Gods of War History's Greatest Military Rivals

Hannibal vs. Scipio. Grant vs. Lee. Rommel vs. Patton. The greatest battles, commanders, and rivalries of all time come to life in this engrossing guide to the geniuses of military history. Gods of War is the first single-volume, in-depth examination of the most celebrated military rivalries of all time, and of the rare, world-changing battles in which the greatest commanders in history matched themselves against true equals. Any meeting of genius may create sparks, but when martial geniuses meet, their confrontations are fought out upon the vast panorama of states or civilizations at war, wielding the full destructive power of a mighty nation's armies. When such power is directed by a "God of War," the results are almost always stunning. From Caesar and Pompey deciding the fate of the Roman Republic, to Grant and Lee battling for a year during the American Civil War, to Rommel and Patton meeting in battle after battle as Hitler strove for European domination, these match-ups and their corresponding strategies are among the most memorable in history. A thrilling look into both the generals' lives and their hardest fought battles, Gods of War is also a thought-provoking analysis of the qualities that make a strong commander and a deep exploration of the historical context in which the contestants were required to wage war, all told with rousing narrative flair.