When One Bad Campaign Changes History

History favors the victor, but it really scorches the losers who totally embarrass themselves. Some of history's greatest generals lived to see their name, armies, and careers wiped out overnight by a single stunning defeat. If you've ever wanted to know how quickly things can go from brilliant to famous-for-all-the-wrong-reasons, take a look.

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1. Napoleon Bonaparte

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

Andrea Appiani on Wikimedia

2. Robert E. Lee

Lee was beloved throughout the Confederacy, but Gettysburg ended his winning streak. Arguably you can date the South’s eventual defeat to those three days. Even Lee’s admirers realized the tide had turned after Gettysburg.

Julian Vannerson on Wikimedia

3. Marcus Licinius Crassus

Crassus was rich, but he wanted to be militarily renowned as well. He led an ill-fated campaign against Parthia and was soundly defeated. At Carrhae his army was destroyed by mounted archers. Rome wouldn’t seriously threaten the East again for decades.

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4. Xerxes I

Xerxes invaded Greece with a massive army that he thought was unstoppable. His hubris cost him the campaign after his navy was defeated at Salamis. Persian aggression into Europe would soon fade away after Xerxes retreated.

A.Davey on Wikimedia

5. Publius Quinctilius Varus

Varus thought his Germania was stable, so he treated it like an occupied paradise. But then Arminius destroyed three Roman legions deep in Teutoburg Forest. Rome would never again take Germania seriously.

Alexander G. Findlay on Wikimedia

6. Douglas MacArthur

MacArthur came rushing back down the peninsula confident he could whip the North. But his push to the Yalu sparked Chinese involvement and the UN army was torn apart. By the time he was pulled from the war he had lost his career too.

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7. Hannibal Barca

Hannibal humiliated Rome for almost a decade until he met Scipio Africanus in Africa. His techniques were dissected and countered during the campaign. Hannibal would never again seriously challenge Rome.

Loveless on Wikimedia

8. Louis-Nicolas Davout

Despite being one of Napoleon’s finest generals, Davout could not avoid the horror of 1812. His corps was decimated while retreating from Russia that summer. Like his emperor, Davout’s star never rose again.

After Pierre-Claude Gautherot / Tito Marzocchi de Bellucci on Wikimedia

9. George B. McClellan

McClellan was great at organizing armies but terrible at committing to fights. His inability to finish things started to show during the Peninsula Campaign. Lincoln gave up on him and McClellan lost his chance at greatness.

Mathew Benjamin Brady on Wikimedia

10. Emperor Charles XII of Sweden

Sweden became a major military power under Charles’ 20 years of constant warfare. But his 1709 invasion of Russia saw his army decimated at Poltava. Sweden would not recover as a military power.

David von Krafft on Wikimedia

11. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Pompey had bested the Mediterranean’s problems but not Julius Caesar. In Greece he launched one last effort to defeat Caesar. Instead his forces were routed at Pharsalus and Pompey fled.

Alphanidon on Wikimedia

12. Isoroku Yamamoto

Yamamoto could win the war at Pearl Harbor but knew Japan couldn’t win a long war. The Midway Campaign allowed America to cripple Japan’s carrier force. Japan would spend the rest of the war on the defensive.

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13. Pyrrhus of Epirus

Pyrrhus defeated the Romans time and time again at a great cost to himself. His campaign in Italy won him no lasting prizes. When he left Italy he was weaker than when he arrived.

MumblerJamie on Wikimedia

14. Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great outlasted a number of wars but struggled in 1762. The Russian threat and Prussia’s exhaustion had him cornered. Only thanks to sudden peace offers did Frederick survive.

Anton Graff on Wikimedia

15. Erwin Rommel

Rommel was a legend in North Africa for the early months of the war. The attacks at El Alamein highlighted just how poor Germany was supplying their Africa army. Rommel’s dream of pushing into Egypt vanished with that loss.

Winkelmann on Wikimedia

16. Santa Anna

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

Carlos Paris on Wikimedia

17. Khalid ibn al-Walid

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

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18. Francisco Pizarro

Pizarro was living the dream after conquering the Incan Empire. But his last campaign was his worst as he perished during a native rebellion. Pizarro was rich, but not rich enough to escape.

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19. Napoleon III

Napoleon III wanted France to have military greatness once more. But Prussia’s-efficient war machine ended his dreams in 1870. Sedan saw Napoleon captured and the empire collapsed around him.

Franz Xaver Winterhalter on Wikimedia

20. Darius III

Persia’s army wasn’t even matched when it marched west to face Greece. Alexander proved too much for the once great empire during his campaign. When Darius III fled the field his empire ended.

Meister der Alexanderschlacht on Wikimedia