Gettysburg and cut the communication between washington and the Army of the Potomac. The army would have been forced to engage, and it would have been a reverse of what happened (the Union charging while the South shot up the troops).

In the end, it would likely be a brokered truce with the south gaining their independence. History would have played out quite differently. Personally I think, it could have been divine intervention that blinded Lee on the huge tactical advantage he had by simply digging in, as digging in was his forte, he was good at it, and had success with it. Then all of a sudden he goes conventional-warfare and loses at his own game. It doesn't add up, but that's what happened, and the beloved general in American history drops from the top 3 spots.

Alexander is the only real lock on this list, IMO, what he did was simply amazing. So I agree with macaroni on that point.

My honorable mention, only because he was a General instead of an Admiral, would be Yi-soon Shin. What that dude did to the Japanese imperial navy.........twice......is nothing short of miraculous. Honestly, one could argue that it saved the Korean culture from assimilation.

As for my other two to bookend Alexander, I'm kind of torn. Lots of greats out there.

Fun thread...