Which Great American Writer would make the best military leader?

[Hymie Goldberg]

I think that Edgar Allen Poe is the likeliest great American writer to become a brilliant military leader. He actually was a Sergeant Major of artillery before he went to West Point.

Say he doesn't drop out of West Point in 1831. When the War of Northern Aggression is launched he will have spent nineteen years as an officer after rising from private to the highest enlisted rank in only four years. He was also already a published writer Tamerlane and Other Poems, by a Bostonian

Poe would be 51 in 1860.

Does he go North or South when Mr. Lincoln lets slip the dogs of war?

If he goes with the damnyankees, it's likely he could've ascended to command of the Army of the Potmac at some point. Or his artillery routs Jackson at Kernstown.

If he goes with the rebels, maybe his artillery cuts the Union soldiers to shreds (even worse than RL--until the troops, en masse, refuse to go forward anymore) in the Wilderness Campaign.

Napoleon was an artillerist . . . so is Jake Featherston!

[Grey Wolf]

Unfortunately I don't know who half these people are.

I suppose this question has relevance with regard to people who write as if they COULD do the job, without ever having been tested themselves

I have always admired Mazzini for being a political philosopher who tried to put his beliefs and theories into practice in such a way that it didn't degenerate into a totalitarian state (a la Lenin)


Grey Wolf

[Glen]

I think that Edgar Allen Poe is the likeliest great American writer to become a brilliant military leader. He actually was a Sergeant Major of artillery before he went to West Point.

Say he doesn't drop out of West Point in 1831. When the War of Northern Aggression is launched he will have spent nineteen years as an officer after rising from private to the highest enlisted rank in only four years. He was also already a published writer Tamerlane and Other Poems, by a Bostonian

Poe would be 51 in 1860.

Does he go North or South when Mr. Lincoln lets slip the dogs of war?

If he goes with the damnyankees, it's likely he could've ascended to command of the Army of the Potmac at some point. Or his artillery routs Jackson at Kernstown.

If he goes with the rebels, maybe his artillery cuts the Union soldiers to shreds (even worse than RL--until the troops, en masse, refuse to go forward anymore) in the Wilderness Campaign.

Napoleon was an artillerist . . . so is Jake Featherston!

Well...two years late but I'll reply.

There is actually a short story out there already where Edgar Allen Poe is in the military...his unit uses the Raven as its symbol, appropriately enough.

[Max Sinister]

Jared has Edgar Allen Poe become active in war, although I guess he wouldn't want that - AFAIK he wanted to get fired from Westpoint.

[Jared]

Jared has Edgar Allen Poe become active in war, although I guess he wouldn't want that - AFAIK he wanted to get fired from Westpoint.

Yeah, note that I didn't actually make Poe much good as a military leader. ;)

[Ghost 88]

Yeah, note that I didn't actually make Poe much good as a military leader. ;)
It could be said that Lew Wallace author of Ben Hur was a great author. I believe he could have become a general.

[Dynamitard]

What about Ambrose Bierce? He was in the Union army during the Civil War and wrote many stories about it. They were all very anti-war, but if something, say an alien invasion had come about afterwards, his views might have changed.

Also, what about Tom Clancy? He would know what to do.

[Ghost 88]

What about Ambrose Bierce? He was in the Union army during the Civil War and wrote many stories about it. They were all very anti-war, but if something, say an alien invasion had come about afterwards, his views might have changed.

Also, what about Tom Clancy? He would know what to do.
Well if we are going with recent authors I could see David Drake as a Intellegence Officer,or John Ringo as a Paratrooper. Maybe Louis A'mour as a officer in WWII.

[Doeth]

Kurt Vonegut would be an incredible espionage leader...

[Ghost 88]

Kurt Vonegut would be an incredible espionage leader...
But was he all three I mentioned actually were what I stated they were.

[Tielhard]

Ayn Rand but would professional soldiers really follow a right wing nut case? RAH but would professional sailor boys really follow a pervert?

How about Frank Baum? At least he would like the colour of the uniforms. Anne Rice tears your heart out. There is Joseph Heller, he'd be good but there might be a catch somewhere. How about John Norman? Gor blymie I would not want to be one of his prisoners especially if I were a pretty girl. Team him with Nin and Nabakov and we could have a triunivate of perverts. Fun in bed but perhaps not on the battle field. Parker? Old Dorothy would go for the rapier trust and the swift repost but unfortunately not a team player. John Stienbeck? Come on you reds! John Reed? COME ON YOU REDS!! John Muir? We'd have to peel him off a tree first. Linebarger would make an excellent intelligence chief. Halley would tell you he won great victories but ...

Dickinson, Alcott and Ingals Wilder would all be vicious victorious bastards I am sure but the only one that comes to mind that would really kick-arse is Raccona Sheldon.

[Fenwick]

I'm going Tom Wolfe. When he was sledgehammer with ken keesy in the early sixities he successfully lead a fight against a group of hells angels, along with his fellow merry pranksters. Not to mention the Electric Kool-aid acid test is just an awsome book.

Ayn Rand would put forth a basic plan of attack, but then point out that his ideas are just limiting factors in their own personal discovery and therefore flawed in every way. So th only true battle plan is to come up with one yourself and allow the group as a whole to suffer so you, the true intellegence in the group may rise above it all. Then as everyone sits down to discuss such ideas in detail and further explorer human personal abilitly the enemy arrives and simply walks its way to victory.

[tinfoil]

How about Robert A Heinlein? If he had remained healthy, he may have had a prodigious naval career. He certainly was patriotic, smart, inventive, educated, etc, and didn't put up with any sh*t.

[Nat_Chi]

It could be said that Lew Wallace author of Ben Hur was a great author. I believe he could have become a general.

Lew Wallace was actually a major general in the Union Army, considered something of a genius and prodigy early on in the war, he commanded a division under Grant, but he ran into some troulbe at Shiloh, where his division was the Union reserve, but due to a combination of bad work on Grant's staff, Grant's own vague orders, and a confusion about which road to take to reach the Union lines, didn't arrive until the 2nd day. Afterwards Grant used him as something of a scapegoat, and he got stuck in a number of useless positions.