuasion was involved.
Thread Replies (31)
Dang it! Always late on questions I know the answer to!**
-- vthhhi
Apr 18, 2025 at 09:27 AM ET
vthhhi
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04/18/25 09:27 AM ET
And now I'm getting ads for the grand opening of Stonewall Harley Davidson.**
-- Chris Coleman
Apr 18, 2025 at 08:01 AM ET
Apr 18, 2025 at 08:01 AM ET
Chris Coleman
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04/18/25 08:01 AM ET
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04/18/25 08:01 AM ET
Never heard of him, so he must still be a minor footnote in history**
-- EDGEMAN
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:33 AM ET
EDGEMAN
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04/18/25 07:33 AM ET
If he was still a minor footnote, Chris Coleman and Wythe Hokie would not
-- lilhokie525
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:37 AM ET
lilhokie525
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04/18/25 07:37 AM ET
Chris was a history major. He was tested on this stuff. Straight A student.**
-- Stork
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:41 AM ET
Stork
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04/18/25 07:41 AM ET
Straight A reader of history. Not so much in the classroom, haha.
-- Chris Coleman
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:55 AM ET
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:55 AM ET
Chris Coleman
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04/18/25 07:55 AM ET
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04/18/25 07:55 AM ET
"Stonewall" Jackson, Bee said the line that resulted in the Stonewall name**
-- Wythe Hokie
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:28 AM ET
Wythe Hokie
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04/18/25 07:28 AM ET
When I first saw this question this morning
-- santafe
Apr 18, 2025 at 09:44 AM ET
santafe
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04/18/25 09:44 AM ET
ding, ding, ding, correct!
-- lilhokie525
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:30 AM ET
lilhokie525
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04/18/25 07:30 AM ET
That’s a false narrative. The beloved “Tar Heels” never retreated while the
-- dolph
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:50 AM ET
dolph
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04/18/25 07:50 AM ET
So the next line COULD have been "He needs to get his ass over here and
-- Late 80s Hokie
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:32 AM ET
Late 80s Hokie
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04/18/25 07:32 AM ET
Followed by "How much NIL $ has Abe allocated to the Army of the Potomac?"**
-- TomTurkey
Apr 18, 2025 at 11:12 AM ET
TomTurkey
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04/18/25 11:12 AM ET
General Bird. **
-- RoswellGAHokie
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:08 AM ET
RoswellGAHokie
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04/18/25 07:08 AM ET
I don’t know why, but this name just popped into my head.
-- santafe
Apr 18, 2025 at 06:58 AM ET
santafe
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04/18/25 06:58 AM ET
I think that most of us have heard of Benedict Arnold.**
-- Late 80s Hokie
Apr 18, 2025 at 07:32 AM ET
Late 80s Hokie
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04/18/25 07:32 AM ET
Lol, yeah, I was talking about General Bee!**
-- santafe
Apr 18, 2025 at 09:45 AM ET
santafe
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04/18/25 09:45 AM ET
Arguably the greatest battlefield leader in American history.
◄
-- Chris Coleman
Apr 18, 2025 at 08:11 AM ET
Apr 18, 2025 at 08:11 AM ET
Chris Coleman
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04/18/25 08:11 AM ET
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04/18/25 08:11 AM ET
Bride of Frankenstein?
-- Late 80s Hokie
Apr 18, 2025 at 01:04 PM ET
Late 80s Hokie
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04/18/25 01:04 PM ET
Kind of reminds me of a young Shia Labeouf. Or maybe Roger the alien.**
-- MP4VT2004
Apr 18, 2025 at 12:31 PM ET
MP4VT2004
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04/18/25 12:31 PM ET