20 Great Generals Who Lost Everything in a Single Campaign

When he wasn’t losing, Napoleon was winning wars. But Russia put an end to his career. His Grande Armée was decimated by the cold, hunger, and constant harassment. Napoleon returned to France a broken man. The myth of his invincibility was shattered.

Lee was highly regarded throughout the Confederacy, but Gettysburg brought his winning streak to an end. The South’s final defeat can undoubtedly be traced back to those three days. Even Lee’s admirers realized that the tide had turned after Gettysburg.

Crassus was wealthy, but he also wanted to make a name for himself as a military leader. He led an ill-fated campaign against Parthia and was soundly defeated. At Carrhae, his army was destroyed by mounted archers. For decades afterward, Rome posed no serious threat to the East.

Xerxes invaded Greece with a massive army that he believed to be invincible. His pride cost him the campaign after his navy was defeated at Salamis. The Persian invasion of Europe would soon come to an end following Xerxes’s withdrawal.

Varus believed that his Germania was stable, so he treated it as an occupied paradise. But Arminius destroyed three Roman legions in the heart of the Teutoburg Forest. Rome would never again take Germania seriously.

MacArthur stormed back onto the peninsula, convinced he could defeat the North. But his advance toward the Yalu River prompted China to intervene, and the UN forces were routed. By the time he was removed from the war, he had also lost his career.

Hannibal humiliated Rome for nearly a decade until he faced Scipio Africanus in Africa. His tactics were analyzed and countered during the campaign. Hannibal never again posed a serious threat to Rome.

Although he was one of Napoleon’s finest generals, Davout was unable to escape the horrors of 1812. His army corps was decimated during the retreat from Russia that summer. Like his emperor, Davout never regained his former glory.

McClellan was skilled at organizing armies, but incapable of engaging in battle. His inability to see things through began to show during the Peninsula Campaign. Lincoln gave up on him, and McClellan lost his chance at greatness.

Sweden became a major military power during the reign of Charles, a period marked by 20 years of relentless warfare. But during its invasion of Russia in 1709, its army was decimated at Poltava. Sweden would never recover its status as a military power.

Pompey had overcome the challenges in the Mediterranean, but not those posed by Julius Caesar. In Greece, he launched a final attempt to defeat Caesar. Instead, his forces were routed at Pharsalus, and Pompey fled.

Yamamoto could have won the war at Pearl Harbor, but he knew that Japan could not win a protracted war. The Battle of Midway enabled the United States to cripple the Japanese air force. Japan would spend the rest of the war on the defensive.

Pyrrhus defeated the Romans on numerous occasions, at the cost of heavy losses. His campaign in Italy yielded no lasting gains. When he left Italy, he was weaker than when he had arrived.

Frederick the Great survived several wars, but faced difficulties in 1762. The Russian threat and Prussia’s exhaustion had him cornered. It was only thanks to sudden peace offers that Frederick survived.

Rommel was a legend in North Africa during the early months of the war. The attacks at El Alamein highlighted just how poorly Germany was supplying its army in Africa. Rommel’s dream of advancing into Egypt was dashed by this defeat.

Santa Anna liked to portray himself as Mexico’s savior in times of conflict. But Texas sealed his fate when he was captured at San Jacinto. He quickly lost control of the country afterward.

Khalid was the only truly undefeated commander in ancient Arab history. But his campaign in Syria earned him the distrust of his superiors. Khalid went from being a respected warrior to a commander who was dismissed for political reasons.

Pizarro was living the dream after conquering the Inca Empire. But his final campaign was his worst, as he perished during an indigenous rebellion. Pizarro was rich, but not rich enough to escape it.

Napoleon III wanted France to regain its military greatness. But Prussia’s efficient war machine put an end to his dreams in 1870. At Sedan, Napoleon was captured, and the empire collapsed around him.

The Persian army was unrivaled when it marched westward to face Greece. Alexander proved too strong for this once-powerful empire during his campaign. When Darius III fled the battlefield, his empire came to an end.