What makes this list compelling is not just the names it includes but also the surprises it reveals. Many revered figures rank lower than popular memory suggests, while others long overlooked receive statistical validation. Robert E. Lee, often lionized as a brilliant tactician, emerges with a negative WAR, showing that his battlefield losses outweighed his victories when adjusted for context. Modern generals like Douglas MacArthur or George Patton, while celebrated, simply lacked the volume of battles to accumulate high WAR scores. Meanwhile, relatively lesser-known figures like Takeda Shingen appear alongside global icons, reminding us that greatness is not confined to Western narratives.
