The most decisive battles of world history

[Cypress]

Saratoga isn't on the list, had the British won there the Revolutionary War may have come to a quick conclusion

You were right about that. Trenton was a key tactical victory.

But Saratoga was strategic watershed moment, utterly changing the trajectory of the war

 

[Cypress]

If you use the criteria of conquering territory and holding it Grant would rank #5 as he conquered a territory of 750,000 square miles with over 9 million inhabitants.

A good point.
I would have to do the math, but according to that criteria, Simon Bolivar must be the greatest military leader in the western hemisphere. Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, , Panama, Bolivia, Peru must be well over one million square miles, and close to half a continent.

 

[archives]

You were right about that. Trenton was a key tactical victory.

But Saratoga was strategic watershed moment, utterly changing the trajectory of the war

I grew up in upstate New York, and the actual battle at Saratoga was the culmination of several lesser skirmishes happening across the State involving Native Americans leading up to events at Saratoga, the sites today noted by lesser recognition but at the time were influential

And as resident, Saratoga today is one of the most exciting and picturesque areas of the country

 

[Darkwind]

According to Dr. Gregory S. Aldrete, Professor of History at University of Wisconsin, these are the most decisive battles of world history, in chronological order. I learned a crap load from this class, and two of my take-aways are:

The most innovative, and coolest battlefield innovation of its time were the Korean turtle ships.

One of the most obscure, but potentially one of the most significant battles on the eve of World War 2 was Khalkin Gol in 1939 in Mongolia, between forces of the Soviet Red Army and the Kwantung Army of Imperial Japan This totally obscure and little-known battle purportedly contributed to the outbreak of war in both the Pacific and in Europe and ultimately influenced the outcome of world war 2.

Strange that Hannibal didn't make the list. He lost the war in the end, but he had major impact on the Romans and their empire. The fact that he outflanked the Romans and managed to get deep into the Italian pennsula before the draw of his final battle is what gave him a distinction of being one of the finest generals in human history.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Wouldn't Gettysburg lower Lee's ranking as a great General, I realize even the best can make errors, but that was a debacle for Lee start to finish

Absolutely it does. Vicksburg was a far greater strategic value than Gettysburg and Lee’s main strategic goal of changing Northern Support for the war by invading the North and tiring the Northern people on its cost in blood and treasure backfired badly as the North only grew more determined.

Now when you consider Lee blew off the more strategically important Vicksburg for a political gambit that failed then yea...it brings him down a notch...or three or four.

 

[Cypress]

I am putting the 2022 Battle of Kyiv on this list.

Kyiv region "liberated" from Russian forces, senior Ukrainian defense official says

Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, said Saturday that the Kyiv region had been "liberated" from Russian forces.

She said in a post on Facebook that Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel and "the whole Kyiv region was liberated from the invader."

CNN could not immediately verify that the entire Kyiv region had been cleared of Russian troops by Ukrainian forces, but the Ukrainian military has in recent days regained control of suburbs around the capital, which has remained under government control. The Russian military has said it is "de-escalating" around Kyiv.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-04-2-22/index.html