Armchair Generals

[ole]

My chair has no armrests; making it just a chair and no armchair ... so I´m technically disqualified.

How pm earth can you spend time in a chair without arms?

 

[ole]

No I'm an armchair Admiral !

Given!

 

[GELongstreet]

How pm earth can you spend time in a chair without arms?

Either have my hands on the keyboard with wrists in the air or resting on the table (or on a wristpad) or I have the arns somewhat crossed before my body.

 

[Tom Elmore]

While alumni of the U.S. Military Academy formed the core leadership of the tiny Federal army, as well as contributing the senior leaders of the Confederate forces, this small pool of trained officers would prove entirely inadequate to staff the great volunteer armies that were literally being raised overnight – other colleges would have to provide the bulk of the educated cadre needed to run these armies competently and efficiently. Moreover, most of those other colleges focused on classical Greek and Latin studies, hardly a relevant curricula for an aspiring military officer. Still, an amazing amount of talent and ability would emerge from that source - Joshua Chamberlain is a prime example of the type on the Union side, and there were many on the Confederate side as well.

 

[Reb]

I always believed I would make a poor Civil War General. One of the basic requirements was West Point education. I took Latin and was a poor student, ditto for French and Greek.

Tell that to Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

 

[dlavin]

Pardon me but if we do not all exercise our "armchair generalships" then this forum.doesn't exist or at least exists in a different form.

 

[Reb]

Pardon me but if we do not all exercise our "armchair generalships" then this forum.doesn't exist or at least exists in a different form.

I think the OP just wanted everyone to know he was a Major. Kind of a "who's achieved a higher rank than me"? poker game.

 

[dlavin]

I prefer "barstool private" personally

 

[Jamieva]

Are you a sports fan? Ever second guessed a coach? It's basically the same thing

 

[bdtex]

Years ago I may have been an armchair general but since I began visiting battlefields and museums,attending seminars and reading a lotta books I don't spend a lotta time on shoulda/coulda/woulda thoughts. It was so hard to move large quantities of men and supplies during the ACW. Other than hot-air balloons and observation towers and posts on hilltops,they did not have aerial reconnaissance. Runners,telegraph and signal flags were the limits of communication. They had no experience at all in the beginning in the treatment of wounded men and POWs and burial of the dead on that large scale. Just studying what actually happened can take a lifetime without engaging in coulda/shoulda/woulda stuff.

 

[Rebel_Giratina]

Does being great at Pokemon (both the video and trading card games) and terrible at Magic: the Gathering make me an armchair general?

Oh, and I was into fantasy baseball once, if that's any help. Never again....

 

[major bill]

Does being great at Pokemon (both the video and trading card games) and terrible at Magic: the Gathering make me an armchair general?

Oh, and I was into fantasy baseball once, if that's any help. Never again....

Well this would give you the right to second guess baseball coaches, complain about mistakes made by baseball players, correct baseball commentators, and over rule baseball umpires. You may or may not consider yourself a great baseball coach or an all-star baseball player.

 

[Waterloo50]

The problem with referring to individuals as 'Armchair Generals is that it implies that people have very little knowledge about the subject matter in which they are discussing or criticising. According to an old saying, "amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics." any student of the military profession will know that logistics constantly shape military affairs and sometimes even dictate strategy and tactics. My fascination with the ACW comes from both the strategy and the tactics used by both sides. I don't for one minute pretend that I have a vast knowledge of military strategy but I do feel that I can spot a flawed plan when I see one. My understanding of civil war strategy and planning is based on historical records, books and eyewitness reports, my thoughts and opinions are made with the benefit of hindsight which is something that civil war Generals didn't have. I'm sure that many, so called 'Armchair Generals' appreciate and understand that they are offering an opinion based upon their ability to have all the information at their finger tips. My advice to any armchair general is, feel free to critique and analyse but remember, you weren't there.

 

[Copperhead-mi]

 

[LoriAnn]

View attachment 85256

I gleefully giggled at this...and then realized as I was snickering, I was drinking my Starbucks with white chocolate peppermint bark creamer.
<----- Big dork

 

[photoman475]

I like this so much I am sending it to my cousin, a retired USAF KC-135 pilot. Hope he adds the ribbon to his uniform...

Alan

 

[Rebel_Giratina]

Well this would give you the right to second guess baseball coaches, complain about mistakes made by baseball players, correct baseball commentators, and over rule baseball umpires. You may or may not consider yourself a great baseball coach or an all-star baseball player.

Well, mostly it just drove me crazy at Marlins games when one of the players on my fantasy team was on the other side....

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

It's just important to remember that in hindsight it can often be determined with near certainty what should have been done, but the general in the moment does not have our benefit of accurate maps, flawless communications, or complete intelligence about the placement, strength, and intent of his opponent. Should must often be followed by "but did not because..." Historical figures often took a course of action that seems stupid in retrospect, but at the time seemed to them like there were no other options.

 

[sflickinger]

A few years ago I commented on a regular basis on a message board that discussed a certain NFL team. There were a few members of that discussion that actually thought you could not criticize the HC or the QB, for example, unless you had been an HC or had played QB.

I think our forum would be very empty if a requirement to comment was previous experience. Having said that, I also think that it is fair for those with the experience to point out deficiencies in arguments made by those without, in a respectful way of course.

I am a veteran, however, I was a Sgt. and the only thing I commanded was the post I was assigned to. Having said that, reading and commenting on the war as an intellectual exercise is enjoyable and harmless. I, for one, don't take my comments seriously enough to think they're of any real consequence in the scheme of things.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

"Armchair Quarterbacks" and After-the-Fact Generals, as well as ANY hypotheticals are, to me, all garbage. History happened, and any "What if's", or "I'd have done it this way" means nothing; as we have the benefit of hindsight.
Those on the field had no hindsight to benefit from. All they had was information passed on to them from a variety of sources as they knew it, or perceived to have known it at that immediate point in time.
"What if Gettysburg NEVER HAPPENED??......"What if Lincoln fell in the bathtub in June, 1861, and split his head open??"....."What if an anonymous soldier fired a shot from Ft. Donelson, hitting a guy named Grant in the head??"........Speculation, with hindsight, makes for a LOT of geniuses!!