Before delving into the top ten, it is worth stressing that the data has limitations. Sources were drawn largely from Wikipedia battle summaries, meaning that the accuracy of troop counts and outcomes depends on available documentation. Ancient wars are especially prone to exaggeration or gaps in detail. Moreover, Arsht’s WAR metric measures battlefield success, not grand strategy or political leadership. A general like George S. Patton, celebrated for his audacity in World War II, ranks lower simply because he commanded relatively few battles, limiting his cumulative score. Nevertheless, the model holds strong explanatory power and has sparked fresh debate among historians about how we define military genius.
