Who was the last president to personally lead troops into battle?
97652
Student of life is correct.\n\nNo sitting President led troops into battle, John Adams was in DC while it was being attacked by the British during the war of 1812.  Harry Truman lept to the balcony of the white hosue after hearing gun shots(someone was trying to shoot him)hence give em' hell Harry.  (He's the President and he is going outside to see who is shooting!)  Ike was the last General to be President while George HW Bush was the last President to have served in military action.  Clinton and Bush both avoided was, Reagan was an actor during WWII and made fund raising drive speeches, Carter was in the Navy and graduated from the Naval academy 59th out of 820, Ford was in the Navy in the south pacific and was the first eagle scout to be President.  (that takes us back 30 years worth of Presidents)
211454
George Washington. He defined the Presidency and was the first (and so far only) military revolution leader to voluntarily limit his power to less than what he was offered.
81378
Rutherford B. Hayes\n\n19th President: 1877-1881
425617
The short answer (for simple military action) is: nothing. The President is the commander in chief of the army. They can't unilaterally declare war (for that they need to convince Congress), but they can move the troops into smaller conflicts purely on their own information.\n\nThe longer answer is: it's complicated. Our political system is a mind-boggling mixture of lies, truth, spin, and lobbying. What information the President needs to give out to avoid losing popularity, to keep the population behind his efforts, and to keep recruiting for the armed services at an acceptable level is a really, really tough question, and varies from conflict to conflict.
74716
Lincoln was the most pragmatic President.  He led from the front, and showed morale courage rarely exhibited by any human being.
960446
Yes,just like in the first war with Iraq.The right General is also needed.The General in the first war was one of the  best I have seen.They should have followed his recommnendations.This is only for strategies and winning a war.The President is still the Chief Commander.\nOk. I do not remember how to spell his name.
22404
George Washington!  He was a tobacco farmer and also the leader of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.\n\nHe had teeth made of ivory too.
345448
I'm pretty sure it's Douglas MacArthur. He was born on January 26, 1880 in Little Rock Barracks, Arkansas. He died on April 5, 1964. He's best known as the American general who said "I shall return."\n\nHe was one of the most popular and accomplished U.S. military leaders of the 20th century, known primarily for commanding Allied forces in the southwest Pacific during World War II. MacArthur graduated first in his class from West Point Academy (1903) and a few months later was sent to the Philippines, where he worked as an aide to his father, General Arthur MacArthur, Jr. After an illustrious career in World War I, Douglas served in the Philippines as major general (1922-25), commanded the Department of the Philippines (1928-30) and served in the U.S. as chief of staff of the Army (1930-35). In 1935 he was again sent to the Philippines to organize defenses in preparation for their independence. In 1937 he retired from the Army rather than leave his Philippine project uncompleted, but he was recalled to active duty when it became clear that war with Japan was imminent (1941). Overrun by Japanese forces at Bataan, MacArthur was ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt to withdraw to Australia. Before MacArthur and his family escaped, he made the famous vow, "I shall return." In 1942 he was made the supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific and by 1945 had liberated the Philippines on the way to invading Japan. MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, then led the occupation forces in the reconstruction of Japan. After North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, MacArthur was put in charge of United Nations forces and successfully drove the invaders back. His enthusiasm for pushing on and attacking areas of China was not shared by President Harry Truman, who relieved MacArthur of his command in 1951. Still considered a national hero, MacArthur gave a famous address to Congress and retired. Flamboyant and confident, MacArthur has been called arrogant and egotistical, but his amphibious campaigns in World War II and in Korea are considered brilliant examples of military strategy.\n\nMacArthur is often cited as the source of the quote: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." He said it in his speech before Congress, but prefaced the quote by saying that it was from one of the popular "barrack ballads" he had heard as a cadet at West Point.
1164693
Congress.  President can deploy troops in certain, specific instances without the consent of Congress.
182239
If by chief, you mean commander-in-chief, then that would be George dubbya Bush. Thank you
129980
Well... Even though I think this was just posted by another uber-lib trying to take any crack at the administration that they can....\n\nWe know of at least 2 besides this recent accidental "shooting"... Aaron Burr, VP to Jefferson (The famous duel between Burr and Hamilton)... and Teddy Roosevelt (Not during his time as VP, but during his service time in military units)\n\nhard to get information on many of the older VP's on something like this. But we can probably assume more since the times in the earlier parts of US history had more people carrying around weaponry in places like the west. As well as others who may have served during the American Revolution etc....
877092
I don't know.  He didn't have a problem with being president or commander and chief of the army.  \nWhat he did have a problem with was being a King the way some people wanted him to be.  He did not want to be absolute controller  That was what he and the Continental army were fighting against.
878314
President Abraham Lincoln.
828142
It's between Lincoln and FDR because they led the country through its greatest crises and never backed down. A great president is measured through how he leads in tough times because tough times don't last, tough people do. Being a knowledgeable, strong commander in chief, and knowing how to manage spending by the government are also included. There are many debates about who is the greatest and most times your just choosing the lesser of two evils. These two are the obvious choices when you look at history. I would love to put JFK in here but the fact is he was taken from the people before he could fulfill his dream. You could argue the failures of Lincoln and Roosevelt as well but no one goes through this lifetime w/o failing. For the great ones, failure is why they succeed.
135538
Tough one.  Hannibal, Alexander the Great, Napolean, Stonewall Jackson, and Rommell come to mind quickly for army commanders.\n\nNaval tactics....Nelson, Spruance, Tanaka, and Cunningham also come to mind quickly.\n\nPicking one great of all time is pretty difficult, especially given the different periods of warfare, and your particular definition of tactical.
172407
The 16th President of the United States.  He lead the country throught the Civil War in the 1800s and was killed before he could oversee the postwar reconstruction.
245191
First, there is NO Constitutional requirement for the U.S. President (or ANY elected official in the U.S. government) to have served in the military.  \n\nIt is true that a large percentage have done so -- at times (esp if they volunteered) it is one piece of their interest in public service, so it's not surprising that many of our presidents have done so.   Also, military service has often helped their "resume" and made them more electable (esp if they held a high rank or were involved in heroics that made them a popular hero -- best examples: Washington, Wm.H Harrison ("Tippecanoe"), Taylor, Jackson, Grant).\n\nOf the 12 who did NOT serve in the military, it is interesting to note when they fell -- four of the first eight presidents were not in the military (J.Adams, Jefferson, J.Q.Adams, VanBuren), though some of these clearly were very active in the cause of the Revolution and founding of the country.     \n\nFrom William Henry Harrison to Teddy Roosevelt (seventeen presidents), only ONE (Grover Cleveland) was not in the service.   \n\nImmediately AFTER Teddy, NONE of the next six were in the military!  (Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, FDR)   Of course, it should be noted that there was not a lot of "opportunity" (that is, a major war) at the time these men would have been the right age for military service.       \n\nFinally, from Truman to the present (eleven presidents), only ONE (Clinton) was not in the service.\n\nIf anyone really cares about the party affiliation of those not in the military:\n1 = Federalist\n2 = (Democratic)-Republicans\n5 = Democrats\n4 = GOP\n\nCan't say I see much significance in those numbers.  Try judging the WHOLE package.. ALL their contributions.  (Some with stellar military credentials were stellar presidents, some were bombs!  Same for those who were not in the military.)