--- title: "George Washington was voted Britain’s ‘Greatest Enemy Commander’" description: "In 2012, Britain's National Army Museum organized a contest asking its patrons which of Britain's historical enemies was their greatest foe? The answer turned out to be the man who, almost through sheer force of will, and despite a lack…" date: "2021-08-01" modified: "2022-08-18" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/britains-greatest-military-enemy-commander/" categories: - "History" - "Revolutionary War" - "War History" --- # George Washington was voted Britain’s ‘Greatest Enemy Commander’ ![]() In 2012, Britain's National Army Museum organized a contest asking its patrons which of Britain's historical enemies was their greatest foe? The answer turned out to be the man who, almost through sheer force of will, and despite a lack of trained and equipped troops, organized the worst defeat the British Empire ever suffered. Ever. The man was George Washington. --- ![]() *"Give us this firecake and I'll bring forth on this continent a new nation."* When considering the winner of the contest, the museum took into account Washington's spirit of endurance against the odds stacked in the British Empire's favor and the enormous impact of his victory – not in the two centuries to come but in the immediate aftermath. "His personal leadership was crucial," said historian Stephen Brumwell, who called the American victory the Empire's worst defeat. "His army was always under strength, hungry, badly supplied. He shared the dangers of his men. Anyone other than Washington would have given up the fight. He came to personify the cause, and the scale of his victory was immense." ![]() *And he made Cornwallis walk next to his horse after Yorktown, apparently. Ballsy.* Each possible commander must have led an army against British forces in combat, which ruled out enemies like Adolf Hitler. Candidates must also have been within the National Army Museum's timeframe of the 17th century onwards, which ruled out enemies like William the Conqueror, who actually conquered Britain and changed Western Civilization forever. The 8,000-plus votes in the survey put Washington well above other notable British enemies, such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Irish Independence leader Michael Collins, Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Turkish founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()