The Rough Life of General Patton

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“War may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men” (“George S. Patton”). This quote was said by one of the greatest and most influential United States Generals we have ever had, General George S. Patton. During his childhood and his military training no one would have thought that Patton would one day lead the Third Army and play a major role in achieving victory over the Germans in World War Two. As a child and an adult Patton did not have very good academic skills and often struggled with reading hand written papers. This is about Patton’s struggles through life and how he eventually helped win World War Two.

On November 11, 1885 George Smith Patton Jr. was born at his house in Lake Vineyard. He had been named after his father George William Patton who legally changed his middle name to Smith and his grandfather George Smith Patton. His mother was Ruth Wilson. Growing up George had no siblings. He also grew up being taught by tutors because in their time his inability to read or write would have classified him as slow (Axelrod 9-11).

Do to young Patton’s struggles with learning it was not till he was eleven years old that he started Stephen Cutter Clark’s School for Boys. While he went to school, George would read stories of great military conquests, memoirs of celebrated generals, and general military history. Even though he had what today is known as dyslexia, George never got discouraged and often thought of losing or making a mistake as a challenge to overcome. Patton was often ridiculed for stumbling over words when he was reading (Axelrod 10-11, 13). In the fall of 1902 Patton told his parents that he had decided to become an officer of the United States army (14).

Immediately after George made his decision, his ...

... middle of paper ...

... him, but anyone who served under and over him had great respect for him. “Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and the man who leads that gains the victory” (“George S. Patton”).

Works Cited

Axelrod, Alan. Patton. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Print.

"George S. Patton Quotes - BrainyQuote." BrainyQuote. BookRags Media Network, 2011. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. .

Stokesbury, James L. "Patton, George Smith, Jr." World Book Student. World Book, 2012. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .

Upson, Cyd. "Conspiracy Theories: The Mysterious Death of General Patton | Fox News." Fox News. Fox News, 2011. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. .

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